Four Ideas for Making Downsizing Easier
Sometimes people downsize in order to move, but there are plenty of good reasons to downsize even if your elderly family member isn’t planning to leave her current home. But this can be a difficult task, even if it’s necessary.
Try Moving Some Things to Storage First
The idea of getting rid of items your senior loves might not sit well with her, no matter how you try to approach the conversation. Something that might work, if it fits in the budget, could be to store some of the items in question. Clearing the space first and knowing that the items are still at hand could be helpful for your senior. She might even start to realize that some of the items did need to go.
Do What You Can to Help Her Keep the Most Sentimental Items
Everyone has those items that mean an incredible amount to them and your senior is no exception. It might be possible to keep a majority, if not all, of those most sentimental items for your senior if you can relocate them to safe spots within her home. It’s worth trying, although it might make the entire process take a little bit longer than you might have expected it to take.
Start a Photo Album
You might want to try a different approach, especially with items that you know must go. Taking pictures of some of the items your elderly family member is going to need to part from can help a lot. Once you’ve collected all of the pictures, consider putting them in a photo album for her. She can look at the pictures any time she wants and relive the experiences she had with some of those items.
Don’t Leave the Cleared Space Feeling Sterile
One thing you want to be careful about after you’ve purged the majority of what you want to remove is that the space can start to feel sterile and empty, especially to your elderly family member. It’s important to try to create a more comfortable situation for her, within the bounds of safety. Obviously, if this is a hoarding situation you’re not going to be able to recreate that. But there are things you can do to make the space feel homey.
Downsizing may be necessary for a variety of reasons. Your elderly family member may also find that she needs some extra help with mobility concerns and tasks at home. That’s where senior care providers can make her life so much easier and safer.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Health Care in Fairfax County, VA, please contact the caring staff at LivinRite Home Care.
Call Us Today at (703) 634-9991.
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