By Jan Landon
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Downsizing, decluttering, getting rid of stuff —no matter the name, it can be daunting to move a lifetime’s collection of items to a smaller home. It can be so daunting and complex that a University of Kansas (KU) sociology professor is studying how older Americans go about doing it. The study, “Household Disbandment in Later Life,” is led by David J. Ekerdt, Ph.D., director of KU’s Gerontology Center.

“In the event people need to move later in life to make their lives better, downsizing possessions is a very diffi cult process,” Ekerdt says. “They risk becoming prisoners of their stuff .” 

The process can be so difficult that seniors may opt not to go through it and instead stay in situations that aren’t physically or emotionally healthy. Many seniors moving from a longtime house to a smaller home need some type of help.

When complete, Ekerdt’s study—which is supported by the National Institute on Aging—will provide information for retirement communities and social service agencies to better assist people moving to new homes. Though he doesn’t have all the answers yet, Ekerdt is certain that disbanding a household goes way beyond just dealing with a bunch of stuff .

Symbols of self
There are two main reasons that people have possessions: they are either useful or symbolic of past, present, or future selves. “Things flow in and out of our lives every day,” Ekerdt says. “The things that accumulate become  possessions— we invest them with our own identity.”

When a senior has to downsize, it represents a change in life. Just like when parents finally give away their children’s baby clothes, it means that part of life is done.

Consider a woman who has always used a certain roasting pan to cook the turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. As long as she has that pan, she is still the mother and remains the hostess of the holiday meal, Ekerdt says. If she has to give it away to move to a smaller home, it may feel like part of her identity and part of her role in life is gone.