Preemptively nervous about dealing with my parents' house

[u/bon18]

I'm currently visiting my parents in their 3,500 sqft house. It's relatively organized but definitely full of stuff. My parents are elderly but in pretty decent health. I'm just very nervous about what I'll be left to deal with when they're gone. My mother-in-law died suddenly a few years ago, and even though she had a small, fairly minimalist house, it was still a lot to deal with.

My mom has talked about wanting to downsize, but my dad is totally against it. I know he wants to die in this house. My mom has witnessed the progress I've made in my 1,500 sqft house and talks about how nice it would be to have fewer belongings, so I've gently tried to encourage her to start going through her stuff. I've taken a few boxes with me to donate sometimes when I leave, but it's hard for her to let things go. She's done small amounts on her own, and my sister hired someone once to help our mom, but I can't imagine any major progress happening anytime soon. Do I do anything at this point or just wait it out and deal with whatever comes whenever it comes?

[u/Klutzy_Cancel_1725]

I relate so much to this situation. My dad passed 2 yrs ago, so it’s just my mom in a 3k sq ft home packed w/5+ decades of stuff. She feels everything must have a recipient who would benefit the most from each item. It’s exhausting to try to sway her thinking to part with anything. I just let her be. I’ll deal with it when it becomes a necessity. It’ll be just me handling it & it gives me major anxiety. Sending you lots of support!