Bee Organized, part 4

*The following is the output of transcribing from an audio recording. Although the transcription is largely accurate, in some cases it is incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors.

Is it time for someone else to do the work for you? At Care Partners, our job is to prepare meals, do housekeeping and care for our senior residents. Our Network of fifteen vibrant senior living communities covering western Washington and Spokane offers independent, assisted living and memory care options. Care Partners is the best choice for senior living needs because we deliver quality care at an extremely affordable price. Let us do the work and you relax. Visit Care Partners Livingcom. The following podcast is provided by an approved senior care provider on the answers for elders radio network. And Welcome back everyone to answers for elders radio on this Thanksgiving holiday weekend in this hour has flown by with these two amazing women who help us keep our chaos at bay and keep order in your life. And you know, I I remember my minister long time ago. She has a theme every year, and I want to kind of talk about little bit just before we start up. But every year, instead of doing a resolution, she talked about doing a theme for the year, because you’re going to break the resolution right, but if you keep being mindful on a concept, and one year I actually dedicated my year to order, and it was interesting what showed up in my life, because there was even sometimes order and chaos, because sometimes it takes chaos to get you to focus on something that’s most important, right, because you see it in a different light. And I think this is one of the things when we look at our this upcoming two thousand and twenty two, a lot of us have been hibernating, a lot of us have been internalized in our homes and obviously we’re looking at new steps. We had a lot of time to ourselves to think about what do we want for our lives when we get back into the world again. And so, kristen and Suzanne, I am so thrilled that you guys have talked so much about you know, where we are as a culture. But now it’s like, how do we get it done? Like we like if we’re, I’m going to downsize, it’s like, what do we do? Kristen, I know you have some great tips on that. Yeah, start, yeah, well, we we love an opportunity to come in and help somebody because even in the best of times, a move is stressful, right, and but when you’re talking about significantly downsizing, the amount of score fotage it just yet have to get rid of them and the we all that process, the power purge, and sometimes we even, you know, we chant a power bird, power bird, because it doesn’t have to be overwhelming, it doesn’t have to be if but you it and it can be really affected. So a couple of quick tips really, before you start the power purge, when we strongly do suggest you have a third party come in who helps you, that can come in and not judge you and not maybe harangue you for having all these items, but to really be there and guide you and be a tool in this. Also, to set aside time right, cut out a significant amount of time, make an appointment with yourself and and honor that time. Make it fun, turn on some music, have sodas and, you know, just make some fun of it. Absolutely while you’re doing this one, you’re going to make a bigger mess than you started with because you’re gonna can right, and our idea is start with the space. Stay in that space. So let’s pretend you’re in the linen closet. Right, stay in the linen closet, but you’re going to pull everything out in the ideas. You’re going to touch every single item in there. It sounds really tedious, but it’s not. At once you get going, your decisionmaking muscle kind of gets better and you’re able to to make these steps. But while you’re holding every single item, you need to ask yourself three questions, and these are our power purge questions. Okay, so first is do you love it? Do you love it? Do you like it? visit bring a warm, fuzzy feeling to your heart? Marie condo says, does it spark joy? Okay, if it does, keep it okay. We’re going to keep that to the side. If not, we’re asked. The second question, do you use it right? Do you use it well? And not just do you use it, but will you? Do you use it or will you use it in the near future, because sometimes we have people look at us in there go oh, oh, yeah, I’ll use this in the near future. Will know the near future is in the next twelve months. You’re going to go through every season, every holiday. If you’re not going to use it, it needs to it needs to be sure, sure right. So let’s say you don’t like it or love it, you don’t need it or use it. The third question, though, is is it valuable or irreplaceable? So valuable obviously has a dollar sign attached to it. So sometimes people say, Oh, yes, that’s valuable, that is worth thousands of dollars. But then I say, HMM, but do you like it and love it? Do you use it? No, if you don’t like it, love it or use it, why are we holding on to it just because it has, you know, financial value? So that’s where we would talk about different ways that you can let go of this idure. The temple you’re writing example, and not intially temple example. You passed it along as a gift. So, yes, passing it along as a gift so that they understand and love and honor that value of it. Yes, also, there’s so many the world to them. And I went really exactly, and it’s not. And Yeah, sometimes value is in the eye of the Muse. Right, but there’s so many ways that we can offload our items and also make some money back. Right, sure, sure, Yep. And then the second part of that third question is is it irreplaceable? And that is where sometimes the memory keep bur holds onto things because you know, yes, your your son is now grown and has children of his own and he’s not making adorable little self portraits and he was prolific and he made seventy two of them, right. Yeah, all Sud meet. Two of those little self portraits of him and in elementary school are in fact, irreplaceable. Sure, but let’s talk about some boundaries and how we’re going to honor that memory. Maybe we pick our feel on. I think one of the benefits that we haven’t even talked about working with the neutral party is it gives the senior the respect of allocating personal items to individuals without the fighting and bickering. You know, mom might have a diamond ring, then she wants Mary, her daughter, to have well, Mary and Sandra at the other daughter might be arguing over no, I want that ring, and it’s kind of hard to because in many cases the dominant sibling is going to win out and so you’re not going to end up doing that. especially as an executor of an estate or something like that, it’s really important to allocate items like that and that’s part of that thing. When you have a neutral party it just completely, you know, dissolves that because there’s no judgment, there’s no anything. It’s like it’s just becomes really a transaction right and that there’s communication there and it’s very sure. After sir, and you know, I want to point out that too. You know, gifting items that you have to loved ones takes time. It also takes energy and and oftenence. We work with seniors and they only have so much time in the day where they are able to be emotionally available and it takes time to eat that when by I’m so yes, earlier there, before your are in a physical state that you have to get into that senior living community or move on. You know, start this earlier. We just plead with people to do it so that you can take your time absolutely doing it and having those communication moments where you talk about gifting those items right, right, that’s important. So how does be organized come in and help and and and work this process the end? Susanne, want to take that one? Sure. I actually first want to give a little tip on what you’re talking about just now. My own mom, you know, started twenty years ago probably identifying things that her kids would want. So she literally took a piece of blue tape and that blue tape had our names on anything that we wanted. So we have had years to identify things that she may have that we know we want, and that made her feel better than the process as well. So just a quick little silly tip, but it works. That’s great. Yeah, but how can be organized help? We, you know, are here to provide the customized approach that you need. Some families need someone to take it on from A to Z. In my case, my parents live in the Midwest. I’m here in the Seattle Ary. I can’t be there for this whole move, but we hired a third party in their neighborhood who was so experienced, so wonderful, so helpful, and she communicated to me. So this third party be organized. Perhaps can come in and not the only help, be respectful on our memories, help you go through this power proache. But we can also, if needed, be in touch with family that lives far away. We can help with everything from, you know, hiring those movers. We can be there on moving day. We can help figure out which of your furniture that you own can fit in your new place. Huge will take huge piece. will go see what happened. You know what will actually work. Yeah, that helps narrow down some things quite a bit too. HMM, very much. Also, we can also just help with. You know, we can help shutting off your utilities at your old place. We can handle little things like forwarding mail or there’s all kinds of ways that we want to help seniors and want to help families and will customize it based on what they need. Right. Yeah, I can do a yeah, one little trick we’d love to come up to. I come up with too for clients, is we create a moving hot box. So we have a hot box that has all the items that you’re going to need. We’re in your in that crazy state of fluctuation and transition. So we have to check book in there and cash and smacks and medication and all the passwords, all the things that you need to be looking for in that time of transition because, you know what, it’s hard. It’s really just when it is a new place. So we just try to find all kinds of ways. Our favorite thing is to help people move into new spaces and before they go to bed that night we’ve got their favorite artwork hung up, we’ve got coffee ready to go for them in the morning and just really making a house a home to do important, emotional trans important important we find an honor yeah, and you know, what. I love that because it is an honor. It’s an honor and a privilege to be there for someone and certainly helping bring order to their life is really an important thing, and you know it. We’re just about out of time, but I really want to thank both of you for being with us for this hour and I encourage our listeners to please reach out to Suzanne at be organized as. Suzanne, how do we reach you? Sure send me an email at Suzanne at the organizedcom. visit our website, https://beeorganized.com/seattle/, where you can pick up the phone and call. I love to hear Your Voice. 206-627-0957, and I want to emphasize that right now. If you pick up the phone, mention the answers for elder’s radio show and you will get one hour of free consultation, and that means you can talk to Suzanne or and spend some time and really identify. You know, what is this going to cost? What is that you know? What are ways in which you can do this economically and in the best value for you and your family and also really to take the time for you guys to be a family and to have some set of organ or ordered, not only today but going into the future, because we never know what’s going to happen. For those of us that are baby boomers, we’re looking at you know, we’re starting to declare it decline. I can’t do things that I used to do ten years ago. It’s like it’s hard work. He’s right, yeah, exactly, and really take time to do this everyone. And so thank you to both of you for being on the show today. We’re really appreciate it. And Kristen, thank you for zooming in here from Kansas, where you arely, thank you so much for having a Susan. What an honor and privilege it’s been. Well, we’re really glad you were here and certainly to each and every one of you, as you were spending this weekend, take time for you sit down and get to know what are the passions and what are the dreams that you might have in this upcoming year and what are you most grateful for? And I am grateful for two women today that talk to us about order, and so for each and everyone one of you that are with family. I hope you are be good to each other. -We at Answers for Elders thank you for listening.

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