Life is a journey.
Most people make multiple downsizing moves in their lifetimes–from a large family home to a smaller one, to an apartment, to a retirement community, then to a care facility or the home of a family member. Each kind of move entails its own challenges.
There are three categories of questions we recommend considering if you are thinking of changing your housing situation:
- Self-reflection: Why am I thinking about moving? Where am I going? What are the challenges? What are the benefits?
- Practical Questions: What am I taking with me? What am I leaving behind? What do I do with the stuff I don’t need or want? Who will get my belongings? What type of help do I need?
- Making the Decision: What is my decision? What should I do first? When should I do it?
Unless you have downsized before and already purged a lot of your stuff, you may be feeling extremely anxious. I have personally made the first rightsizing move of my life, going from a large family home to a smaller one.
My recommendation is to start considering these questions long before you need to implement them. Looking ahead and making plans will make any transition smoother. Looking forward can make it easier to move forward.
CareWell can be a good source of information about the choices available to you and can guide you through the steps. CareWell will be leading Rightsizing Your Life classes, created by the National Council on Aging, at the Heritage Commons and the Forks Senior Centers later this year. Follow CareWell on Facebook or visit www.carewellservices.org for updates on when classes will be available.
