Organizing your parent(s) home
By Connie De La Rosa
Making that visit to your parent(s) home can be a little overwhelming and appear as though the home is now their storage area with items that should not be in home or placed in a area out of their way to prevent accidents from happening.
Here are a few problems found in the homes of some of the elderly:
- Kitchen cabinet messes
- Refrigerator disorder
- Unreachable items on top shelves
- Food or toys spread out in pet areas
- Difficult-to-reach storage in laundry rooms
- Home office clutter on the desk and disorganized files
- A jam-packed bathroom vanity or medicine cabinet
- Dangerously stacked bookshelves
- Fall risks in hallways or on the stair such as rugs curling upward
- Magazines and mail stacked in the living room
Taking time to stop and keep in mind that you should respect what they feel is important to leave and just discuss a safer place to store if there is room without hoarding which is another topic. If you were to rethink about the organization in the home when you were growing up and remembered that favorite magazines were stored and older ones sold in a garage sale, donated etc. you may ask your parent if reaching or lifting is difficult. This may reveal overall issues they are having and the reasons why their magazines are on the floor stacked up and not stored safely. For more information on services available for assistance in organization call 200-7756.
