Gayle M. Gruenberg, CPO-CD®
14 ORGANIZING QUESTIONS TO ASK A SENIOR
With luck, many of us will live a long life and enjoy good health. However, there may come a time when our mobility is not what it used to be. How will we make that determination? Will our children and grandchildren try to tell us, but we’ll think we know better and won’t listen? Probably.
When I am called on by a concerned family member or outside party to consult with a senior, I visit the client in his/her home. I observe the condition of the home and note any glaring safety concerns. If the client wants to show me around, we tour the house, and then we sit down to chat for a bit. I ask questions to find out the client’s perspective on how the flow of the house supports his/ her energy, mobility, and safety. Sometimes everything really is fine, the home is safe, and the concerned loved one just needed reassurance. Sometimes there are small changes that can be made to make the client more comfortable at home, and sometimes a radical overhaul may be needed.
Here are some of the questions I ask my prospective senior clients to determine if they need my help and are open to it. If they are not yet ready, at least the seed is planted in their minds, and they can begin to be more aware of any challenges they may be facing.
1. Do you feel physically safe in your home? 2. Can you care for yourself? 3. Can you go up and down the stairs easily?
4. Do you still have the energy and interest to:
a. Continue to maintain your own house? b. Make your own meals?
c. Physically care for yourself? d. Manage your own finances? e. Drive?
5. Do you need an extra pair of hands, eyes, ears, and legs?
6. What does the future look like one to five years from now?
7. What is the optimal living environment for you now?
8. Would you prefer an assisted living arrangement rather than independent living?
9. Do you have all your legal and financial affairs in order?
10. Would you like me to talk with any of the children?
11. Have you sat with them and explained how you feel and how you want to proceed?
12. What do you think is God’s plan for you?
13. How can we best do God’s work together?
14. How can I best benefit you and your family?
I’m not the only one asking questions. Even more than, “How much will this cost?” I am asked, “How long do you anticipate the project will take?” My experience has been organizing for safety or downsizing a senior can take anywhere from two to six months, or even more than one year. The more time a family allows itself, the more resources are available and the more choices it has.
Gayle M. Gruenberg, CPO-CD®
is the Chief Executive Organizer of Let’s Get Organized, LLC, an award-winning professional organizing
firm based in Bergen County, New Jersey. A former CPA, Gayle is the creator of the Make Space for Blessings™ system. LGO works with busy families to help them find more time, space, money, and energy through being organized.
www.LGOrganized.com.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75
