By Tania Venn
Helping your loved one to downsize
Downsizing is a challenging physical and emotional chore no matter what stage of life a homeowner is in. Typically downsizing occurs later in our lives, when the kids fly the nest, when we lose a spouse, when it’s time to find assisted living accommodation, or when you’re settling an estate and need an estate cleanout. Under these conditions the added concern about letting go of long-held, often sentimental items makes downsizing even more difficult to face. Certainly this is a time for strong family and community support.
Here are our top tips for helping your loved ones through the task of downsizing from a home of one’s own to a small room or two in a care facility.
Bring in the oldbecause your loved one will certainly be facing more than their fair share of new surroundings. If space permits, transport the comfortable and familiar armchair and other furnishings that may seem indispensible to the person moving, to the new facility. Oftentimes well-meaning family members want to freshen things up and bring in something new or better, but it’s important to be accommodating during these times, so long as the items remain safe and clean.
Create a tribute to memories which is very easy to do if you know where to look for the right unit. Places like Ikea have glass display cases that don’t take up a lot of room and have levels of shelving to display everything from small, personal trinkets to open books, photos and valuable pieces for your loved one to see regularly. A dedicated shelf on a book shelf would work just as well but doesn’t have quite the same “display appeal” as a glass case does.
Donate to charity because none of us are happy to see our items thrown out. Knowing that someone else can find joy from the same things our elderly relatives have makes letting go of things they can’t take with them so much easier. A professional junk removal company, such as 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, will donate items that are in good condition. Other alternatives are to drop clothing, household knickknacks, small furnishings, etc… to a local charity store or have a Goodwill or similar organization pick them up from your family member’s home.
Keep treasures in the family so your elderly relative can feel safe that their heirlooms are being well-taken care of and may even be enjoyed on holiday visits away from their new home. Many people are coming to realize that passing down items one would typically leave in a will, such as jewellery, art, and important family items is a smart plan and much easier for everyone in the long run.
Be patient and supportive as this is the time you are most needed. Many younger people imagine that when the time comes they’d rather be in an environment with other people their age – enjoying theme nights and outings – than being alone in an apartment or house, possibly with drop-in care or relying upon friends and family. That’s not the case for many people as they age. They want to keep their independence. Transitions are hard on everyone so practice patience and be as supportive as you can. When your loved one leaves their home behind they mourn the loss of the physical home and the feelings of comfort their belongings gave them, as well as memories. Our job as their close family and friends is to help them through this difficult time so they find enjoyment during their remaining days.
<em>Tania Venn is Director, PR for 1-800-GOT-JUNK?. Her other responsibilities include leading the PR team for WOW 1Day! Painting and You Move Me. In her spare time Tania enjoys the outdoors, hiking in summer and skiing and snowshoeing in winter. Tania can be found on <a href=”https://plus.google.com/u/0/105476834042412448168/?rel=author” target=”_blank”>Google+</a> and <a href=”http://www.linkedin.com/in/taniavenn” target=”_blank”>LinkedIn</a>.</em>