Downsizing Tips for Seniors
Quick Summary: Downsizing your home is one of the most significant decisions you’ll make in retirement—emotionally, financially, and logistically. Whether you’re just beginning to explore your options or ready to take the next step, these five downsizing tips for seniors will help you move forward with confidence.
In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy magically returns to Kansas by simply clicking her heels and chanting, “There’s no place like home.” For older adults who grew up with the film, it seems there really is no place like home when it comes to how they plan to spend their retirement.
According to AARP, 75% of adults over 50 say they would like to live in their current home as long as possible. However, many recognize that this dream may not be realistic. Nearly 45% of older adults expect they will need to relocate at some point, citing the cost of living and financial pressures as major drivers of moving.
For more than half of seniors, this means downsizing to a smaller home. This transition can be difficult—both logistically and emotionally. Leaving a place where you and your family have made so many memories may seem overwhelming. You may be wondering where to begin. What room should I pack up first? What will fit in my new space? How can I make it feel more like home?
At Jewish Community Housing Corporation (JCHC), we believe that everyone deserves to feel at home at every stage of their life. Since our founding in 1982, we’ve provided countless Northern New Jersey seniors of all backgrounds with a place to thrive, where they can fill their best years with opportunity, community, and joy—not limitations.
To help older adults who are considering a move, we’ve compiled these downsizing tips for seniors, including recommendations for senior moving companies and senior downsizing services in the area. Here’s a step-by-step action plan to walk you through each stage of the process.
Downsizing Tip #1: Start Your Search Early
Looking at multiple rooms filled with stuff in your house, you may be tempted to put off downsizing. However, starting the process early will help you feel less rushed, give you ample time to thoughtfully sort through your belongings, and make the entire process less stressful.
For retirees or older adults who are still weighing their options, experts recommend starting conversations about downsizing with your spouse or family at least 1 to 3 years before you may need to make a move. This will give you plenty of time to evaluate your reasons for downsizing and to find your next home.
Seniors considering moving to a senior living community should definitely begin their search as soon as possible. Demand for senior housing is at record levels, and occupancy rates have surpassed 90%, due to record-high demand and record-low construction of new housing units. This period of high demand has created waitlists at many communities as long as 6 to 12 months, according to U.S. News & World Report, so it pays to start your search early.
Downsizing Tip #2: Determine How Much Space You Actually Need
Once you’ve decided on a senior living community, request a copy of the floor plan for your new space. Using the floor plan, you can begin to visually map out the layout and measure your furniture to determine which items will fit.
Whether you’re looking for a cozy studio or need two bedrooms to host family members, JCHC offers comfortable and convenient independent living apartments in our Lester Senior Living community in Whippany, NJ, and our Village Apartments community in South Orange, NJ. Both communities offer maintenance-free senior living, flexible dining options, and 24/7 amenities.
At Lester Senior Living, our independent living apartments range from our one-bedroom, one-bathroom, 574 sq. ft. Chatham model to our two-bedroom, two-bathroom, 1094 sq. ft. Randolph Model. Village Apartments offers a 392 sq. ft. luxury studio apartment, as well as a 544 sq. ft. luxury one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment.
Take a virtual tour of Lester Senior Living apartments here
Take a virtual tour of Village Apartments here
Downsizing Tip #3: Manage the Emotional Side of Letting Go
Saying goodbye to a home you’ve loved for decades is one of the most stressful moments in our lives at any age. Surveys have ranked moving as more stressful than getting divorced or having children.
It’s important to manage both your mental and physical health when downsizing your house. First, give yourself grace if you’re struggling with the emotional weight of it all. The longer you’ve owned your belongings, the more memories you’ve attached to them, making it harder to part with them. Studies show this is very common for adults over 70.
We’ve all heard that thinking positively can improve your mood, and recent studies have reaffirmed it. The psychological technique of reframing—seeing something perceived as negative in a more positive light—has been shown to significantly decrease depression symptoms, increase confidence, and help us make more progress toward our goals.
As a reframing exercise, try giving the process a different name. Thinking about the process as “right-sizing,” finding the right space for this time in your life, can help you focus on everything you’re gaining instead of what you’re leaving behind.
For example, moving to a maintenance-free senior living community like JCHC means that you’ll no longer have to worry about maintenance or repairs. Imagine yourself curled up with a book or watching a movie in our newly-renovated theater instead of shoveling snow or icing the driveway next winter.
To help manage your emotional attachment to your items, experts suggest starting with a room or space in your home that holds less meaning for you, such as a laundry room.
Additionally, to help pace yourself, conserve your energy, and manage your stress, Right at Home suggests making a schedule and a list of tasks for each room. Create a schedule for specific tasks on specific days to allow for breaks and rest. Check out our Downsizing Your Home Checklist for Seniors below to help get you started.
If you need assistance, consider involving family or friends in the process. As the saying goes, “many hands make light work.” Involving your children or loved ones in the process can also make the process of “gifting” or passing on items easier, because they can choose items that have meaning for them.
Downsizing Tip #4: Hire a Senior Moving Company or Senior Downsizing Services
If you’re a “solo ager” managing the downsizing process on your own, you’re not as lonely as you might think. Today, 22 million adults over age 50 live alone, and the population of solo agers is continuing to grow.
While remaining fiercely independent as you age is something to celebrate, downsizing help for seniors is available from professionals who specialize in the transition to senior living communities.
The National Association of Senior & Specialty Move Managers® (NASMM) is an organization specializing in downsizing and relocating older adults. Members of NASMM are required to carry general business liability insurance, pass courses in ethics, safety, liability and risk, and abide by NASMM’s code of ethics.
Several NASMM-certified Senior Move Managers® are available to offer downsizing help for seniors in Whippany and South Orange, NJ. Senior Move Managers can help prioritize areas in your home, make decisions on what to donate, sell, or discard, and simplify your lifestyle. Visit NASMM’s Find a Senior Move Manager database to locate a Senior Move Manager near you.
Downsizing Tip #5: Preserving Your Heritage in Senior Living
Moving into a senior living community does not mean abandoning the rich cultural traditions that make you feel most at home.
Maintaining your connection to family traditions, spirituality, and cultural customs is beneficial for healthy aging. A study in the Journal of Nursing Reports in Clinical Practice noted several benefits of maintaining spirituality for older adults, including lower levels of anxiety and depression, improved vitality, a greater sense of belonging, and overall better mental, physical, and social well-being.
Staying connected to tradition helps seniors reinforce their personal identity, stay connected to their memories, and foster a sense of purpose. Here are a few beautiful traditions for Jewish seniors to make your space feel sacred from day one.
Jewish traditions for moving into a new home:
- Age-old customs dictate that bread and salt should be the first items brought into a new home.
- Bringing in Jewish books and a tzedakah box into the home before the rest of the boxes establishes the home as a haven of study and kindness.
- It is customary to host a Chaukat Habayit (home dedication party) shortly after moving into a new home. At this home dedication, family and friends express their blessings and wishes for a happy home.
One of the most important traditions when moving to a new home is affixing a mezuzah on the door of the home and in doorways throughout the house. The mezuzah serves as a reminder that spirituality continues from the synagogue into the home.
How JCHC can help you feel right at home
JCHC’s mission is to offer seniors of all faiths and backgrounds compassion, community, and respect.
At JCHC, we view each resident as part of our extended family, and we strive to foster active, vibrant retirement living. We offer endless ways to make new connections, from sharing a meal in our kosher dining room to joining in holiday celebrations, chatting in our comfortable lounges, and making new memories on community outings.
From the moment you walk in our doors, you’ll feel our welcoming atmosphere. At JCHC, you’re not giving up a home, you’re making a new one.
Drop in to tour our communities. We can’t wait to welcome you home.
Downsizing Your Home Checklist for Seniors
From starting the conversation to unpacking boxes, here is a step-by-step downsizing your home checklist to help you every step of the way.
When to start having conversations about downsizing:
- Start having conversations before you need to move.
- Give yourself plenty of time to search for the right senior living community.
12-18 Months Before Moving:
- Tour senior living communities.
- Request floor plans.
3–6 Months Before:
- Create a plan. Identify tasks by room and create a schedule.
- Begin sorting non-sentimental storage areas (laundry room, garage, attic, basement).
- Involve family members and identify items to pass down.
- Research and contact senior movers or senior downsizing services.
1–3 Months Before:
- Confirm furniture measurements. Visualize items using a floor plan.
- Contact senior movers; confirm move-in date with the community.
- File a change of address with the post office.
Moving Week:
- Pack daily essentials last.
- Arrange help for moving day (family, movers, move manager).
- Plan your housewarming gathering.
