Make Your Move to a Senior Apartment Easter with These 5 Tips

Moving from a home where you have lived for years may seem like a daunting challenge. Moving from the family home to senior apartments can pose even more of a challenge as the space will be smaller. The first bit of good news is that most people who make the move are happy with the place they chose. At least 89.3% of people living in senior living communities say their satisfaction with the new housing is excellent or good. Moreover, at least 84.5% of these people report that they would be happy to recommend the facility where they live to friends or family.

Despite these stats, making the transition from a house to senior apartments can be difficult. The second bit of good news is that there are ways to make that process easier. These tips can help you make the transition easier.

1. Devise a plan to downsize. The process of moving is one that takes a lot of energy. There will be some days when you have a lot and get a lot done and other days when you may not get as much accomplished as you would like. Do not let that stress you out, it is normal. When you know you are going to move to senior apartments, get out your calendar and schedule on and off days. Set goals. These can be for the week or for every day. Make a list of who will help with the different tasks that you have on your plate. Coordinate your schedule with your helper friends and family.
2. Inventory your stuff. Start by sitting down and making a list of what items you want. This may seen counterintuitive but you should do this without taking a physical tour of your stuff. Making a list this way is helpful because it shows what items are really important to you. You may want to do this in stages. Make several drafts. The things that really matter to you will come to you while you are making up this list.
3. When you go to get rid of stuff, start with the less personal stuff. Go through your tool shed first, for example. Then move to the kitchen. As you start to put things in the “get rid of” area, you build yourself up to giving away more sentimental items. Think of this like working out a muscle. You do not start with a 100 pound weight you start with a five pound weight. You build you the “downsizing muscle.” At the outset, you may find it hard to get rid of anything but the process will get easier.
4. Do not send your stuff to the landfill. There are a lot of things you can do with your stuff as you get ready for living in an assisted living community. First, you can give items away to friends and family. Next, you can have a yard sale. If you do not want to have a yard sale, non-profit organizations all over the country can use the items that you cannot. This is good for a few reasons. You help people in need, you help the non-profit organization, you get rid of the stuff you do not need and you get a tax write off. Make sure you get paperwork from the non-profit if you donate to file with your taxes.
5. Hang out in the senior apartments before you move in. When you move into a community, one of the best parts is getting to know the other people. You should spend time both in your new living space but getting to know the residents and becoming an active member of the community. If you picked the complex of senior apartments because a lot of people play bridge and you play that game, see if you can get a partner and join a game. Having friends at the new community and getting involved in the activities of the community before you move in will make your transition to living there much easier and even enjoyable.

Many people dread moving into retirement homes but if you spend some time working on the transition, you can make the process easier.