Downsizing our elders

by Deanne Kelleher

Reprinted by permission of Deanne Kelleher, Kaos Group. This article appeared in Deanne's The Organized Lifestyle Magazine

There is still much to be understood about hoarding and Alzheimer's. My personal experience with Alzheimer's was moving my mother from Victoria to Toronto. My job was to fly to Victoria for three days to colour-code the boxes: storage, apartment, daughter's house, and organize the lists for the movers. I learned very quickly in those three days that my mother wasn't trying to drive me crazy (she said she was packed but ...)

Organizing boxes turned into three days of de-cluttering her space, downsizing her belongings, and packing her to move across the country. It still brings me to tears just thinking back on how difficult it must have been for my mother, and the long road ahead that awaited the family as we began to learn so much about the new sickness that our mother had.

It's often difficult to recognize that our elders may be suffering from Dementia or to know what to do when they are actually hoarders. These are both legitimate sicknesses and if you are downsizing one or the other you may need to deal with Professional Organizers. They see this sort of thing all the time and are likely able to assist you or at least refer you to someone who can.

What is the difference between a hoarder and a clutterer?

Hoarder:
• Someone who hoards has a psychiatric condition that affects less than 1% of the population
• The person obsesses over his/her items and will most likely not find

Clutterer:
• Someone who lives amongst clutter, accumulates without much thought and would probably be able to make the changes themselves if motivated enough to do so
• Often this will never get to such an extreme point as to debilitate the person's freedom and comfort

Whether you are faced with hoarding issues or what you might think is Dementia or Alzheimer's, soliciting the expert advice of a professional organizer can offer you the experience and organized strength that is often the calming affect needed to ensure a peaceful transition.

For more on downsizing be sure to read Deanne's complete article How to Cope With the Stress & Emotion of Downsizing.