{"id":10922,"date":"2019-01-21T07:00:13","date_gmt":"2019-01-21T13:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/?p=10922"},"modified":"2020-10-14T11:41:56","modified_gmt":"2020-10-14T16:41:56","slug":"clearing-out-your-stuff-move-to-assisted-living","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/2019\/01\/clearing-out-your-stuff-move-to-assisted-living\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Clearing Out Your Belongings Before a Move to Assisted Living"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tips for Clearing Out Your\u00a0Belongings Before a Move to Assisted Living<\/h1>\n

When a senior decides with their family that it\u2019s time for a move to\u00a0assisted living<\/a><\/strong>,<\/strong>\u00a0one of the challenges of the transition is moving to a much smaller space. You have to figure out what to do with all the belongings you\u2019ve acquired over the years and make some hard choices about what to keep and what to get rid of.\"Tips<\/p>\n

To help you through the process,\u00a0we have compiled four steps that will make it easier to clear out belongings before a move to assisted living:<\/p>\n

1. Determine any belongings that you can sell.<\/h3>\n

Figure out which of items are in good enough condition to sell. You can list them on Amazon, Craiglist, eBay or Nextdoor to find buyers. You could also stick with the old-fashioned option of a garage sale, or do a bit of both \u2013 start with a garage sale and list what\u2019s left over online.<\/p>\n

While selling your things requires some work, that extra money will be nice to have once you start paying for assisted living<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

2. Determine the high-priority items that you know you want to keep.<\/h3>\n

Be strict with yourself here. Assisted living doesn\u2019t come with a lot of storage space, so you need to get used to the idea of having less stuff.<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Start with necessities. You need a certain number of medications, outfits, toiletries, etc. Then move to furniture like bedside tables and drawers that will be useful and perhaps your favorite chair or sofa as well.<\/li>\n
  • Then consider the items you own that have an emotional significance, like photos of family and meaningful gifts from loved ones that should be given priority space.<\/li>\n
  • You\u2019ll probably have enough space at this point to hang onto a few nice-to-have items, like favorite books, a TV etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The goal here though is to keep the list fairly short and have a clear idea of the priority of different items, so if you find you have less space than you thought, it will be easier determining what can go.<\/p>\n

    3. Donate what\u2019s left over to charity.<\/h3>\n

    Pack which belongings are still left over to take to Goodwill or a local shelter. Goodwill can sometimes provide a pickup if there are a lot of items being donated. There are likely a number of other organizations in your community that can benefit from the items you\u2019ll no longer have space for as well. Talk to homeless and women’s shelters or organizations that work with refugees about the kind of needs they have.<\/p>\n

    Your extra blankets or furniture could make a big difference to someone who has a real need for them.<\/p>\n

    4. Invite\u00a0family\u00a0members over to pick out\u00a0belongings they\u2019d like to have.<\/h3>\n

    Your family members may well have their own list of items in the house that have emotional significance for them. For many of the items you don\u2019t have space for, they may be able to keep them in the family by taking them into their homes.<\/p>\n

    Invite them over to go through the house and select items they either personally want or would like to keep in the family and know they have enough storage space in their homes to do so.<\/p>\n

    At this point, you\u2019ve hopefully reduced your belongings to just those that will fit into your assisted living space. If you find yourself missing certain items you got rid of, remember that your room will be much more pleasant\u00a0when not cluttered. Many of the things you had in your home weren\u2019t really items you needed, anyway.<\/p>\n

    A move to assisted living gives you a chance at a new start and cutting down on the things you own can make you feel more comfortable and actually be a bit freeing in an assisted living community.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Tips for Clearing Out Your\u00a0Belongings Before a Move to Assisted Living When a senior decides with their family that it\u2019s time for a move to\u00a0assisted living,\u00a0one of the challenges of the transition is moving to a much smaller space. You have to figure out what to do with all the belongings you\u2019ve acquired over the years and make some hard […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2199,"featured_media":14000,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,200,2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-10922","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-assisted-living","8":"category-families-caregivers","9":"category-senior-living"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nClearing Out Your Belongings Before a Move to Assisted Living<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Before a move to assisted living, you'll need to get rid of some belongings. 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