*Corresponding author: Gloria E Staford, School of Applied Human Sciences, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA, USA, Tel: +1 9527150880; E-mail: gloria.staford@uni.edu Citation: Staford GE (2021) Managing Possessions in Late Life While Aging- In-Place: Is the Answer to Tolerate, Facilitate, or Liquidate? J Gerontol Geriatr Med 7: 112. Received: November 30, 2021; Accepted: December 06, 2021; Published: December 13, 2021 Copyright: © 2021 Staford GE. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestrict- ed use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Introduction Accumulating vast quantities of belongings over a lifetime is a relatively recent and unique phenomenon. In the later 20 th century United States, increased per capita disposable income aforded people unprecedented purchasing power, exponentially greater than what ex- isted before [1,2]. And with huge arrays of readily available mass-pro- duced goods—now with remarkable ease of procurement and deliv- ery—ours has increasingly become a culture of consumption where personal fulfllment is derived from possessing things. This forces an inevitable reckoning about how to confront one’s household contents near the end of life’s course and calls for a deeper dive into evaluating people’s practical abilities to accomplish such a task [3]. While the sum of our belongings can provide comfort, utility, pleasure, and ful- fllment, it can also become a burden and source of stress in later life. Although overfull households can be seen as a by-product of f- nancial afuence, other convergent societal trends refect the issue: a proliferation of anti-clutter/self-help literature on ridding processes, rapid expansion of the self-storage rental industry, and rising popu- larity of consignment and thrift retailers selling second-hand goods. The issue is that—within the confnes of elders’ homes—excess pos- sessions can cause both increased fall risk, and reduced indoor air quality due to dust accumulation, and generally reduce one’s ability to actively adapt to environmental press. An imbalance can exist when the demands of one’s environment exceed a person’s physical and cognitive capabilities to operate comfortably within it, pressing the person to actively adapt, or requiring a change to environmental con- ditions to regain a balance [4]. More importantly, the need for continued curation of kept posses- sions, and the anticipation of both pre- and post-mortem ridding can create overwhelming stress for both the older person and their family members. De-accumulation concerns are common in many family circles, prompting familiar strains of “What is to be done with all this stuf?” While a societal awareness and cultural shift is evident on some levels, the need to confront late-life possession accumulations and the importance of personal divestment, leaves us with the ques- tion, Where must we go from here? Looking Back - How Did We Get Here? In early adult life, we aspire to own coveted items, both ordinary and personally prized. In mid-life, increased disposable income al- lows us to purchase much of what we desire. Decades hence, in our retirement years, many Americans possess more than can be easily managed. A 2010 survey of nearly 2000 older Americans indicated that 53 percent of people over age 80 had more things than they need- ed in their home, and only 4 percent in that age group—perhaps those at the lower end of the socioeconomic strata—reported having fewer things than were needed. Fifty-one percent of the same age group re- ported that their bulk of belongings would make them very reluctant to undertake the efort required to move to a diferent home [3,5]. Termed the “material convoy”, the amassed possessions accompany Staford GE, J Gerontol Geriatr Med 2021, 7: 112 DOI: 10.24966/GGM-8662/100112 HSOA Journal of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine Perspective Gloria E Staford*, PhD School of Applied Human Sciences, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA, USA Managing Possessions in Late Life While Aging-In-Place: Is the Answer to Tolerate, Facili- tate, or Liquidate? Abstract Within aging-in-place inquiry, an issue which warrants consider- ation, and has begun to garner focus, is the negative impact that voluminous amounts of amassed material possessions can have on older people within their homes. For those who choose—and are able—to remain in their family home until end-of-life, their time in res- idence might span many decades, potentially as many as 70 years. In our afuent and consumer-driven society, this often translates into homes that are laden with belongings in later life. It becomes increas- ingly difcult to undertake the burdensome task of culling through possessions, and ridding clutter from closets, drawers, attics, base- ments and unused rooms. Decisions about and execution of gifting, selling, donating, and trashing those excess items is a burdensome task - physically and cognitively. This is true for homeowners of any age, but the process becomes increasingly difcult with increased age. Amassed belongings can be troublesome in the home on a va- riety of levels, the most problematic of which may be the anxiety —both for the older dweller and for their adult children—about how home contents will be dispersed, either pre- or posthumously. This article explores this issue, discusses implications, and suggests how we may view potential strategies to help alleviate the encumbrance of late-life possession management. Keywords: Downsizing; Household disbandment; Late life deaccu- mulation; Possession divestment; Possession management; Rid- ding of possessions