Nancy Edmonds Hanson

Yes, change is good. But that doesn’t make it easier.
Downsizing from a long-time family home to more convenient surroundings can seem over-whelming, Joan Windus observes. She and her sister went through it themselves a decade ago when they helped their aging parents move from the family home in Rolla, North Dakota, to assisted living.
“They had lived there for 53 years, but it was time for a move,” she remembers. “They needed to be closer to health care.” “There were lots of emotions involved, along with the big question: what to do with all their stuff.”
Little did she know, as she pared down the belongings of a lifetime, that her future mission was beginning to take shape.
Since 2021, the former real estate professional has specialized in easing transitions like the one her parents faced. Her business, Change Is Good, specializes in working with seniors making that kind of adjustment in their surroundings – from the old family home to smaller quarters, perhaps, or to assisted living apartments.
Along the way, she and her team of five women help clients sort, organize and reduce what they’ve collected over a lifetime. “Most of the time, we reduce what they’re bringing with them by at least 50%,” she says. “What fills the house they’re leaving will not fit in a 600- or 800-foot apartment. So many people just think they’ll rent storage. Well, for what? To store things they’ll never look at again? Mostly, they never do.
“If they don’t downsize now, their sons or daughters will eventually be left to do it. That’s never a good plan of attack.”
But deciding what to keep can be agonizing for those who’ve collected those things over their lifetime, she acknowledges. And there’s an even more pressing question: What to do with what won’t come along on the move.
Her service offers the kind of support her clients need. “Kids some-times think their parents’ things are junk,” she says frankly. “It can be easier for them not to be involved. We listen to their parents’ stories. Once heard, it can be easier to let things go.
“We’re not personally attached to their stuff, but help them make these decisions in a passionate way. It takes a lot of the stress out.”
Joan’s team brings insight into what will realistically be needed in the new home, as well as the actual value of what is being pared away. They sort and pack what’s coming along on the move. As for the rest, they offer a realistic idea of its value. “We know what antique dealers are looking for and what can be sold on the open market, whether Facebook Marketplace or some other option,” she says.
“We keep an eye of what the YWCA, Down Home and the charitable resale stores are in urgent need of, then make appointments to have it picked up.” They also arrange to haul away the remaining piles of belongings for which there’s no market or need.
But sorting, selling and disposing – though essential – are only part of Change Is Good. Joan’s team can be on hand to supervise the move and then set up the new household. “We help with resettling. That makes a big difference,” she explains. “We plug in the lamps, set the bathroom up similar to the old place, and start the unpacking to make the transition as easy as we can.
“When the resident arrives, their recliner is set up. The television is ready to go so they can sit down and take a load off. Their bed is made up with clean sheets. They’ll have slept in the old house for the last time the night before, but tonight they’ll go to bed in their new home.”
One of the big problems in making these major life transitions, she points out, is not starting soon enough. She recommends considering the need to downsize when people are in their mid- to late 60s, both up to the challenge of making sometimes-difficult decisions and young enough to enjoy their new, more carefree lifestyle. “No taxes to pay. No lawn care or shoveling. Freedom to travel and enjoy the things you love … perhaps a swimming pool, a golf simulator or a garden plot. There’s a new life to look forward to.”
Start the process early, she suggests, perhaps with just a room or two at a time. When a new home has been selected, study the floor plan and make sure what comes along will ultimately fit.
“Every one of us who’s moved knows how difficult it can be, no matter what the age,” she confesses. “Now imagine you’re separating from a lifetime of memories and even, perhaps, some of your family and friends – and you haven’t gone through the process in 50 years!”
Joan’s company is part of a burgeoning national industry. She is certified by the National Association of Senior and Specialty Move Managers. She’s also bonded and insured. She and her staff generally work with moves within 90 miles or so of Fargo-Moorhead, though they also have clients in Bismarck and Minneapolis; the lakes area is particularly busy.
Her company’s mission, Joan says, is right there in its name. But no amount of support and expertise can completely erase the emotion of leaving the home of a lifetime behind. “As one of our clients told me after her move, change really can be good,” she acknowledges. “But change is also hard. We do our best to make it easier.”