“Are you going to make me get rid of things?”
Angela Dragon, owner of Simplify Home Organizing, says this is one of those questions she hears a lot. I recently sat down with Angela to learn more about what she does for her clients, especially aging seniors. It was a fascinating conversation and frankly, it brought some long forgotten memories and emotions to the surface.
Many seniors need a little extra help from private duty caregivers to be able to thrive at home. But some require the efforts of a professional organizer.
WHAT DOES SIMPLIFY HOME ORGANIZING DO?
Angela said that people reach out to her when they realize, “I’m overwhelmed and I don’t know where to start.” These clients have tried to downsize themselves, but with limited or no success. In fact, they sometimes can’t find what they need because of the clutter and there is “visual stress” in their home.
So how does she handle a question like “Are you going to make me get rid of things”?
First, they don’t make anyone do anything. Instead, they offer encouragement to their clients. Together, they remind them of their goals.
For example, some clients simply want to be able to host friends or family, but their homes are too cluttered. So she and her team remind them of the life they want to have.
For others, it’s the trip hazards and avoiding the hospital and nursing home is the goal.
No matter the objective, they challenge each client to lean into the person they’re becoming, because it’s really about transformation, not simply getting rid of things.
THE PROCESS
How long does it take?
Angela shared this gem: “I work at the pace of my client’s nervous system.”
Her goal is to accomplish the decluttering but with less trauma than a person might experience if someone just comes in and starts tossing items in a bin.
The question isn’t, “are you ready?” Angela says, but rather, “are you ready enough?” She explained that some people may never let go if they wait until they’re completely at peace about it. The key is just being “ready enough.”
Then, they address the most pressing issues in a high-traffic area, like the living room, rather than a jam-packed closet. The idea is to provide the visual satisfaction of seeing progress.
Rome wasn’t built in a day. Nor do homes become over-cluttered in a day. It takes time to undo the cluttering. And that’s okay.
“We hold space for people to process their emotional attachment to things,” Angela told me (which is a beautiful way to put it). Ultimately, the attachment isn’t about the stuff itself—it’s about the memories and the life the client has.
TIPS
I asked Angela for any advice I could share with my readers, and boy, did she ever deliver! Here are just a few of the pointers she shared.
1. Choose what to keep, not what to toss.
It’s about perspective. By focusing on what the client is going to keep, an element of negativity and loss is removed from the process. You can focus on what you get to keep!
2. Think about the function of the room.
In trying to decide what to keep in a living room, for example, ask yourself what the living room is for. While the answer varies slightly from person to person, most of us use a living room for visiting with others or watching TV. When in doubt, keep the things that match the purpose of the room.
3. Hug it and let it go.
When you’re emotionally attached to an object, sometimes you need to have a little goodbye ceremony, honoring what that object means to you or remember the person who gave it to you. Hug it. Then put it in a donation box.
4. Always keep a donation box in your closet.
A donation box reminds you that most stuff isn’t meant to be kept forever. Keep the donation box close at hand to prevent clutter from getting out of control in the first place.
Angela Dragon and her company have so much to offer, not just seniors but professionals who need a little help organizing and decluttering. She offers a Confronting Clutter Workshop in North Central Florida several times throughout the year. If you want to talk to her about helping you, either with your home or the home of a parent or loved one, you can reach her at her website.
And if you wonder how your loved one might benefit from the private duty care (non-medical home care) services that Ovation Home Care provides, reach out to us here.
