Caregivers in Allentown PA – Strategies to De-clutter the Kitchen
Has your elderly parent been collecting kitchen tools and do-dads for decades? Are there only one or two people living in the house? How practical is it for them to keep that 8 piece place setting now that you and all your siblings have moved out? How about the bread maker she never uses because she doesn’t make bread anymore? The enormous turkey pan she can’t lift? How many more things are there that are taking up space but are never used?
It can be difficult to convince someone to de-clutter their house, especially an elderly person. They have probably been collecting these things for years and years. They probably think they will still need them and use them “someday.” Yet every time you open a cupboard to find something, you have to move 4 or 5 other things first. You are worried she will open a cupboard to get something when you are not there and some item from the top shelf will tumble down and hit her on the head.
It’s time to de-clutter your mom’s kitchen. If you approach it the right way, she may even agree that it needs to be done. You don’t want to worry about her getting up on a stool or chair to reach things up high when you’re not there. What if all the things she needs were down at eye level or lower and she never had to get up on anything to reach? She might like that idea just as much as you do.
Seldom-used cookbooks and rarely-used dishes and utensils can be donated to a charity or thrift store. Items with sentimental value can be given first dibs to the siblings. Maybe something would be useful to a young family. Other items can go.
Where do you start?
First of all, decide you will de-clutter without sentiment or delusions. You only want to keep what your mom will still use. She can help you make the decisions so she doesn’t feel like she has no control in this decision. Unless she has dementia, she needs to be totally on-board with the de-cluttering process and give her the respect of making the decisions. You are there to be her hands.
Choose one drawer. Take everything out of it. Have her decide what does go in the drawer. It’s easier to have her choose what she wants to keep (and then get rid of the leftovers) than make her choose what to give away.
When one drawer is done, move on to another. After each drawer has been de-cluttered it’s time to start on the cupboards. During the process of de-cluttering you might find items she “lost” years ago. If they’ve really been lost all this time, does she still need them?
A nicely organized kitchen will make it much easier for your mom to work in. If she is showing signs of needing some help in the kitchen to make meals each day, consider a home care provider.
If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring in-home caregivers in Allentown PA, call the friendly staff at Extended Family Care of Allentown at (610) 200-6097.
Serving Allentown & the Surrounding Cities of Bethlehem ,Easton, Emmaus, Macungie, Whitehall, Schnecksville, Catasaqua, Northampton, & Nazareth.
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