SNAP Toronto (September 2008) & Active Adult Magazine (January/February 2009) under the title: Play It Safe
Many of us have walked in to the home of a senior relative, and marvelled at the incredible amount of clutter and junk the senior has managed to accumulate over the many years that the senior might have occupuied the home. We wonder how on earth we can help that senior declutter, especially when he or she is determined to keep everything.
If your senior is moving to a smaller home, then serious decluttering and disposal of items is necessary. But if the senior’s not moving and is in good health, then all you should really be concerned about is: Does the clutter pose a safety or health hazard? You can help make the home safer, cleaner and brighter, while still respecting the senior’s right and need to be surrounded by “rememberies”.
Doilies on every chair and available surface might make you shudder, but if the senior is attached to them, does it really matter if they stay where they are? As long as they’re well-centred, and placed so that they’re not likely to be pulled off accidentally, leave them — it’s an aesthetic thing.
Scatter rugs throughout the house, on the other hand, should all be removed, as they can pose a serious safety hazard since they’re easy to trip over, especially if they’re not lying flat.
Is there so much furniture in every room that it’s difficult to get around? Help your senior rearrange the furniture to ensure there are clear walking areas around each piece and suggest giving some of the extra furniture away — to a family member, to a friend or neighbour who has admired it, even to a needy family who can actually use it.
Newspapers, books and magazines on every table are messy, but become a problem only when they start piling up on the floor, and hinder safe mobility, or in the basement, where they attract dust, mould and mice.
Seniors are often reluctant to dispose of food and medications, even if they’re well past their expiry dates. Reduce this potential health hazard, as well as the clutter it engenders, by periodically checking through the fridge, freezer and cupboards and appropriately disposing of such items. Take advantage of the clear-out to ensure that the plates, cups, glasses, bowls, plastic containers and all other cupboard paraphernalia are not precariously stacked one upon the other.
Keep grandma safe in her home, but let her enjoy her memories.
For more information, call (416) 252-9010 or e-mail to info@boomeroptions.ca
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