Name: Golden Placement Services
Address: Milwaukie, OR, US
Telephone: +1-503-723-7145
Price range: Free to families

Over the course of our lives, our space and living needs change. As we get older, children move away and spouses pass on. We may find that we have much more space than we need or can reasonably afford. But if you have ever tried to clean out your attic or basement, you know that there can be a lot of challenges to downsizing. What is a treasured heirloom and what is junk? Can you be really sure that you'll never need this or that item again?

Downsizing your senior loved one's furniture, objects, and material possessions can sometimes be a difficult conversation, but there are a number of reasons why it can actually be a great idea. Here is why downsizing helps, followed by our best tips for helping a senior declutter.

Start With Empathy

First, empathize with your loved one. Come to your senior loved one prepared to listen to their own ideas about downsizing for better senior living, instead of trying to change their opinion. Later, once they have moved, they might even realize it was one of the best decisions they ever made.

How Downsizing Can Benefit Your Senior Loved One

Less emptiness: When your senior loved one bought their house, they probably needed a lot more space than they do now. They may have had a partner or children to fill the space up. When you are older and have fewer or no other people in your home, that extra space can create depressing feelings of emptiness. A smaller home that you can more easily fill with furniture and make cozy may be a much more uplifting space.
Less expense: If your loved one hasn't paid off their mortgage, now could be a good opportunity to get rid of that troublesome monthly payment. Even if one fully owns their house, a large home can be expensive to heat and pay for general upkeep. The money saved by moving into a smaller home, renting, or moving into senior housing could go towards health care, travel, or simply providing a cushion for living expenses.
More safety: A bigger house means more walking to get from place to place, which means more opportunities for accidents. Falls are a big cause of health problems in the elderly, and a smaller space provides fewer opportunities for them to happen. A smaller home could also make it easier to avoid confusion and to get to help when necessary, and it could be an opportunity to introduce smart technology that can help you monitor your senior loved one's conditions and render aid faster in case of an emergency.
Less clutter: If your senior loved one has lived in the same home for 30, 40, even 50 years, they've probably accumulated a lot of stuff they no longer need. Downsizing provides a great opportunity to go through all that stuff, rediscover old treasures, and sell, donate or throw away all of that old junk.

Tips to Help a Senior Declutter

Here is a simple version of our downsizing checklist.

1. Start Small and Start Early

Devise a plan with the future in focus on why you are ready to declutter. Start small and set a time limit, 15 minutes at a time. Start early, too. Organizing, packing and moving belongings will probably take more time than you expect, and allowing ample time lets your loved one go at their own pace.

2. Three Piles: Keep, Toss, Donate or Sell

Pick a room in the home and take a fearless inventory of what is in it. Then, put everything into three simple piles: keeping, throwing out, and donating or selling. Items to consider throwing out, selling, or donating include:

Duplicates of other bric-a-brac or useful items in the home. Discarding duplicates is the fastest way to declutter.
Things which are broken or in the process of being fixed. Some donation stations employ folks who spend all day fixing things, which gives them solid employment.
Household or personal items your loved one hasn't used in several years, such as the 10 boxes of Raisin Bran, expired vitamins, or the extra pot holder from Auntie June. Adopt the "one year" rule: if you use it, keep it. Be honest!

It helps to have a donation staging area in the garage for easy pick-up, and a simple labeling system. When you are finished in one room, move on to the next. Make a game out of it, taking frequent breaks to reminisce and recall special details about an item, and take your time.

3. You Can Digitize It!

One simple space-saving method is to digitize media. If your senior's home has rows and rows of books or piles of videotapes, photographs, audiocassettes or record albums, they should know about services to digitize and store photos, favorite music and documents. Almost all papers and photos can be duplicated by the types of storage services listed in this article. For cards, notes and letters, frame your most valued love letters and notes on your wall, or create a scrapbook from the treasured cards of the people you love most.

If someone is a true collector, they may not want to part with their treasures, like a prized Elvis vinyl record collection, spoons of the continents, or 32 matching bone tea cups and saucers. Consolidate collections where you can. But if it's just about having access to the music, books and movies, our seniors need to know they can have all that without clutter. Your loved one may also make a tidy profit by selling some of that stuff to actual collectors.

4. Bring in the Family for a Gifting Party

As long as your senior is moving from one place to another, they have a great opportunity to pass a few things down to the family while they're still around to enjoy the giving. Invite children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and friends to come in, do a little scavenging and take special items they would like to have as a keepsake. It's a great way to offload a lot of stuff they may not have room for in the new place while still keeping those treasures securely in the family. Your senior loved one can even visit their old stuff when they come to visit you!

5. Visualize the New Home

Help your senior visualize their new home. Be clear about the future life and space, and talk about the type of furniture they will need. Will your loved one really need three televisions? Will they need a king-size bed? Lay out the new floor plan: measure and draw. Furniture or other items that are unlikely to fit can be eliminated or switched out for a smaller version.

Document your loved one's favorite vignettes, too. A favorite sofa coupled with that same cozy blanket makes a big difference in the transition to a new home.

Consider an Estate Sale

When you are relocating a loved one, sometimes it is time to bring in a local estate sale expert. Hiring a pro is really the easiest way to declutter a home, and you do not have to do everything yourself. For more pro tips, watch this video from decluttering expert Matt Paxton, author of "Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff."

According to Sandra Millius of Millius Estates, when you are relocating, helping someone else do so, or liquidating an estate, it is wise to consult with a professional estate sale provider. The estate sale professional can describe the various options and help you decide which method best meets your needs. That consultation is free and generally done at the home. If an estate sale is the best option, the professional will prepare items for sale, conduct the sale and arrange disposal of goods not sold. In most cases those services include cleaning, organizing and display, marketing and advertising, staffing both the prep and sale, and various clean out services.

While preparing for the estate sale, the professional may recognize that certain items should be sold in another venue, such as at auction. The experienced professional, trained in appraisal methods, can be expected to recognize such items, research their value, call in special experts when required, and determine the best sale venue.

What to consider when selecting a professional estate sale specialist:

Years the company has been in business and/or experience in related fields of business.
Qualifications: the specialist is expected to be able to put a value on the items to be sold. Ask how pricing is determined and when, or if, they utilize other experts.
Ask for references from past clients, and check them out.
Ask about fees. Estate sale fees are based on a percentage of gross sales, often backed with a minimum fee. Ask what services are covered and what additional services, if any, are charged against the gross sales amount.
Is the professional's company registered, bonded and insured?
Ask for a contract and review it carefully prior to signing.

Ask the right questions and do some comparison-shopping to ensure you get the best service. Millius Estate Service offers a free consultation.

Moving Day and Beyond

Ensure a safe moving day, and keep these essentials easy to reach before the move: sleepwear, bedding, medications, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and kitchen and meal supplies. Once your loved one has moved, talk with a focus on the adventure ahead at the new location: meet the new neighbors and make plans in the community.

We've also compiled a checklist for seniors downsizing to help you sort through important papers, update documents and coordinate the move. Visit our Golden Girl checklist for moving preparation.

When Downsizing Isn't Enough

Depending upon the condition of your senior loved one and your proximity to them, downsizing to a smaller home may not be sufficient for their needs. An assisted living community or residential care facility where professionals are on hand to take care of their health concerns and other needs may be more appropriate. Moving happens at any age, but for seniors there are other factors: physical abilities, emotional attachment, and health issues.

If your senior loved one has the project of downsizing completed and is all ready for a big move, great work! Golden Placement Services can help find a home for Mom or Dad, at no cost to your family. Call us at 503-723-7145 or contact us today.

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Golden Placement Services helps Oregon families find the right senior living option, and our guidance is always free to families.

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Downsizing for Seniors: Best Tips to Declutter a Lifetime of Stuff