Absolutely, people become more childlike as they age. Maybe childlike is the wrong word. I've noticed in my mom's Memory Care home that the residents can really tell and respond to your true emotional state--even if you're trying to hide it. So once you show frustration in any form--game over. They sense that and respond to it with frustration of their own.

I'm with you on pruning. Once a year I "Swedish death clean" my house just because I think it's the most fun thing ever to get stuff out of here. I'm aiming to have the empty basement that my maternal grandmother had when she passed--what a gift that was for my parents!