What Options Are There for Someone Who has to Downsize and Move Into Assisted Living? Find Out a Few Here.

November 17, 2014 by ·

Downsizing in Winter for a Move to Assisted Living near Daphne, AL

Whenever a person makes the decision to move into assisted living, it will generally mean they have to downsize from their current residence. Downsizing is a process in which you are going to be moving from a home that you’ve lived in for many years, such as a house or apartment building to a single room facility –either a single room apartment style home or efficiency apartment.

You’re not going to have the same amount of space in this new place that you did before, in most cases. Also, the longer you live in one area, the more likely it will be that you have accumulated belongings. You are not going to be able to bring all of those things with you to an assisted living facility. In fact, most facilities have limits to the amount of personal belongings you’ll be entitled to bring with you.

Which leaves most people one of two options when they decide that assisted living is the right option for them: get rid of some of their personal possessions (which could include furniture and other items) or move it into a storage facility.

It can be challenging for some people to let go of certain possessions, so moving things into a storage facility (at least for now) may be the most reasonable options for them.

This can be even more difficult during the winter months, especially in northern states when the temperatures can get quite cold and snow is a reality. Below are a couple of tips that can help you downsize your home during winter as you get ready for a move to assisted living.

  1. Move items you want to keep into one or two rooms. Try to avoid leaving anything in common walking areas. By using a couple of rooms as ‘temporary storage’ you can make the actual move that much easier and more efficient.
  2. Use Ebay or other services to try and sell unwanted items. A tag or garage sale is not going to be practical during winter in most regions, but that doesn’t mean you can’t sell items you no longer need and no one in your family really wants.
  3. Determine what you can bring with you. Always check with the assisted living staff to find out what items you can bring with you. This will help you organize your items for the move.
  4. Have family help move items into storage, the facility, or wherever they will be going. If you don’t have family in the area that can help, hire local movers to assist with this transition to assisted living during the winter months.

 

If you or an aging loved one are considering Assisted Living, contact Ashbury Manor Specialty Care and Assisted Living near Daphne, AL at 251-317-3017.

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About Cindy Johnson

Ashbury Manor’s Administrator since 2008, Cindy Johnson is a long-time expert in the assisted living field. Prior to her arrival at Ashbury Manor, Cindy managed acquisitions and crisis management for existing and new larger senior care project developments for eleven years. As regional manager for an Oregon-based assisted living management company, Cindy was directly responsible for operations for five 50-65 bed assisted living facilities. As manager during the transition to new ownership, Cindy reorganized internal operations and conducted leadership training for Executive Directors. As a result of her management and expertise, one of the company’s facilities (in Ocala, Florida) received a deficiency-free survey, resulting in the lifting of a moratorium on operation.

A nurse for 36 years, senior care has always been Cindy’s passion. Desiring to work more closely with residents, Cindy became a Category II Administrator in 2005. As Ashbury Manor’s Administrator, Cindy understands the complexities associated with dementia and cognitive impairment and she has fallen in love with seniors with dementia or cognitive impairment and their families.

Cindy is Treasurer of the local “Senior Coalition” chapter. She enjoys mentoring new candidates who want to become administrators.

As a 16-bed facility, with Cindy's training and experience, our residents and their families can be sure Ashbury Manor’s carefully selected staff provides the expertise of a larger facility while maintaining the individualized personal care of a small special needs home.
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