It comes a time in peoples lives, especially after retirement into older age, when they get complacent with life. Whatever the reason, maybe poor health, lack of interest or fear of dealing with things.....
One thing in particular is the idea of de-cluttering
Why help them?
Cluttered room can be a trip hazard
Their surrounding is the same old same old and depressing
Hidden memories/treasures/items they didn't have
Estate planning
Those of us who have moved an elderly into a retirement home or a hospice know the challenges involved dealing with whats left behind! How do you know whats good to keep and what is not?
De-clutter their lives:
Try to de-clutter the rooms from extra chairs or seats, side tables, lamps with wire hanging, etc. Give them room to walk around and not worry about running into things.
Get rid of old pots and pans, chipped plates, mismatching cutlery etc. Convince them that you can get them new ones for Christmas!
Go through spice cabinet and larders. I am sure you can find things dated back to 1989 in the back!
Go through everything else like tea towels and pot holders! Keep 3, through out the rest
Keep enough live plants they can manage. Donate the rest to a nursing home.
Books, DVD's, CDs all need a good sifting through!
Freshen up their lives:
Who knows when grandma's living room was last painted! Try to get the family together to paint and refresh the rooms one by one. As you move the items back into the room, think about if it is (the old seat with torn cover!) actually required or not. Try to de-clutter as much as possible!
Take stuff off the shelves as much as you can! They are just dust collectors and not good for their health.
Plan ahead for your own sake:
Sadly, there comes a time in many of our lives when we have to either move a relative into a care home, or downsize their house/life to a more manageable environment. So don't wait till you "have to" do this, plan ahead and do a little bit at a time before you have to by following a few simple steps:
Go through every object in a room; strike a conversation about it with the elderly relative and ask them if it is worth keeping or not. If it’s an heirloom or special piece, put a note behind/under the item.
Ask the elderly if they want the item to be left for someone in the family and if so, should specification be included in their will or not? and if so, who gets it?
Suggest for the person to give the items away as planned now if they can part with it. This may save hassle in the future and also they see their heir enjoy while they are present.
If items of value are to be sold to raise money for them, then box them up accordingly and take them to the local auction houses.
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