August 13, 2008
I expect that one day I will be living in a Retirement Residence. I lived with my husband for many years, and for the last 10 years I’ve lived alone. But I can see that living on my own won’t work forever. Part of my comfort with this concept is that I still have fond memories of my university residence days. No, the food wasn’t the finest cuisine, and I had to modify some of my “quirks” to fit in, but all in all, the downsides were limited.
On the other hand, I loved it. Amongst all the people in the residence, I found a few soul mates. I always had someone to eat dinner with, to go to for advice, to watch TV with. There were bridge games to join, coffee cliques to sit in on, and group outings to participate in. There was never a shortage of conversation. And, I didn’t have to prepare a meal or wash the dishes.
For many who never had a community living experience, the negatives seem to outweigh the positives. I often hear that the tipping point is fear of “loss of independence.” But in my mind, I’ll be more independent, free of some unpleasant responsibilities, and free of loneliness. In their place I’ll have ongoing social interactions, that I really love.
If you or your parents are hesitating about a move to community living, try a change of perspective. It’s not moving to an institution, or a hospital. It’s like the old university dorm where there was a party in someone’s room every night. Or better still, it’s a ride on a permanent cruise ship, with prepared meals, daily housekeeping, activities galore, and a lot of other “vacationers” who are your age.
Bon Voyage!
0 Comments
August 6, 2008
We all have items we don’t ever use. I don’t mean the stuff you use seasonally or at holiday time. I mean stuff that you haven’t used in more than a year. Stuff that you have to walk around. Stuff you’ve packed away in a box, and put downstairs or in the garage. And now you don’t even remember what’s in the box.
Often we let this stuff accumulate. Then, at one of the most stressful times in your domestic life, when you move, you end up having to deal with it all.
We help our clients deal with stored possessions, and rarely used items. We’ve learned that working with these possessions long before moving time can make the move itself less stressful, and less expensive. Grapenmasenum list of domains . The fewer things you have to pack and move, the less time it will take and the more money you save.
Go through your possessions and identify those “unused” items that are in good condition. Charities want things that are clean and undamaged, since they often don’t have the resources to clean or repair them.
So what do you do with it all? Donating these unused possessions to a charity will ensure that someone who needs something will get good use out it.
Some charities will accept your possessions and then distribute them to those in need. Others sell the goods then use the money collected to benefit others.
Charities are listed in the yellow pages and online. Some are willing to take almost anything, e.g., Goodwill or the Salvation Army. Some specialize, like food banks, or furniture banks. Call them or visit their websites to find out how you can help. Finally, some will pick up your donation, and some will require you to drop it off.
Donating your unwanted and unneeded stuff reduces clutter and makes moving easier. Perhaps the biggest benefit is that it makes you feel good to help others.
0 Comments
July 30, 2008
Moving at any age ranks high on lists of stressful life events. If you are over 70, the stress both physically and emotionally can be overwhelming. So if you or a family member are contemplating making a major move or transition, you need to have a Seniors Move Manager.
Why? Because things always go wrong, often at the worst possible time. Last week I arrived at my clients’ new home in a Retirement Residence thirty minutes before the movers were bringing in her belongings. The beds were supposed to be supplied by the residence. Rantfoxtdistioten . To my surprise, they weren’t there. Fortunately, I had time to get housekeeping moving, have the beds brought in and made, and have everything settled before my client arrived at his new home.
On other transition days the moving truck has broken down. Service providers haven’t always arrived on time. The phone wasn’t hooked up as planned. The refrigerator in the unit didn’t work properly. My job is to handle and fix all these “glitches” so that our client never knows they even happened.
You may not want to hire a Seniors Move Manager. But you do need to designate one family member to play that role in the time leading up to the move, the day of the move, and over the first couple of weeks during the settling in period. If you want the move to be stress free, you need someone who will be able to confidently say “Don’t worry, I have everything under control.” Pick someone who stays calm in the face of a storm, and is a creative problem solver.
Getting off on the right foot when a major later life transition is in progress will set a positive tone for all the changes to come.
0 Comments
July 24, 2008
Are you storing stuff in your bathroom? Are you storing kitchen supplies in the laundry or basement because you’ve run out of space in the kitchen? Do you park your car in the driveway because the garage is full?
If you answered even “sort of” to one of these questions, you may have a clutter problem. When we help our clients prepare their homes for resale, or help them move to a new home, we help with the clutter.
Clutter can hide the room from view; it can stop you using a room for its intended purpose; and, it can be health hazard, as too much clutter can change the airflow in your room.
If you’re fed up with your clutter there are professional organizers who can help you get started. There are helpful books available in most bookstores and online. There are also television shows with great before and after stories, and include tips on what to do. Even Oprah has had shows on dealing with the clutter. Try an internet search for “help with clutter”, or “professional organizer.” There’s lots of help readily available.
We begin de-cluttering by sorting items. One popular method of sorting is: keep it, donate it, trash it. If you’ve used the item in question within the last year than keep it. If the item has a value, but you haven’t used it in at least that year than either donate it to a charity or a family member, or sell it. All other items can be disposed of in an environmentally friendly way.
Dealing with your clutter can be stressful. Ask for help. Don’t do it all at once; break the job up into manageable tasks. crawl test But, get started and keep moving. You may be taking a bath in the tub again sooner than you think.
0 Comments
July 15, 2008
Almost everyone we meet has a collection or two. Some have collections they’ve purposely put together because of a specific interest, e.g., commemorative plates. And some have collections that just happened, e.g., all kinds of spices in all kinds of containers.
To help deal with your accumulated spices, you might like to look at our earlier blog on checking the expiry dates on products. Here, we’re talking about “collectibles” and the common sense approach to dealing with them when you’re ready to move.
You may have received lots of enjoyment from collecting, trading, and displaying your collection. To help remember your collection, keep only one or two pieces that mean the most to you. This doesn’t necessarily mean the most expensive; it could be the first piece you collected, or a piece a favourite person gave you. Another way to remember your collection, is to take photographs of all the pieces or the important pieces.
As we’re helping our clients move, the two major reasons for disposing of a collection is the lack of space in their new home, and the cost to pack and move the collection. There are a few ways to dispose of a collection.
- Sell it. There are on-line resources like eBay, or traditional resources like newspaper classified ads. It will require a bit of work to sell the items, but it’s often the most effective way to reach a broad audience. domain name data . Depending on your collection there may be specialized on-line websites that can be used. We can help you determine the best way to sell your items, and help you determine the best price.
- Give it to family or friends. You may have already decided in your will to leave your collections to a specific person or group. Why not give it to them now? If you’re giving it to someone, you’ll be able to see and share in their enjoyment.
- Donate it. Depending on the items you’re donating, there may be a possibility of receiving a receipt for income tax purposes. We can help with the research to determine if this will work for you.
Decide on what you’d like to do with your collections now, before a move. It’ll be one less thing to deal with during a move.
0 Comments
subscribe to our RSS feed
