My kids don’t understand! It’s my safety zone. I’ve lived here for 40 years. This home is my memories, not just a building and foundation. It’s hard to think of moving to a community and having to make new friends. What if my money runs out? Will they kick me out? How do I start going through everything…there’s so much. I don’t have anyone to help me and I don’t want to burden my family. What if I move and I hate it?

Sound familiar? Over the course of my career in working with seniors and their families the above questions and comments have been a constant when dealing with a move of a senior from their long time home. Some have described the stress of moving as somewhere between a divorce and a colonoscopy…ouch! As we age, change becomes more and more difficult. As children of seniors, we want (more…)

Please check out my appearance on The Morning Blend which aired on the Milwaukee NBC affiliate TMJ4

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Moving out of a home of many years is daunting and physically strenuous, especially when age creeps in to affect muscles and coordination. How many times have we made the determination that we could lift that last box and find ourselves in bed, or worse the hospital!

I find that many of my senior clients have always done it themselves. I’m talking about every aspect of their lives. Many folks who had suffered through the depression years had learned to survive by being self sufficient. Not only did that save money, but it gave dignity and self worth to many who were losing their money and homes during those difficult years. Unfortunately, this practice can become a health risk both mentally and physically as age overtakes the will do accomplish our goals.

I recently had a client who had saved and enormous amount (more…)

We are all savers, all of us! Why do we collect so much ’stuff’ and put it away never to see it again? The thought of moving can be paralyzing due to the myriad of collectables over the years. Some of my clients either spent their childhood during the great depression, or their parents were living that nightmare. One of the lasting effects from that period was the thought that it might happen again, and you can never save enough if that nightmare becomes a reality. It is truly understandable.

One of the greatest misconceptions, is that we know our loved ones would want to have a piece of our family history, or our personal property that was so meaningful to us. The following story illustrates this thought pattern: A mother of two, saved decorative plates. Each month she would give away one plate to each of her two sons. She wanted to enjoy the giving and see the expressions of joy when they received her precious gift. One day, she called one of her sons to inform him she would be giving him the pride of her collection this month. She was so excited! Her son was at work when she called, and he put her on hold. She was a patient lady but he forgot to press the hold button, so she could hear every word that he said. His brother was there as his mother listened on ‘hold’. ‘Hey Bill, mom is on the phone and she has more junk for us.’ She was surprised but luckily found humor in the situation.

The moral of this story, is that we may think we know what (more…)