I just moved my mom into an assisted living apartment from a house. We downsized a lot to get things to fit in the apartment. She loves her little apartment and is happy there. If she wants to talk to people she can go into the common area or join in activities and if she wants to take a nap she can go into her apartment and shut the door. It is a huge relief to me knowing she is being taken care of and she is happy.
To down size...we made several trips to Goodwill with donations and a trip to the dump too. Mostly, my kids and I absorbed things into our homes. My youngest son is setting up an apartment of his own and took dishes and pans and some furniture. Mom's apartment is unfurnished and she was able take some furniture with her as well as some personal items with her. She also told me who she wanted to have what. That eliminated the fighting over who got what. It made everything as easy as it could be. Things are what you make of them and she made it easy by deciding herself where she wanted to live. It can be done.