Organizing is not as straight forward as people might think. "Just get rid of stuff. Just move things around" some people would say. Yes, that might be part of the organizing process but it does not take into account the special needs of each client.
Organizing for various age groups and people with varying degrees of capabilities requires special considerations.
As people age they might not have the strength to do the job themselves. They might get tired more easily. They might not be able to bend or lift things like people that are a lot younger. This also applies to people with varying health issues ...but for this session we want to talk about the special considerations that you might want to make when you are organizing with people that are a bit older.
If you are helping your parents or relatives that are over 60 you might want to take a step back and realize that they have different levels of energy, different ideas of what they want to let go of, different ideas on a lot of things.
As a non-professional organizer you might not think about all of the issues that they are facing but rather think about your own desire to just help them. This is a normal mistake that a lot (if not most) people make.
The first step that might help you is to just take a step back yourself and ask yourself "how would you feel if someone came into your home and just started throwing all of your prized possessions and memories out?". I am sure that the answer would be "not good". So put yourself into their place, take a step back and think about them and what they want and need as you help them. Don't make this about you.
Some issues that you might have to deal with when organizing for seniors are:
Memory issues - they can't remember where they put things. Because of this they might have gotten into the habit of leaving everything out in the open (therefore causing a cluttered house) so that they can see it.
They constantly buy more and more (food or clothes.....or whatever) because they forgot they already have it.
Physical issues - they don't have the strength or stamina to clean up after themselves so they don't. Again, this is one possible cause of their cluttered home.
Mental issues - they no longer care about their home because they have lost a loved one and are depressed. Their friends are all dying and they have no social interaction.
All of the above are just some of the reasons that seniors might have more issues with clutter.
But clutter itself can also cause physical problems in that it creates a dangerous situation in their home with them tripping over the clutter and causing physical harm to themselves.
When working with seniors be sure to limit the amount of time for each organizing session. Make sure that they get plenty of breaks and snacks to keep their energy up.
So as you see.... organizing isn't just a straight forward project. It is a complex process that is different in every situation.
Organizational Consulting Services
Organizing for various age groups and people with varying degrees of capabilities requires special considerations.
As people age they might not have the strength to do the job themselves. They might get tired more easily. They might not be able to bend or lift things like people that are a lot younger. This also applies to people with varying health issues ...but for this session we want to talk about the special considerations that you might want to make when you are organizing with people that are a bit older.
If you are helping your parents or relatives that are over 60 you might want to take a step back and realize that they have different levels of energy, different ideas of what they want to let go of, different ideas on a lot of things.
As a non-professional organizer you might not think about all of the issues that they are facing but rather think about your own desire to just help them. This is a normal mistake that a lot (if not most) people make.
The first step that might help you is to just take a step back yourself and ask yourself "how would you feel if someone came into your home and just started throwing all of your prized possessions and memories out?". I am sure that the answer would be "not good". So put yourself into their place, take a step back and think about them and what they want and need as you help them. Don't make this about you.
Some issues that you might have to deal with when organizing for seniors are:
Memory issues - they can't remember where they put things. Because of this they might have gotten into the habit of leaving everything out in the open (therefore causing a cluttered house) so that they can see it.
They constantly buy more and more (food or clothes.....or whatever) because they forgot they already have it.
Physical issues - they don't have the strength or stamina to clean up after themselves so they don't. Again, this is one possible cause of their cluttered home.
Mental issues - they no longer care about their home because they have lost a loved one and are depressed. Their friends are all dying and they have no social interaction.
All of the above are just some of the reasons that seniors might have more issues with clutter.
But clutter itself can also cause physical problems in that it creates a dangerous situation in their home with them tripping over the clutter and causing physical harm to themselves.
When working with seniors be sure to limit the amount of time for each organizing session. Make sure that they get plenty of breaks and snacks to keep their energy up.
So as you see.... organizing isn't just a straight forward project. It is a complex process that is different in every situation.
Organizational Consulting Services
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