3 Steps To De-stress Downsizing

Sometimes we find ourselves in the humbling position of caregiver to a loved one.  It could be your spouse, family friend, brother or sister.  Often times we find it necessary to bring that loved one into our own home to provide adequate care and emotional connection.  It doesn’t matter if you’re going from a palatial residence to a smaller space, the issues are the same.

It can be a very difficult and stressful time for my clients, especially when faced with the overwhelming task of going through someone elses home contents, furniture and belongings to determine what can fit into the new place of residence, what documents are vital, what can be donated and what can be sold.

I recently received a call from a gentleman in just this position.  He holds power of attorney for property and personal care and is caregiver to a 90-year-old woman who was moving into his home from her condominium which had been sold.  He explained feeling overwhelmed, anxious and stressed with a moving deadline in 2 weeks’ time.  First thing I assured him was that we could handle this project within the timelines presented without issue. Immediately his anxiety decreased.

Then we proceeded with three of many very important steps in the downsizing process.

Identify and categorize furniture

The first step was for my client to identify the furniture and household items that were moving from the condo to his own place of residence.  This was easily accomplished using a piece of green painters’ tape to attach to each piece of furniture or household item that was going with them.

Sort through vital papers

The second step was to sort through the paperwork in the condominium to ascertain what records were vital, such as passport, insurance documents, etc.  We also sorted and collected old photos, jewellery and other valuables and placed these in a separate box that would not be moved by the movers but would personally be transported by our client.

Identify items for donation

The third step was to identify the furniture and other household contents that could be donated.  This resulted in a couple of different zones as some furniture could be donated to the Furniture Bank whereas others were suitable for other charitable organizations. There are a lot of logistics to work through and consider in this type of downsizing project, especially when dealing with a condominium corporation, elevator reservations and restrictions regarding common areas.

There will always be some items we find that cannot be donated and would ultimately be disposed of.  For example, we found a lot of expired food items, broken dishware, damaged and badly stained furniture items and extremely out dated kitchen appliances that were no longer functional.

Sometimes we find items of value.  Most notably, our client had asked us to empty and donate everything that was in the dining room hutch.  As we proceeded to clear items out we came across some highly valuable dishware.  I was certain the client was not aware of the value of these items and brought them to his attention.   He was thankful and appreciative of us alerting him to these items.  Whenever you are not sure of an item’s value it is always best practice to have the items appraised.

One thing to remember is that everything cannot be donated.  Many donation centres no longer take beds or even bedding because of the fear of bed bugs, fleas or other infestations that could potentially be disastrous for a centre.

When in doubt, speak to a professional in the industry that can guide you in the right direction and provide unbiased recommendations to smooth the transition. Good luck with your next downsizing project!