DENVER - Seniors make up a growing portion of our population, and chances are if you are one of them or your parents are, this topic is likely to come up - organizing. Whether you have plans to downsize or not, there's no time like the present to get control of excess stuff you might not need.
9NEWS Your Money Reporter Heidi McGuire met a local woman who realized she needed help after a medical crisis, and she's wishes she would have been more prepared to take care of her belongings.
"I thought a one bedroom was [a] little amount of space, this is unbelievable," 75-year-old Sam Dixion said of her new room.
Sam moved into a 500-square foot room at the Retreat at Church Ranch last fall after she had a stroke, and now her space is overcrowded with things from her old apartment. She's only been in there a week, and while the place feels more like home, it's cluttered.
"It's going to take some really good organizing to get it to fit in and make sense out it," laughed Dixion.
That's where Sally Allen and Sarah Gabriele come in. They are professional organizers with a company called A Place for Everything. They specialize in helping seniors who are downsizing or as they like to say "right-sizing."
"I like to say we come in and do what we do best so they can go on and do what they do best," company founder Sally Allen said.
Perhaps one of the greatest assets these women bring to a situation like this is that they're not family.
"Because, if I knew them, I could get mad at them," Dixion said.
With emotion aside, Gabriele says clients can focus on the things they really need or want. This process is called "sorting" and is what Gabriele says is the first step.
Once clients identify the treasures, it's time to "edit" or get rid of stuff you don't need or use.
And in Dixion's case, the organizers needed to figure out a way to make a space for the things she wants to keep.
"Sometimes people think the first thing is to buy a container, but until we know exactly what we're keeping and the space needs we have, we don't shop," said Gabriele, the owner of A Place for Everything.
Keeping to Dixion's budget, the organizers went to IKEA with a list in hand of ideal containers and furniture they thought would make a difference in her space.
Two-and-a-half hours later, everyone got in a good workout and managed to and filled two carts with $350 worth of organizing supplies.
"I think we'll be able to contain and be able to bring some more order to Sam's place," Gabriele said.
By late afternoon on the second day, the work is done.
When you walk in, you immediately notice Dixion's closet seems larger. The women removed the doors so Dixion has easier access to her things, and gave her more space for the clothes she wears daily by putting seasonal items in decorative boxes overhead.
Her cluttered dresser top now sits empty, thanks to some simple fabric and plastic simple organizers that fit right in the drawers. Inexpensive multi-use hooks hold Dixion's jewelry nicely as well as her and belts, utilizing the vertical wall space.
"And it looks like decoration on the wall too," Gabriele said.
Two of the biggest purchases were used in the bathroom. A cabinet with removal containers will hold medications and body care items, and it keeps everything nice and neat. Over the toilet Gabriele utilized the wall space by adding more shelves that hold a lot and are easy for Dixion to access.
Gabriele and Allen not only helped Dixon make room for the things she wanted, they also helped her realize some of the stuff she didn't need, like 35 pairs of socks.
In the end, Dixion loved how it looked, but nothing was better than the way it made her feel.
"It feels light, I've gotten rid of so much crap," she smiled.
Personal organizing services like A Place for Everything typically charge by the hour. A very small place like Dixion's came in on the low end.
On the high end, the service could run up to $10,000.
For more information, visit A Place for Everything: http://www.aplaceforeverythingllc.com.
(KUSA-TV © 2012 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)
You Might Be Interested In