The Value of Minimalism at an Old Age

While I have experienced the value of minimalism to better my own life, I’ve been wondering how the process can benefit our older adult readers.

It is tempting to minimize minimalism as “let’s simplify by purging our belongings” type of mindset. Sure, that’s one aspect of minimalism, but I can assure you that this isn’t the sole purpose of the movement at all. In this article I will show the difference between minimalism and cleaning up; the improvement minimalism brings to people’s lives beyond opening up physical space, and about the added value it brings through a renewed sense of control in life and personal empowerment.

What is Minimalism?

Minimalism is not a cleaning process, although there is cleaning involved. It is not a matter of having less stuff but yes, you will get rid of things that no longer serve a purpose in your life

Minimalism goes beyond and above those concepts.

• Minimalism is about updating what you value in the present, without getting rid of your past memories.
• Minimalism does involve cherishing the story of your personal belongings. This includes re-examining their importance to your life as you select them.
• Minimalism is a way of opening yourself up to new prospects. These can arise when we create space (literally and figuratively), by simplifying our lives.
• Minimalism is a way to make peace with oneself, becoming aware of our present life by letting go of the things that do not reflect who we are now.
• Minimalism involves being surrounded by things that are meaningful to us and letting their beauty shine and involve us in our space.

We could keep going about what minimalism is, can be, and is not. But, I have found that minimalism can take endless forms, much like the people who become interested in it.

One common theme is that minimalism is a journey. The motivation for starting this journey is different for everyone. It might start as a an interest in more organization or the desire to tackle all the items that have accumulated over the years of family life (particularly by empty nesters). Any reason is a good one for taking the first step.

Reversing Years of Excess

A household filled with many possessions to be sorted can be a daunting task for anybody, let alone for older adults who have had more time to accumulate things. This reinforces the bad habit of continued acquisition of senseless items, such as old magazines, broken jewellery, old documents, some décor figures that have been in boxes since the wedding day, or that precious macaroni necklace that their five-year-old daughter made for mothers’ day forty-five years ago.

The Extremes of Excess

The overwhelming feeling of having to purge through memories and hundreds of objects, along with the lack of direction are key drivers of hoarding among older adults, which have spiked in recent years.  

According to a population-based study from Danielle C. Cath (MD, PhD), Krystal Nizar (MD, PhD), Dorett Bommsma (PhD) and Carol A. Mathews (MD) … the prevalence of provisional hoarding and obsessive compulsive disorder increased by 20% with every five years of age and did not statistically differ between males and females.

In individuals over age 65, co-occurring obsessive compulsive disorder increased the hoarding symptom severity. Difficulty discarding appeared to drive most of the increase in these diagnoses in older ages. You can read the full study here.

Why Excess Belongings Can Be So Problematic

This type of loss of command often increases isolation. The social and family celebrations that once filled those rooms no longer exist. Friends are not welcomed to visit because it is too embarrassing.

A house with clutter is too difficult to clean and organize. Additionally, rearranging the same number of possessions you have is a never-ending task. This is true for many levels of clutter, not just for individuals with hoarding behavior.

Because we keep so many unnecessary belongings, the time spent on cleaning up increases as we get older and the outcomes become less visible and effective.

Why Minimalism Works

There is an easy formula to combat clutter. The best approach, according to experts, is to start with a small step. This normally involves tackling what is less emotionally and physically challenging.

The accomplishment of simplifying life at older stages of life has a very beneficial ripple effect. People that have gone through the process of minimalizing their environments report a feeling of empowerment, along with a renewed sense of intention and of being in charge of their lives. This can help fuel a sense of accomplishment and independence.

This is easy to understand, as the person involved in minimalism remains in control of the process. The rewards are immediately seen (as soon as one week!) which helps to keep motivation high.

Taking the Steps Toward Minimalism

I hope these reflections in minimalism will make you want to address the practical process. So, how do you start? Let’s go through some guidelines, ideas, and resources.

• The first step is to write down your principles, goals, and expectations for the process. Why are you doing it? What do you want to accomplish? What will be your process? All these questions have answers that can be as simple or complex as you want.
• Where to start? We have answered this above What area do you consider to be the easiest? Kitchen drawers? Papers? Bathroom items? Medicine cabinet?
• Think carefully about your needs: How many sets of sheets do you need to keep? Blankets? Chairs? Rugs? Mugs? Cutlery? Pens? You get the idea.
• Be clear about the time frame you would like to spend minimizing your life. It is your choice and your circumstances that will decide if you will do it in a month, several months, a year, or some other time frame. What’s most important is you keep the process going without stopping.
• Always keep three bins or big bags nearby: one for trash, one for recycling, and one for donation. Trash, recycle, or donate as you fill them. Do not accumulate dozens of bags, trying to make just one trip to your charity of choice.
• A very effective way to thoroughly declutter is actually holding each object between your hands and asking yourself the question: Do I really need this in this moment of my life?
• Decide on how many hours a day or a week you want to dedicate sorting and selecting. Be realistic and stick to your schedule no matter what. Consider that at the beginning, a large chunk of the time will be spent remembering, looking at items, reading old papers, and similar processes.
• Simplifying your environment can be a very good reason to reach out to family members and ask for their involvement. A good way is to let them choose objects and personal things that may be precious to them as a memory while you are still around (you would be surprised about the daily life objects that can be valuable. I still have my Mom’s garlic press).
• Reach out to friends for helping to sort through the things that you know you are no longer using. You could also ask for their help in donating items, in organizing a garage sale, or in finding homes for items that you no longer need.
• Involve the youngsters in your family that are tech savvy (in case you are not) and ask them to post some things to sell on local apps and to publicize your garage sales.
• Sort the content of drawers while you are watching your favorite TV show.
• Select a corner or a room in your house to keep the objects that you plan to sell. Try to use some time every day to explore avenues on how to sell it as you go.

The process of minimalist interior design can bring out a beautiful freshness within the space, it insinuates cleanliness and brightness in the home.

Try to enjoy the process! There is a feeling of relief and comfort when you let go of things that served; be it clothes, furniture, or books. As Marie Kondo teaches in her method The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, the things we own should spark joy.

Asking Questions About Housing

There are many other ways to bring minimalism into your life. A key aspect is questioning what you really need to live comfortably. How much space does a single person (or a couple) really need? Is it worth the financial, physical, and time burden of taking care of a big property as you get older?

Studies show that even in large homes, families gather and use the same few locations at the end of the day.

Minimalists have now a wide range of possible solutions for housing questions and challenges.

Collective Housing

Even though it may sound to a 60ies wonderland utopia, the idea of shared housing has distanced itself from the negative connotation that sometimes senior living carries. In the past years, the different types of shared living for older adults have increased exponentially.

One option is to sell the family house that is no longer used by a large family and move to a community that aims to balance shared spaces and privacy. In this case, downsizing and minimalism have important roles in allowing this possibility to become a reality. Carrying with us the precious personal belongings carefully selected at the end of a minimizing process, add lightness to a new home and renewed value to the objects and memories that will surround us.  

The advantages of enjoying community living are many in addition to the excitement of a new space. Social interaction, social engagement and sharing interests with new friends increases social identity – all of those essential components for living a healthy, happy and fulfilled golden years.

RV and Tiny House Living

The independence gained from living in places chosen based on personal preferences is one of the foundational principles of the Tiny House Movement. This movement has become so popular that cities throughout North America (and many other countries) are creating spaces to host those communities. Some of the residents of tiny houses even live on rent-free land.

RV living has joined this movement and most of its community consists of retired people.

While working remotely or locally while you are sight-seeing is an option, retirees often minimize their lifestyle to focus on goals like travelling or living in nature.

Moving Back to the City

Studios and small condos are growing in popularity, offering enough space and charming ways to live in a vibrant city. Prices can be high in cities, but if you are willing to exchange indoor space for outdoor city life, they can also be surprisingly manageable.

Another downsizing step you can take when moving to a city is to get rid of your car(s) and use public transportation, walk around or get a bike city card, which definitely has a positive impact in your budget.

If you think that life city is difficult for older adults, know that many cities across the globe have joined a movement to become a better place for aging people to live in.

Good Cities for Aging

The worldwide program Age-Friendly Cities aims to improve the fit between people’s needs and their environments. An age-friendly city or community enables people to have healthy and active ageing and continue to develop personally retaining autonomy and dignity while contributing to their surrounding community.

Cities and communities around the world are becoming increasingly age-friendly because they are connected through a worldwide network that facilitates the exchange of information, knowledge and experiences.

Some of the best large age-friendly cities in America according to Milken Institute in 2017 include:

• Provo- Orem, UT
• Madison, WI
• Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
• Salt Lake City, UT
• Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
• Omaha, NE

Some of the best small cities for aging are:

• Iowa City, IA
• Manhattan, KS
• Sioux Falls, SD
• Ann Arbor, MI
• Ithaca, NY
• Lawrence, KS

The Village Movement has become a strong partner for older adults that have decided on aging in place. This program works with local governments and organizations to address the needs that older adults face when living in a big city, such as help with housing, transportation to medical appointments and much more.

Final Thoughts

Minimalism as a lifestyle may start with minimizing material possessions and physical space, but it frequently ends with transforming many other aspects of a person’s life. Minimalism is a philosophy, a path back to life with simplicity and intention, disconnecting us from many of the distractions that drive us far from focusing on nurturing what really matters, such as our personal relationships.

Once you work through the beginning of the process and naturally immerse yourself in this lifestyle, you will be left with items that you selected because they are close to your heart, bring the best memories, or spark joy each time you contemplate their beauty. Better yet, minimizing and reconnecting with what you have valued throughout your life creates a sense of a life well lived and opens you up to appreciate your own presence.