Creating a Welcoming Environment

The Four F's of creating an environment where a senior can feel at home

Moving at any age is difficult, but the older we get the more difficult transitioning becomes. At Practical Solutions we like for the client to feel like we waved a magic wand and everything magically went from one house to the other and landed in exactly the spot where it had lived for years. Of course, it is never that easy and requires a lot of pictures, notes, boxes, paper, label, tape and sweat to make it happen. A client will never realize that we remembered to put the alarm clock on the same side of the bed that it was on in the new house, but they sure will realized it if we do not. All of this hard work is worth it all when they are able to walk into their new space and feel at home. 

The new home environment needs to be:

• Friendly - It is important that they move into a neighborhood or community with like-minded individuals that share similar interests. I have seen clients who have been home-bound for years thrive in community living and live a much more rich life.
• Familiar - If possible set up furniture in a similar way where their path to the bathroom at night is familiar and their dresser drawer are arranged as they were in the old house. Create familiar sights, sounds and smells as these also help the senior feel at home.
• Functional - After living for years in the same place one is on autopilot and functions without thinking. As you arrange and unpack, think of how the other person will function in the new environment. Ask where they will go to look for a certain item. This is especially important if memory issues are present.
• Forgiving - Things usually cannot be placed exactly where they were in the new home so make sure the new home is forgiving with soft corners, free of rugs to slip on, furniture without wheels and clear walkways. Most of all, family and friends need to be patient and forgiving as they may express frustration as they deal with change. If they get angry, sad or frustrated, do not take it personally but ask yourself what is causing it.

We love providing stress-free relocations and thrive on taking care of all of the details so that the person moving can relax and concentrate on taking care of themselves.  We would be honored to have the opportunity to quote you or a loved one on an upcoming move.

Clear the Clutter in Your Kitchen

Homes look much more organized when the surfaces are clear and clutter-free. It also makes preparing a meal much easier so that you are more likely to eat healthy and less likely to each convenience foods. Check out this video to learn how to organize your kitchen counter-tops so that they are clean and ready to prepare healthy food.

Good Enough! A Story of One Who Overcame Perfectionism

We last spoke about how perfectionism can hold us back from accomplishing all we would like. We had been working with a client who is in her late 70's and battles perfectionism and Attention Deficit Disorder. She has researched her entire career to write a book, but hasn't written a page yet because there's always more to read and study in preparation for writing. When working in her office, we were able to clear the clutter and create a space where she can focus on her work. We also taught her the concept we teach many of our clients -- "Good Enough." Perfectionists are hung up on having to do everything perfectly and "Good Enough" teaches them to do the best they possible can and get it done. Most importantly, they learn that things do not have to be perfect.

A week after our session, she shared with me that she had begun writing her book. She had the chapters mapped out and reorganized her research by chapter so that the writing would be easy. She is finally empowered to write her book so that now she can share all of her life's work with others. We are so excited for her and hope others will learn how to give up perfectionism and focus on reaching their goals.

We would love to hear your story about how you have overcome your organizing hurdles.