Archive for August, 2016

Fall is in the Air: Prepare for Winter Now

Tuesday, August 30th, 2016
Prepare for winter

Winter is on its way! Prepare for winter now and enjoy those long winter’s naps in comfort.

Summer’s come and almost gone. Fall has arrived, although not officially. That will happen September 22, 2016. The days are getting shorter and the mornings are turning crisp. Winter is on its way! Prepare for winter now and enjoy those long winter’s naps in comfort.

Prepare for winter outside your Brooklyn home

It’s time to wrap up summer’s outdoor lifestyle and prepare hearth and home for the beginning of the long cold spell.

  • Clean, cover and store patio furniture, umbrellas, decorations and toys.
  • Paint the trim, railings and decks or touch them up if that’s all they need. Remove flaking paint with a wire brush and prime bare wood before you paint.
  • Check around windows and doors. Re-caulk if needed.
  • Install weather-stripping and thresholds if external doors and garage doors need it in order to close tightly.
  • Wash windows, inside and out.
  • Drain and store garden hoses. Frost-proof spigots with a faucet insulator and blow the sprinkler system lines free of water.
  • Power wash gutters and downspouts. Consider installing heating cable to prevent ice dams.
  • Inspect and clean chimneys and flues.
  • Repair your roof. Check your roof for curling, loose or missing shingles.
  • Prepare your deck for winter. Sand splinters, repair damaged boards and reseal to protect it from rain and/or snowfall.
  • Switch out your screen doors for a storm door. Clean and repair screens prior to storing.

Prepare for winter inside your Brooklyn home

Fall means it is time for the “second spring cleaning.” It makes good sense to clean and store all things summer before you retreat to the warmth inside your Brooklyn home. Besides, the holidays are coming (and you may decide it’s time to sell after the winter thaw).

  • Start with the rooms where most of the household activity happens. Focus on one room and clean it from top to bottom. Vacuum or wash curtains and window treatments. Clean window sills and window wells. Vacuum and wipe down baseboards and corners.
  • Vacuum upholstered furniture, or clean it professionally. Move each piece of furniture and vacuum underneath and behind each piece. Don’t forget to vacuum underneath the couch and chair cushions!
  • If you haven’t already washed the windows inside and out as mentioned above, now’s the time for that chore.
  • Turn mattresses front-to-back and end-to-end to even out their wear and tear.
  • Wash or clean all bedding: mattress pads, pillows, duvets, blankets, comforters.
  • Make an appointment to have your carpets cleaned professionally. Do this early in September so that the remaining warm afternoons can help the carpet dry speedily. Carpet cleaners tend to get busy by the end of October.
  • Clean and organize kitchen cabinets.
  • Clear kitchen counters of all appliances. Store heavy appliances down low.
  • Vacuum refrigerator condenser coils of dust and debris. While the refrigerator is pulled out from the wall, clean the sides of the refrigerator, the sides of the cupboards on each side of it, the wall behind it and of course, the floor and baseboards.
  • Wash light fixture bowls from light fixtures and fans. Clean ceiling fans. Change the direction of your ceiling fans. In the spring and summer, your blades work best turning counter-clockwise. In the fall and winter, the blades work best turning clockwise.
  • Clean and store floor fans and box fans.
  • Stock up on water softener salt.
  • Do you have a central vacuum? Empty the collection area.
  • Clean electronic air cleaner elements. This should be done monthly for cost-effective efficiency.
  • Inspect your humidifier. Clean or replace elements before it is needed.
  • Inspect washer hoses for bulges, cracks, splits and a collection of “crud.” They should be replaced every other year.
  • Check dryer exhaust tube and vent for lint build-up and debris to eliminate a fire hazard in your home. Does the exterior vent door close tightly when the dryer isn’t being used?
  • Schedule furnace inspections now. Schedule an annual checkup for your furnace in the fall, September 22 – December 21. Don’t wait for frigid temperatures to arrive!
  • Buy six furnace filters and change them monthly for maximum efficiency, savings and comfort.
  • Drain the sediment from your hot water heater.

Prepare for winter or the sale of your Brooklyn home now. Contact Charles D’Alessandro, your Brooklyn real estate agent with Fillmore Real Estate at (718) 253-9700 ext. 206 or email [email protected] for a FREE consultation on how to get your home ready for what’s coming.

This Year’s Top 10 Senior Housing Trends for Baby Boomers

Monday, August 15th, 2016
Baby boomers

Baby Boomers are a force to be reckoned with! Retirement today is nothing like our grandmother’s retirement of yesterday.

Baby Boomers are shaping and changing the way seniors live – everywhere. We know what we want, and how we want to retire. Because we have our own unique ideas about retirement, the senior living industry is rapidly changing to meet up to our expectations and preferences. Baby Boomers are a force to be reckoned with! Retirement today is nothing like our grandmother’s retirement of yesterday.

Here are the top 10 housing trends for seniors thanks to us, the Baby Boomer Generation.

  1. Technology Today

Technology has made the aging process less challenging for us. Wearable devices that automatically alert caregivers, large-screen cell phones and remotes and more have given us high-quality care options like never before. For example, caregivers now have geo-fencing options to keep those with Alzheimer’s and dementia safe. What took them so long? Ingenious, right?

  1. Aging in Place and In-Home Care

Aging in place is a trend we Baby Boomers find attractive. Many of us want to live in our own homes for as long as we are able. The senior living industry and technology have made in-home care both affordable and viable. This will allow us to age in place for as long as possible.

Senior Planning Services is a tri-state area Medicaid planning firm. It cited a recent AARP study estimating that almost 90 percent of Baby Boomers who are over 65 years of age want the option to live in their home for as long as they able.

  1. Senior Care Providers

Our generation is giving senior providers increased impact as we hit our Golden Years because there are so many of us. Physicians, hospitals, insurance companies and other organizations in the health care system are working together to create comprehensive care that will meet the needs of seniors today.

  1. Person-Centered Care

What is person-centered care? Person-centered care is treating an aging senior as an individual instead of treating them for the abilities they no longer have. This isn’t a new trend, but it is gaining ground. Person-centered care from nursing homes, doctors, and other health care organizations are assuring people that they will be cared for with dignity and as a whole person.

  1. Life Plan Communities

Life plan communities are based on living in the moment. They encourage young Baby Boomers to live a full and active life right now while we are healthy, helping us get the most out of every moment for as long as we can.

  1. Memory Care Units and Reminiscent Therapy

Memory care units are embracing the theory behind reminiscence therapy. They stimulate sight, sound, smell and touch. Doing this creates communities that help many seniors retrieve long-term memories reminiscent of the world in which they grew up.

  1. Senior Co-Housing

Single-family dwelling, reduced costs and a sense of companionship are offered to Baby Boomers in senior co-housing. Here seniors share responsibilities and access to communal caregivers. The caregivers assist seniors with daily tasks. This is ideal for seniors who need the support of institutionalized living balanced with remaining at home.

  1. Embracing the Green Movement

Many assisted living facilities are going green to entice earth-conscious Baby Boomers, cut heating and cooling costs, conserve water and meet Energy Star standards.

  1. Location of Senior Living Communities

Senior living facilities are looking for ways to engage seniors with senior-friendly activities for Baby Boomers who are just starting to retire. They are learning to look for area amenities that will make a retirement destination great.

  1. Independent Living for Baby Boomers Instead of Assisted Living

We know that we can live comfortably on our own for a long time now. More and more senior living facilities are designing their facilities to provide independent living and celebrate independence. Those of us who are under 80 years old, who wish to live independently and without assistance find this trend quite appealing.

Developers and providers are creating environments around what we Baby Boomers want and need. They are considering where we want to live and where we need to live. They know they need to enhance senior living environments in a rapidly shifting market, because we won’t settle for anything less!

Follow today’s housing trends for Baby Boomers. Contact Charles D’Alessandro, your Brooklyn real estate agent with Fillmore Real Estate at (718) 253-9700 ext. 206 or email [email protected] for a FREE consultation today. We have so many senior housing options available to us, Baby Boomers.

This article originally appeared on RISMedia.com.