If it is time to move into an Airdrie seniors living community, one of the most emotional and difficult parts of the transition is downsizing. It can be difficult to part with a lifetime of treasures, but once you have, there will be a feeling of freedom and relief. Follow these tips for downsizing before moving into an assisted living community in Airdrie.

Have a Plan

Being prepared with a plan is a great first step to downsizing. Figure out a timeline for when this process should be complete. Make a list of things that you will need, things you may want. Have a plan for what you want to do with items that you decide to part ways with. The more details you include in this plan, and the more well throughout it is, the easier this entire process becomes.

Declutter Ahead of Time

Before you even begin to pack or ask friends and family to come help, start decluttering. Focus on a rom at a time, and take your time with this. Look through each and every item you have and decide if you think you will need it once you have moved into assisted living. Be mindful that you will be moving into a much smaller space, so only take things that are of a high importance to you.

For everything else, you will want to sort this stuff into containers. You should have separate piles for things you plan to keep, things that you will be giving to family, things you will be trying to sell, things you will donate to a charity, and finally, things that will go into the garbage. Only you can make these tough decisions for your things, so this process is best done by you, and can be tackled over a long period of time.

Get Family and Friends to Help

Once progress has been made on the decluttering, then the time for family and friends to come help begins. This process should include family helping to box things up, and transport it to its final destination. This process may require family to help you in further reducing the keep pile, if it has become too big for the space you will be transitioning to. Some useful considerations to help with this include how often the item is used, if you have kept similar items, and what the value or sentimental value is.

Downsizing is emotionally draining and difficult process. The best tip is to start early and to take your time. Remember, you spent a lifetime collecting this stuff, so you do not have to decide overnight on what to keep, and what to move on from.

Things to Bring when Moving into Assisted Living

No matter if you’re coming from Airdrie or Calgary itself, you want to make sure you’ve got everything you need before you arrive. So here’s a checklist of things you’ll want to remember.

Bed – make sure that your bed will fit into your new room. Check the room layouts to be sure.Furniture – aside from the bed, what will you need to feel comfortable? How many rooms do you need furniture for? Remember that you’re downsizing, so you may have to get rid of some of your furniture to fit into this new space.

Clothing – this is obvious, but you may also want to downsize here as well. Also, limit the number of dry clean only items you bring.

Housewares – every one of our floor plans includes a kitchenette, so you’ll want to make sure you have enough pots, pans, plates, and cutlery to let you prepare whatever you love to cook.

Safe – now this is something you may not have thought about, but you might want to have a small safe to keep your valuables and valuable documents in.

Entertainment – you can’t be busy with our activities every day, so you might want to sit down and enjoy the TV or computer, or just listen to some music.

Toiletries – you can’t forget your toothbrush, can you?

Medication – can’t forget this either.

Photos – do you have albums or scrapbooks full of memories? Make sure those come along as well.

Cleaning Supplies – Although we offer once a week housekeeping, you may want supplies to keep your kitchenette sparkling every day.

Moving into assisted living is a big change, but if you’re prepared, moving day will be stress free.