The Baby Boomer generation has different ideas about aging than their parents had. Boomers, in general, do not embrace the idea of going lockstep through the continuing care curriculum of independent living, on to assisted-living, and finally, to skilled nursing and/or dementia care. Also, most Baby Boomers haven’t laid up enough of a nest egg to carry them through retirement. Thus we all want to remain in our own homes as we grow old. The word is out and a whole range of products and services have emerged to serve that desire, from universal design, along with retrofitting the current home, to technology to watch over us. But before technology can save us, we need to deal with the accumulations of stuff that surrounds us. We’ve been shopping and inheriting stuff for decades. Before the carpenters can come in do their work, the space needs to be cleared to give them access. People who complacently say the only way they will ever leave their home is when they go out ‘feet-first’ and do nothing else, haven’t considered that they may not be dead but, instead, have an accident or a stroke. They will likely return to their homes but things will be different for them. The hospital discharge planner and/or a social worker may be the ones making the decisions about what has to go in order for the home to be made safe for changed circumstances. I am always urging seniors to be pro-active, to imagine future versions of themselves. Ask the future version of yourself what decisions she wishes you would make now about the stuff you are keeping. An article in Smart Senior echos my approach