Downsizing after a move? No. Never.

If there’s one piece of advice I have for seniors moving to a smaller home or into senior living community, it’s this: Downsize before you move – not after.

For the four years we’ve been helping seniors in their relocation efforts, we have heard countless people say they would rather take everything that’s important to them into their new home. Then they’ll get rid of things that don’t fit. Sadly, this rarely works. 

Once they are in their new home, excess furniture, boxes of mementos (knickknacks, photographs, vases and so forth) and kitchen appliances and miscellaneous gadgets leave no room to move around. In turn, the crowding creates tripping hazards for seniors. This is particularly true in senior communities where closet space tends to be smaller and storage options more limited.

Once the lightbulb goes on with the realization that there’s too much stuff, managing the downsizing chore with no room to move around is a major challenge ... and dangerous.

There’s only one way to avoid the worst-case scenario, and that’s to bite the bullet early in the process, while you’re still in your current home and have some space to work.

So, if you’re a senior planning to move, there’s a simple game plan. 

First, if you’re moving into a smaller house or apartment, it’s important to measure the rooms and visualize, realistically, where your furniture would fit comfortably. Some newly built homes and some landlords may supply floor plans; if not, measure the rooms yourself. Be mindful of the cable connection placements, because these are the only walls that will accommodate a television or computer table. Senior living communities always provide floor plans with measurements. These floor plans are your friend and your roadmap to furniture arrangement.

All furniture that does not have a designated space at this stage of planning will not fit. Do not move it.

Secondly, take a realistic look at the countertops and  kitchen cabinet/pantry space in your new home. This space does not get bigger after you move. Will you really use the roasting pan for a 16-pound turkey? Do you need two sets of dishes? Do you need every countertop appliance you’ve accumulated over the years, or will a simple coffee maker and toaster do? In your current home, other appliances you use once or twice a year have a hiding place for the other 363 days of the year. In many smaller homes and apartments, and definitely in senior living communities, there will be no such hiding places. Also, the food plans at most senior communities obviate the need for complicated home-cooked meals.

Do the culling of these appliances, dishes and larger cooking items before you move, rather than waiting to discover there is no home nor use for them.

And finally, the myriad memories in the form of photos, knickknacks and other small decorative items that are displayed throughout your current home will likely overwhelm the new space. Assess the furniture you’ll be able to take along and the display space is affords. Understand that these tables will likely be doing double duty at a new home, perhaps with a lamp or the TV controls on them, or as a place to set a cup of coffee in the morning. Every square inch of those surfaces cannot be taken up by photographs or knickknacks. These are the hardest things let go of because they each hold a memory of a place or time or person. But, part with some you must. 

If your photos are of family members, hold onto the group shots so you can smile at all your loved ones at the same time. Photos of one or two people can be digitized for you to visit, or can be saved without the frames and then rotated in a single frame. Or purchase a digital frame so you can view multiple photos.

Take one or two mementos that offer the most meaning to you. Take pictures of all the others that you can access digitally whenever you want. 

I would never suggest – not after all the homes I’ve downsized, including my own father’s – that any of this is easy. But trust me, it’s a lot easier to do it before you move. A. Lot. Easier.