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Downsizing: Confronting Our Possessions in Later Life
As life unfolds, things tend to accumulate. When older adults undergo health, residential, and marital changes, they will face a reckoning with their lifelong store of possessions--special, ordinary, and forgotten. Such a predicament now confronts tens of millions of Americans as the Baby Boom cohort passes into retirement and beyond. Despite what a thriving industry of clutter manuals tells us, for most older adults, downsizing is no simple task.
Drawing on in-depth interviews with recent movers in over a hundred diverse U.S. households, David Ekerdt analyzes the downsizing process and what it says about the meaning and management of possessions. He details how households approach and accomplish downsizing, exploring the decision-making process and the effectiveness of different strategies. From an expert gerontological perspective, he considers the cognitive, physical, emotional, and social tasks that the process entails and the role of factors such as gender and class on the divestment of things. Ekerdt finds that despite the fatigue and emotional challenges people encounter, afterward they report satisfaction in having completed a downsizing and feel empowerment on the other side of the task. Offering an empathetic and practical look at one of life's major transitions, Downsizing brings forward the voices of elders so that older adults, their families and friends, and practitioners working with older clients can understand and benefit from their experience.
Drawing on in-depth interviews with recent movers in over a hundred diverse U.S. households, David Ekerdt analyzes the downsizing process and what it says about the meaning and management of possessions. He details how households approach and accomplish downsizing, exploring the decision-making process and the effectiveness of different strategies. From an expert gerontological perspective, he considers the cognitive, physical, emotional, and social tasks that the process entails and the role of factors such as gender and class on the divestment of things. Ekerdt finds that despite the fatigue and emotional challenges people encounter, afterward they report satisfaction in having completed a downsizing and feel empowerment on the other side of the task. Offering an empathetic and practical look at one of life's major transitions, Downsizing brings forward the voices of elders so that older adults, their families and friends, and practitioners working with older clients can understand and benefit from their experience.
- GenresNonfictionSelf Help
280 pages, Hardcover
Published June 16, 2020
24 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 15, 2023
I got a couple insights about the 4 "material convoys" I've had to deal with so far. The remains of the possessions of 4 households somehow landed in my lap.
This book is the "popularized" version of the findings of two academic studies the author led. The categorization of why people keep possessions and the exhaustive rundown of how people nearing retirement or end-of-life dispense with there excess possessions as their lives become smaller in old age was helpful on an intellectual level. Now, when I say "Oh, should I keep this thing my aunt made me" I will know I'm keeping it for sentimental reasons.
Okay, sure, some of the reasons are obvious for keeping things.
However, there were insights to be had. The parts about keeping possessions for your future, more skilled self were interesting.
The book lost stars for staying in a distancing academic voice throughout and, worse, a rather irritating repetition of ideas seemingly padded the word count. The opening mentioned the author's recent pass through the downsizing filter, but the personalized, relatable theme was not carried through. Rather, "case studies" and quotes from people interviewed during research carried the book.
This book is the "popularized" version of the findings of two academic studies the author led. The categorization of why people keep possessions and the exhaustive rundown of how people nearing retirement or end-of-life dispense with there excess possessions as their lives become smaller in old age was helpful on an intellectual level. Now, when I say "Oh, should I keep this thing my aunt made me" I will know I'm keeping it for sentimental reasons.
Okay, sure, some of the reasons are obvious for keeping things.
However, there were insights to be had. The parts about keeping possessions for your future, more skilled self were interesting.
The book lost stars for staying in a distancing academic voice throughout and, worse, a rather irritating repetition of ideas seemingly padded the word count. The opening mentioned the author's recent pass through the downsizing filter, but the personalized, relatable theme was not carried through. Rather, "case studies" and quotes from people interviewed during research carried the book.
February 23, 2022
Painfully dry, academic treatise on disposing of stuff collected over a lifetime when it’s time to move to smaller accommodations. But, it gave me some help thinking about that time coming up for me. It was hard to stick to reading it, but I did finish it and I got help thinking about how to perform the feat of downsizing in my older years, with land mines everywhere, needing to start early, and kids being involved.
November 15, 2022
As we Baby Boomers move into our retirement years we often contemplate downsizing our homes. If an assisted living type facility is out next stop then there will be no choice but to downsize. There is one question we ask above all others: “What am I going to do with all of this stuff?” As I am nearing this same situation, I've read at least a dozen articles in anticipation of said predicament. All of which make one thing clear… our kids don’t want our stuff. For the most part they place no value in having china dishes or crystal glasses that can’t goin the dishwasher and they don’t care for grandmas heirloom table or great grandpas clock. "No thank you" they tell us, again and again.
"Lessoning of possessions is fraught with emotion, we've attached feeling to our “things” says Ekerdt. Parting with them may renew painful memories of the loss of a spouse or other family member. It can also trigger worries of getting old and losing control. Downsizing can be less painful if it is voluntary, well planned and not under time constraints.
Ekerdt interviewed dozens of seniors in similar situations. Here he shares the wisdom and insight that he has learned. The book may be especially helpful for those who have not yet begun this journey and for the adult children of those who are now, or will soon be, tackling this challenge. His information on the emotional side of this roller coaster is especially insightful. Unfortunately, I found his presentation to be very dry. The book read like a research paper. Thus, 2 stars. ⭐️⭐️
#emptynestreader #instagram #Downsizing #DavidJEkerdt #nonfiction #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagramalabama #bookstagrammichigan #bookreviews #bookreviewer #bookrecommendations #NonFictionNovember #NovemberReads #readalittlelearnalittlelivealittle #ebooks #librarybooks #Hoopla
"Lessoning of possessions is fraught with emotion, we've attached feeling to our “things” says Ekerdt. Parting with them may renew painful memories of the loss of a spouse or other family member. It can also trigger worries of getting old and losing control. Downsizing can be less painful if it is voluntary, well planned and not under time constraints.
Ekerdt interviewed dozens of seniors in similar situations. Here he shares the wisdom and insight that he has learned. The book may be especially helpful for those who have not yet begun this journey and for the adult children of those who are now, or will soon be, tackling this challenge. His information on the emotional side of this roller coaster is especially insightful. Unfortunately, I found his presentation to be very dry. The book read like a research paper. Thus, 2 stars. ⭐️⭐️
#emptynestreader #instagram #Downsizing #DavidJEkerdt #nonfiction #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagramalabama #bookstagrammichigan #bookreviews #bookreviewer #bookrecommendations #NonFictionNovember #NovemberReads #readalittlelearnalittlelivealittle #ebooks #librarybooks #Hoopla
July 29, 2023
research based and informative
While not a particularly fun read, this author did provide some thoughtful points on transitioning during the fourth stage of life. In the final chapter, the author notes the difficulties inherent in behavior change generally. To me, this is a very important consideration for those of us who may be prone to judging those for not downsizing overtime. Downsizing often, in fact, occurs when there is a deadline imposed because of a necessary need to move to supportive housing of some kind. This is important as it behooves us all to consider that this life transition will be met by most of us, and to be gentle in our judgments while we also work toward creating an easier conduit for our life’s possessions when downsizing is required. I do hope that our communities take up his suggestions for creating resources to help guide people during this very stressful time.
While not a particularly fun read, this author did provide some thoughtful points on transitioning during the fourth stage of life. In the final chapter, the author notes the difficulties inherent in behavior change generally. To me, this is a very important consideration for those of us who may be prone to judging those for not downsizing overtime. Downsizing often, in fact, occurs when there is a deadline imposed because of a necessary need to move to supportive housing of some kind. This is important as it behooves us all to consider that this life transition will be met by most of us, and to be gentle in our judgments while we also work toward creating an easier conduit for our life’s possessions when downsizing is required. I do hope that our communities take up his suggestions for creating resources to help guide people during this very stressful time.
August 6, 2025
Not what I was looking for, it’s as though some guy published his thesis for his masters in sociology. He quoted Sartre! Talked a lot about how people feel about getting rid of their stuff, when really all I want was tips on how to do it. After the first couple of chapters, I mostly just skimmed the rest of it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 26, 2020
Audible:This book would have been good to have at the beginning of our readying my inlaws house for sale!What a fantastic read!It goes through all the feelings,grief,bargaining,etc that come with moving inlaws to assisted living and packing up what was the family home.We were in the 'why didn't the thrift store take everything like they said they would?' phase when I read this book.We got stuck with 2 more weekends of clean up and a car full of donations right now waiting to go.Do your homework,listen to this book ahead of time! Peter Lerman was a fine narrator. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.'
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews