In the 11 1/2 years Paula Mayewski worked at senior centers in Montgomery County, she saw firsthand a need for seniors to get help with the downsizing process.
Two years ago, it inspired her to start a business, Home Stream Space, with her daughter, Emily, to address the need.
One thing she’s noticed is that virtually nobody gives themselves enough time to take care of the stuff they accumulated before they’re in a challenging time in their life due to the results of aging.
“It can be overwhelming,” Mayewski said. “Believe me, you can’t start that soon enough.”
As we age, it gets harder to reach things, boxes get heavier, and the idea of decluttering sounds more daunting.
While Mayewski has noticed that seniors are getting more savvy at taking care of necessary paperwork for various matters, they aren’t taking the time to get their stuff in order.
“People like their stuff and get attached to it,” she said.
Proactive approach
She has found that a proactive approach is better than a reactive one since the outcome isn’t ideal.
“If you wind up ill unexpectedly, you might not be able to give away that locket or collection of tools you have in mind for a loved one,” she said. “The people cleaning out your house, like me, might not know your wishes.”
Often it gets to a point where it’s the adult child of a senior who’s contacting Mayewski for support.
They might have a family member who wants to age in place and has a contractor coming to make modifications to the home to make that possible, but stuff is in the way of where a new railing or ramp needs to go.
“We find out in advance of the project where those changes are being made and take care of the stuff that needs to be moved out of the way,” Mayewski said.
Support to get through process
Whether you need to tackle 40 years of accumulated items to move to a retirement center, or a family member needs to take care of it for you, often support is needed to get through the process.
“They need help in trying to decide what to part with and what to keep,” Mayewski said. “If they’re going from a three-story farmhouse where they lived for 40 years to an assisted-living facility, they’re going to have to make decisions about what to take with them. “
Mayewski recently offered a seminar on downsizing and other topics at the TriCounty Active Adult Center in Montgomery County, with about 30 seniors attending.
“I think the biggest challenge with downsizing is that people just don’t know where to start, and it seems overwhelming,” said Brian Parkes, the Center’s executive director. “They don’t know that there are resources to help them.”
There may be feelings of guilt as they try to part with things that were gifted to them or handed down.
“They attach a greater monetary value to things that may only have sentimental value, but then are unwilling to get rid of the item at a lesser price,” Parkes said.
Tips on the downsizing process
At the seminar, attendees received tips on the downsizing process from pros, and it gave them a chance to meet the business owners in person in the event they prefer to not go through it alone.
“People want to know who they’re working with and feel comfortable with someone who’s going to be going through all of their things,” Mayewski said.
AARP offers a workbook on downsizing that includes tips on what to save and what to get rid of. It also covers topics such as setting your downsizing goals and tracking the journey as you go.
Despite the hard physical work involved with helping someone navigate this transition in their life, Mayewski finds a lot of fulfillment in the process, particularly when they get to the finish line.
“It can be a lot of hard grunt work, but we have a lot of fun doing it,” Mayewski said. “It’s a very rewarding process.”
More information
About Home Stream Space
Home Stream is a mother-daughter team of streamline professionals. They specialize in downsizing, staging and interior design. They offer free presentations on downsizing to seniors at senior centers, gyms and more. Their services are available to those living in Berks, Montgomery and Chester counties, the Lehigh Valley, parts of Delaware County and parts of Bucks County. They offer a 20% discount to veterans. To learn more, visit www.homestreamspace.com.
Upcoming AARP virtual workshop: The Ins and Outs of Decluttering and Organizing
When: May 15 from 11 a.m. to noon.
To learn more: www.aarp.org or https://tinyurl.com/ppjwn334
About TriCounty Active Adult Center
The TriCounty Active Adult Center is a nonprofit community center for people ages 50 or older, serving western Montgomery, northern Chester and eastern Berks counties. You can stop by for a hot lunch, stay active with a fitness class like Zumba or yoga, take up a new hobby like origami or go to have fun with friends old or new. With 100 programs and activities each week, there is something for everyone.
To learn more: www.tricountyaac.org
