One solution that seniors might consider when they want to age in place is to start downsizing their current homes. There are lots of reasons this is an important choice, including the fact that downsizing can help seniors to be safer at home. Home care assistance can help aging adults to start the process and help to maintain the space afterward.
Start Before a Crisis, if Possible
Often families don’t consider helping seniors start downsizing until there’s a crisis that necessitates downsizing. If possible, however, tackling this project before there is a crisis is always a better option. Proactive steps involve setting a realistic timeline for downsizing and setting some reasonable goals for sorting through belongings and determining where they go.
Go Slowly and Take Small Steps
If there isn’t a crisis yet and families are thinking about downsizing and decluttering before something is forcing them to consider it, it’s a lot easier and better overall for this to be a slower process. Tackling the job in small steps keeps the situation from feeling overwhelming to aging adults and to family caregivers. Practicing daily decluttering is a good way to go, for instance. This helps seniors to make little bits of progress each day.
Keep the Process Positive
Downsizing can be a scary process for aging adults. It’s important to do everything possible to keep the situation as positive as possible. The goal is to create a living space that is safe and that meets the needs of the seniors who live there. Celebrating milestones and achievements while decluttering and downsizing can be helpful.
Protect Memories
One huge barrier to downsizing and decluttering is that there are often so many memories attached to belongings. This is especially true for seniors who have lived in the same space for a long time. It can help a lot to find ways to protect the memories, while also decluttering. Creating a digital archive of specific items or making sure that items go to family members as mementos can be valuable options.
Get Help Maintaining the Space Afterward
After decluttering and downsizing is complete, it’s time to take a look at how to maintain that space. Sometimes this can be difficult for seniors to consider because the new space may feel too different or weird after decluttering is done. Elder care providers can be a huge help to aging adults with this complication. Home care providers can keep up with handling light household tasks and maintaining tidy, organized spaces. They’re also there to help ensure that seniors are as safe as possible overall.
Downsizing is a big transition for seniors, so it can be tough for them to embrace fully. The goal is to have a manageable and safe living space for aging adults, which helps them to also continue to age in place. Home care assistance can be there to offer the support that seniors need to keep protecting their newly decluttered spaces and continue to live in the homes that they love.
If you or an aging loved one are considering home care assistance in Springtown, TX, please contact the caring staff at Clear Path Home Care today. Call (817) 631-7710.
Clear Path Home Care provides compassionate, high quality home care in Bosque County, Hill County, Navarro County, Henderson County, Erath County, Somervell County, Johnson County, Ellis County, Parker County, Tarrant County, Dallas County, Kaufman County, Rains County, Hood County, VanZandt County, and Rockwall County in Texas.
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