Rightsizing for Senior Living Apartments

Sep 1, Alissa Sauer

Moving to senior living is one big decision composed of a thousand smaller decisions. The team at Fairwinds – Desert Point in Oro Valley is here to walk you through every step along the way. Start your next chapter by learning to rightsize your belongings, simplify your space, and increase your quality of life!

Why Rightsizing is Better than Downsizing

Living comfortably in a new space is more about bringing the right things than about bringing fewer things. When you rightsize for a move, you are thoughtfully and intentionally thinking through your needs and wants for a new chapter of life. We know that leaving a family home is an emotional decision but there are ways to bring pieces of that home (and more importantly, the memories from that home) along with you to a smaller space in a senior living community.

These rightsizing tips can help you simplify your move and your new space.

1. Have a plan.

The old adage “plan to fail or fail to plan” is never more true than when it comes to downsizing. Your plan should start with your “why.” Why is it important to do this now? Do you want to pack less when you move to senior living? Do you want less clutter in your new home? Do you want to showcase your important belongings and let the rest go? Your plan should also include what you will do with items you don’t want to move. Will they be passed on to other family members? Can you schedule a donation service to pick them up?

2. Create a calendar.

Create a goal calendar that will work for you and the size of your home. There is no time limit on this process. It is totally up to you. Maybe you can work through one room a week or one room a day? Set your goals and write them down.

3. Work through one room at a time.

It is better to work through individual rooms rather than sort through similar items. Start with rooms that are most used. For example, you may start with the living room, followed by your bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, office, hall closets, basement, attics, and lastly, garages.

4. Prioritize.

Prioritization is the key to your success. As you go through each room, decide which items from that area are most important to you and why.

5. Get creative!

This is a great time to get creative! If you’ve saved your children’s artwork for decades, now would be a great time to take photos of those pieces and consolidate them into one memory book. Maybe you have family videos that can be digitized. There are a lot of creative ways to decrease clutter and increase the utility of your space.

6. Ask for help.

Everything is more fun with a friend, and rightsizing is no exception. You are not alone, and when the process becomes tedious, it can be helpful to grab a friend and have them help you. If the process feels too overwhelming, there are professional services who can help.

Fairwinds – Desert Point offers independent living and assisted living services in Oro Valley, Arizona. Our senior living community has studios and one-bedroom apartments available for rent. Contact us today to learn more and launch your next chapter!