Archive for September, 2014

Helping Your Loved One Prepare for a Move in Brooklyn

Tuesday, September 30th, 2014
prepare for a move in Brooklyn

Help your loved one prepare for a move in Brooklyn. Organize, clear clutter and make repairs.

by Charles D’Alessandro | Leave a Comment

This is the fourth in a series of blogs on caregivers, their loved ones and assisted living in Brooklyn.

In the previous blog post, Taking Care of the Caregiver, we focused on taking care of you, the caregiver. This blog post will focus on helping your loved one prepare for a move in Brooklyn.

It is clear that your loved one is no longer able to live independently on their own. You and your family have lovingly and carefully considered all housing and care options available to your loved one. In their best interest, you have decided to sell their home and move them in to live with others who will provide assistance and proper care. Now what? It’s time to organize, clear clutter, make repairs and prepare for a move in Brooklyn.

When someone lives in a home for many years, accumulation of stuff and clutter happens, a lot of it happens. Repairs need to be made. Now it’s time to sell, and all of a sudden the collection of stuff and so many repairs through all those years of living looms overhead like an enormous elephant! Is organizing, clearing clutter and making needed repairs to prepare for a move in Brooklyn overwhelming? Is it keeping you from getting started? Ask yourself this question, “What is the best way to eat an elephant?” The answer is, “One bite at a time.”

Professional help to prepare for a move in Brooklyn is available. However, if you choose to tackle the task alone, consider these very helpful suggestions:

  1. Sort stuff. Start small. Choose one area of the home. Try the kitchen counter or just one closet, for example. Do not move to another area until the area you are working on is finished.
    1. Grab boxes. Label them “Trash,” “Keep,” “Give Away” and “Urgent.” If something has not been used or thought about for the past 6 months, place it in the “Trash” box. This is the perfect time to “Give Away” collections. For example, share your loved one’s owl collection with those who have always admired the special owl collection.
    2. Do something with each of the boxes NOW! Throw the “Trash” boxes away NOW!File the “Keep” boxes or put this stuff where it belongs NOW! Share the “Give Away” boxes away NOW! Address the “Urgent” boxes NOW!  If you don’t do it “NOW,” you’ll be back at square one.
  2. Get help to determine what repairs must be made to your loved one’s Brooklyn home. Don’t worry about any repairs that do not need to be made. Hire an expert to make the repairs for the purpose of selling the home.
  3. Remove heavy window treatments. Allow sunlight to lighten and brighten the rooms of your loved one’s home. Consider hiring someone to add a neutral coat of paint to walls and trim.
  4. Lastly, hire a house cleaner. After organizing, clearing clutter and repairing is complete, treat yourself to professional housecleaning of your loved one’s Brooklyn home. Getting the whole house cleaned in just one day is very rewarding. This last step may convert you to organizing and clearing clutter in your own home regularly. It’s that rewarding!

If the need to help your loved one prepare for a move in Brooklyn has arrived, contact me, Charles D’Alessandro, your Brooklyn real estate agent with Fillmore Real Estate. Call (718) 253-9600 ext. 206 or reach me by email, [email protected].

 

Resources on Getting Organized –

http://www.napo.net/get_organized/how_to_hire.aspx

https://www.findmyorganizer.com/organize.b.507.g.34.html?professional_organizer_region=new+york&page=1

 

Recommended Reading –

Moving for Seniors: A Step-by-Step Workbook, Morris, B., 2001, Smooth Transitions.

 

Brooklyn/New York Senior Housing Options –

http://www.aplaceformom.com/assisted-living/new-york/brooklyn
http://www.seniorhomes.com/c/ny/brooklyn/assisted-living/

 

Copyright: joannsnover / 123RF Stock Photo

 

Taking Care of the Caregiver

Monday, September 15th, 2014

by Charles D’Alessandro | Leave a Comment 

caregiver

Care of the caregiver is an important part of the job

This is the third in a series of blogs on caregivers, their loved ones and assisted living in Brooklyn.

In the previous blog post, we focused on caregivers and relocating your loved one in Brooklyn. This blog post will focus on you, the caregiver.

  • Are you a baby boomer, a 50-something?
  • Are your kids graduating high school and/or college?
  • Are your kids unable to find jobs?
  • Did your parent’s caregiver take advantage of them and embezzle funds, lots of funds, from your parent?
  • Do you feel that everyone needs your time or that you are being pulled in all directions?
  • Does the money you earn keep flying out the door for emergencies or the unexpected financial needs of your kids and/or parents?

Do you wonder:

  • “When and how can I plan for my future?”
  • “How can I retire at 65?”
  • “Is it possible to save for retirement if I am taking care of everyone else?”
  • “Should I move my parents into an assisted living facility or move them in with us?”
  • “When is it going to be all about me?”

As a baby boomer who has taken on the weighty role of caregiver, you face a greater chance for sizeable health problems, such as:

  • depression (studies show that roughly 46 percent to 59 percent of caregivers are clinically depressed)
  • chronic illness (high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity)
  • possible decay in quality of life
  • even the possibility of an earlier death

Reports show that caregivers battle with:

  • sleep deprivation
  • poor eating habits
  • failure to exercise
  • failure to stay in bed when they are not well
  • scheduling and keeping medical appointments for themselves

Caring for your loved one can be an exceptionally fulfilling experience. It proves the enormous amount of love and commitment you have for your loved one. But caregiving can be an emotional roller coaster bringing with it enormous stress caused by exhaustion, worry, lack of resources and demands of nonstop care.

Because of the effects of caregiving, you MUST make time to practice preventive healthcare and routine self-care. Pay attention to your own health and well-being while managing all the responsibilities as a caregiver so that you are able to provide the effective care your loved ones need.

Remember, it is not selfish to pay attention to your own needs and desires as a caregiver. Taking care of the caregiver is an important part of the job.

  • Learn and use stress-reduction techniques
  • Attend to your own healthcare needs
  • Get proper rest and nutrition
  • Exercise regularly, if only for 10 minutes at a time
  • Take time off without feeling guilty
  • Participate in enjoyable, encouraging activities, such as reading a good book, taking a warm bath
  • Pursue and accept the help of others
  • Seek reassuring counseling whenever you need it or talk to a counselor, friend or pastor
  • Recognize and allow your feelings
  • Always look for the positive in every situation and change any negative views of situations that you may have
  • Set goals and celebrate each one you achieve

It’s up to you!

Moving your loved one into your home to live with everyone in your family may seem like the noble, loving, dutiful and right thing to do, but is it really in the best interest of your loved one, your spouse, your family and you? This decision is not an easy one to make.

If you have taken on the role of caregiver, and it is time to move your loved one into your Brooklyn home or into an assisted care facility in Brooklyn, contact Charles D’Alessandro, your Brooklyn real estate agent with Fillmore Real Estate, or call (718) 253-9600 ext. 206. You can reach me by email, [email protected], also.

 

Recommended Reading –

Moving for Seniors: A Step-by-Step Workbook, Morris, B., 2001, Smooth Transitions.

 

Brooklyn/New York Senior Housing Options –

http://www.aplaceformom.com/assisted-living/new-york/brooklyn
http://www.seniorhomes.com/c/ny/brooklyn/assisted-living/

 

More Resources –

Family Caregiver Alliance
785 Market Street, Ste. 750
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 434-3388
(800) 445-8106
Website: caregiver.org
E-mail: [email protected]

Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) seeks to improve the quality of life for caregivers through education, services, research and advocacy.

FCA’s National Center on Caregiving offers advice and information on current social, public policy and caregiving issues and provides assistance in the development of public and private caregiver support programs.

Family Care Navigator – FCA’s online directory of resources for caregivers in all 50 states. Includes resources for older or disabled adults living at home or in a residential facility, and information on government health and disability programs, legal resources, disease-specific organizations and more.

Article Resource: https://caregiver.org/taking-care-you-self-care-family-caregivers