Page 25 - Charlotte Senior Living Guide

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by those who experience the loss of a room and ask yourself a few simple
loved one and seek to relocate closer questions as you look at your furniture
to family for support, or by folks who and accessories: Do I love it? Do I need
have encountered a significant change it? When did I use it last? Try starting in
in their health, requiring spatial adjust- a guest bedroom or linen closet to get
ments in the home for easier mobility accustomed to the process.
and comfort. Regardless of what is
prompting a person to downsize, the Downsizing Directory
overall goal should be to create a home As you make your way through your
with your belongings that is manage- home, create an inventory. For each
able, safe, and feels like home.
Where Do I Begin?
Some individuals think downsizing
means getting rid of everything; not item, make a note of “keep/sell/give/do-
so! Downsizing is about carefully and nate/trash.” This inventory will become
thoughtfully reducing the quantity of your “Downsizing Directory” and will
your possessions or the size of your be helpful in conversations with your
furnishings. For example, do you really family, friends, moving and insurance
need to store a full, 12-piece setting of companies, and household liquidators.
dishes now that the kids are grown and
gone? Could you work with a smaller Downsizing is physically demanding,
desk or writing table now that you’re requiring activities such as bending,
retired? What can make downsizing stooping, reaching and lifting. If you
challenging is shifting our perspective have physical limitations that make
on the items we’ve used for so long and these actions difficult, it’s better to start
the memories attached to those items. sooner than later so you can work at
your own pace and not hurt yourself by
Because of this, simply coming up overexertion.
with a plan to get started is so mentally The effects of downsizing are different
overwhelming that some don’t even take for each of us and can cause a roller
the first step even though they know coaster of emotions. One closet may
they need to. The prospect of making contain yellowed office supplies along
decisions about every item in the home, with a family heirloom passed down to
finding reputable sources to carry out you from favorite aunt. Enlisting the
these decisions and worrying about the help of family and friends can both ease
possible associated costs is daunting. the physical burden and help you work
Getting organized and developing a through the emotional ties to your pos-
strategy to follow is key and not as hard sessions. Having someone there to share
as you might think…. but you have to memories with gives you the opportu-
get started!
nity to reflect so that you’ll have peace
Begin with a basic assessment of your of mind, knowing you’ve made the deci-
household belongings. For example, sion that’s right for you.
start by spending 15 minutes in each
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