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Author: Ketan Shah

As seniors grow older, they naturally collect more and more things in their homes. If they’re not declutterers by nature, it’s perfectly normal for those items to build up and start to cause issues. Decluttering helps seniors to be safer at home, but that doesn’t mean it’s an easy process. Home care providers can help seniors and family caregivers understand what is so important about decluttering and how to do it effectively.

Why Is Decluttering Important for Seniors?

Clutter creates a variety of issues for seniors. First, clutter has to be cleaned and maintained, otherwise it collects dust and dirt. Clutter can also contribute to feelings of overwhelm, especially if there’s a lot of it. Finally, clutter can directly contribute to tripping hazards, making a fall much more likely to occur. Decluttering organizes the living space, making it safer and reducing the likelihood that seniors will get hurt at home.

Help Them Focus on the Memories, Not the Things

There are often big emotions wrapped up in things. That means that decluttering is about more than just the things themselves, it’s also about the memories and feelings attached to them. Approaching decluttering understanding these facts helps family caregivers to be more sensitive about this necessary task. Encourage seniors to keep some of the things that mean the most to them, while letting go of things that could have a better home elsewhere. One way to preserve memories is to photograph the items before they’re donated or given to someone else.

Decide Where the Items Are Going

So much of aging removes choice for seniors. They start to lose mobility or their health robs them of activities they used to lvoe, for instance. Decluttering may start to feel like another choice that they don’t have control over. Having a plan for the items that are decluttered makes a lot of sense. For bigger items or heirlooms, seniors might want to give those to the people they want to have them, for instance. With items that aren’t as fraught with emotion or history, seniors may still want to have a say over where they’re donated.

Make Decluttering Fun

Often decluttering is looked at as a stressful project no one wants to do. It’s a chore, after all. But it doesn’t have to be. It can be a lot of fun, which also makes the activity less overwhelming. Gamifying decluttering keeps seniors engaged and keeps the mood positive. Elder care providers can help them to set small goals around decluttering and celebrate those wins together.

Start Small and Keep Going

It doesn’t all have to get done right away. Unless the home is extremely cluttered and a safety hazard throughout, it’s better to start a little slower and just continuously make progress. As seniors gain momentum, it’s going to get easier for them to keep decluttering.

Home Care Can Help Seniors Keep Up Afterward

What makes the most difference is keeping up with decluttered spaces afterward. Home care providers can help with this. Caregivers can help seniors to keep their spaces tidy and watch for signs that clutter is building up again.

Keeping seniors safe at home is the primary goal for most families. Decluttering is a big way to meet that goal and home care services can do a lot to make that easier for seniors and family caregivers to do.

IF YOU OR AN AGING LOVED ONE IS CONSIDERING HIRING HOME CARE IN MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA, PLEASE CONTACT THE CARING STAFF AT HOME HELPERS TODAY. (408) 317-4969