The toughest piece of my job is when memories are sparked and emotions fill my clients with sadness: “I’m sorry, I’m just getting a little emotional…we’ve lived in this house for 40 years!!”
I find a LOT of DVD’s collecting dust in homes, we just don’t know what to do with these collections since the advent of online/on demand movies. What Kid Flicks found out was when kids are sick they want to watch a movie so it’s their mission to create movie libraries in children’s hospitals. http://www.kidflicks.org/
In today’s world if you want to be a collector of a particular item just for the thrill and pleasure of creating a collection, BE a collector. Do not create a collection because you think it will someday payoff…it might, but it might not…. http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10377601820344704643704581052192921577246
People ask me what I do, I used to answer I help people declutter their homes and/or project manage their move but lately feedback from my clients has been slapping me in the face that it is so much MORE than that. In response, I’ve been saying I destress people and their adult children, I help them put their shoulders back where they should be instead of next to their ears, I actually help them start moving forward in their lives…and I love it!
Many times clients have an obsession with touching their face and scalp. This behavior can be upsetting for caregivers who cannot figure out what is going on when it actually is a response to not really knowing what to do with their hands. These Twiddlemuffs are a brilliant solution! http://www.upworthy.com/twiddlemuffs-the-biggest-holiday-gift-trend-youve-never-heard-of?utm_content=buffer0676d&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
“I waited too long, I should have moved while I was still healthy.”
My client (let’s call her Carol) and her husband (Mike) lived in their colonial for 30 years. Suddenly, both needed medical care in separate facilities. They had full time non-medical care at home and their aides directed us as to what would go to their new, shared home in a care facility.
It took Mike and Carol a couple of tries for them to decide exactly what they would need at their new home in an assisted living facility. It was hard for them to recall from memory, in a stressful and medical situation, exactly what was in their colonial home and what would be essential in their new assisted living home. Our first trip was to retrieve from their colonial, the few items they would need to get settled but when we got to their new home at the assisted living facility we were told my client had decided they would need more items and larger items to make them feel more comfortable. We measured the items they were requesting then, went back to the assisted living center and measured their new rooms to ensure they would fit with enough space in between for a wheelchair to maneuver. The following day their last items were delivered and they were able to move in. Neither client ever returned to that colonial before it was sold.
Mike and Carol would tell everyone considering moving to start making a plan long before you think you need to move, that way if you have an emergency situation you will have some direction that will satisfy you, at the very least in the short term.
As a senior, how do you avoid this type of stressful situation? Create a list of essentials you would take with you if your life was suddenly turned upside down. Leave it out where someone walking into your home could easily find it or with a trusted friend, family member or helper. Planning for a crisis can create stress initially but not as much stress as loss of control over your possessions and decisions. Decide what you want while you are in charge!
Deirdre Dolan Nesline, a Senior Move Planning Specialist and Owner of DeClutter By Deirdre, A Senior Move Management Company.
Member: National Association of Senior Move Managers,
Coalition of Agencies Relating to Elderly Services, Senior Care Resources of Western Connecticut
Email: DeClutterByDeirdre@gmail.com
Phone: 203-733-1073
www.declutterbydeirdre.com
Follow: DeClutter By Deirdre on Facebook
Declutter and think about preparations NOW, while you are in control, to either age in place or move to a more appropriate living situation. You do not want to be in a situation where you have no choice and you get what you get. The “Silver Tsunami” is real and it’s here! http://www.newstimes.com/local/article/Preparations-underway-for-silver-tsunami-5493465.php#photo-6332284
Deirdre Dolan Nesline, a Senior Move Planning Specialist and Owner of DeClutter By Deirdre, A Senior Move Management Company.Member: National Association of Senior Move Managers,
Coalition of Agencies Relating to Elderly Services, Senior Care Resources of Western Connecticut
Email: DeClutterByDeirdre@gmail.com
Phone: 203-733-1073
www.declutterbydeirdre.com
Follow: DeClutter By Deirdre on Facebook
It’s important to keep up with expiration dates on food. Do some of these spice containers look like the containers of your youth? They should because they are long expired! Try to take a look at expiration dates once a year, especially canned goods. Stay healthy!
Deirdre Dolan Nesline, a Senior Move Planning Specialist and Owner of DeClutter By Deirdre, A Senior Move Management Company.
Member: National Association of Senior Move Managers,
Coalition of Agencies Relating to Elderly Services, Senior Care Resources of Western Connecticut
Email: DeClutterByDeirdre@gmail.com
Phone: 203-733-1073
www.declutterbydeirdre.com
Follow: DeClutter By Deirdre on Facebook