RETIREMENT LIVING
AGING RESOURCES MAGAZINE Aging Resources is your onestop resource for everything you need to manage the many issues of aging and caregiving of the elderly in Western North Carolina. Within its pages, you’ll find concise, up-to-date information on elder housing choices in the area, home-care assistance, legal issues, financial considerations, and more. The magazine is free and available throughout the area. View it Online at AgingResourcesWNC.com
Carolina Village offers independent living, assisted living and skilled care all on the same campus.
• Utilizing specialized knowledge in reverse mor tgages, 401( k) accounts and IRAs for a real estate transaction. • C onnecting with a network of movers, attorneys, CPAs, home inspectors and other experts to help with navigating the process. For more about REALTORS® with the SRES® designation and how to find one, visit SRES.org.
DOWNSIZING HOUSEHOLD POSSESSIONS BEFORE A MOVE Preparing for a move can also mean realizing you have more possessions than you need or want. Downsizing can be daunting but there are professionals who can help and lots of tips for tackling the job yourself. Professional organizers and move managers specialize in sorting and organizing, managing paperwork and documentation, selling items, coordinating t he donation of possessions to charity and arranging packing and moving. Two resources for finding such professionals are the National Association of Senior & Specialty Move Managers at 136
NASMM.com and Find My Organizer at FindMyOrganizer.com. To begin downsizing, honestly evaluate what items you need and currently use in your life and think about what you really will – or won’t – need in your next home. Categorize items as ones to “keep,” “sell or donate,” “see if a family member wants” or “throw out.” Use color-coded stickers to indicate which category an item falls into or put items into different designated piles during the sorting process. Becau se it ’s ea s y to become overwhelmed, pace yourself, enlist the help of friends and loved ones or a professional organizer or move manager, and consider limiting sorting and purging sessions to no more than two hours at a time. If you have possessions you think friends and loved ones would like, invite them over to take items for themselves, perhaps at a “downsizing party.” Consider contacting local nonprofit thrift stores and other charities about your donations which may be tax-deductible. Many organizations will come to your home to pick up furniture and other household items if they are in good condition.
Start with downsizing by: • G et t ing r id of clot hing a nd accessories you haven’t worn in years. • P urging books, magazines, CDs, albums, DVDs and VHS tapes. • C learing out multiple pieces of furniture, especially ones that are large and bulky. • D isposing of unused exercise equipment, tools, kitchen appliances and other devices. • Weeding out holiday and other decorations. • Passing on keepsakes, old photos and mementos to family members. • Going through paper work, digitizing important documents and shredding files that are outdated or no longer needed. • E m p t y i n g o f f- s i t e s t o r a g e facilities. Hendersonville Magazine 2022–2023
