Our population is living longer. Therefore having a greater opportunity to accumulate life’s possessions in addition to inheriting “tangible memories” from generations past. As seniors, the need to re-evaluate belongings and ask ourselves how they connect with our current lifestyle and fit into our living environment can be difficult. Downsizing, as the saying goes, it’s easier said than done and there are as many different decision levels and time frames as there are individuals.
Where To Start!
One of the biggest hurdles is making the decision that a change is needed. Then identifying the direction that’s right for you. There's a lot to consider. After dedicating so many years to building homes for our children and careers, we look at our surroundings with new questions. Can I keep the yard work up? Do I still enjoy the yard work even though some days it’s a bit harder to get up from the flower bed? Will I continue to make meals, do laundry, go shopping, do banking, climb stairs? What’s the best living environment for my needs? How accessible are my church, doctors, grocery store, friends, children, grandchildren? Do I feel safe? How do I start to sift through the years of accumulated possessions? These are only some of the questions that start going through the minds of seniors when faced with their next step. Of course, there are many important factors and everyone comes to this point of change with different circumstances. But whether we come to the conclusion that, at least for now, our current home is where we'd like to remain but start downsizing, organizing, and perhaps rethinking the space or our soul searching takes us to investigating an apartment, a smaller home, a condominium, or a senior community, one thing’s for sure . . . There’s a lot to do to!
The To-Do List
With the increase in the senior population, and it growing every year, many new services and resources for seniors have become available. There are many options that past generations of seniors and their families didn't have. Of course, that also translates into many more potential decisions and the need to decipher what's right for you can be more challenging with so many choices. It’s overwhelming to handle alone and in many cases, family and friends are not geographically close enough or unable to help tackle the task. Taking the time to sort through possessions with you and implementing your decisions on whether to keep, store, appraise, sell, pass on, donate or dispose of each item is a task that you and your family don't need to handle alone. Find more information at: www.NextStepSeniorServices.com
Here are some “NextStep”tips:
When looking at your current living environment and trying to determine what your next step should be, be prepared:
1. Check out your options. Don't get caught off guard and have to make important decisions under the stress of an emergency. Local senior centers are excellent resources to start learning what's (and who's) out there to help and talking to others faced with the same decisions.
2. Inventory. Most people are surprised when they get a home inventory done. This step alone can give you the peace of mind and catapult you into starting an effective plan. It will be invaluable to you for insurance purposes as well as becoming a part of your will.
3. Safety should be near the top of your list when considering your living environment and surroundings. There does become a time when ladders are no longer advisable to climb and rugs can be hazard. Proper lighting is very important as well.
4. Keep the quality of life high on your list too. Let's face it... our possessions will probably outlive us. So give yourself the right to make the choice on where and to whom it should be passed on.
5. Don't leave your estate in the hands of the State. Estate Planning is a very important and not just for the super wealthy - but for us too. Call your local Agency for Aging, your local bar association, or your district attorney's office if you need to seek low-cost legal advice.
6. I'll leave you with this for now: This doesn't have to be done in a day, but today is a really good day to start!!!
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