One of the situations that you’ll wind up facing as a caregiver after your family member passes away is what to do with her belongings. If you’re facing a full house, that’s a scary project and coupled with grief, can feel impossible.
Find Some Resources to Help Get Started
This is an intimidating project, even if your family member lives in a smaller home. It’s important to find resources that can help you with each aspect. You may need logistical help and help with disposal of items as well as emotional support during the process. Hospice elder care providers can help you to find those resources and put you in touch with the right agencies.
Take Inventory of What You’re up Against
Before you get started, you need to get an idea what you’re working with in this situation. Go through the house and any garages, sheds, or storage spaces and take some notes about what you’re seeing. This one step can help you to determine how much additional help you’re going to need and what else you’ll need to do.
Involve as Many Family Members as Possible
If you’ve got other family members who are willing and able to participate, make use of their help. They can coordinate all sorts of additional resources for you, do research on items you want to keep or sell, and also pitch in with elbow grease when you need it most. Be open about how much help different family members can offer, too, because every little bit does help.
Determine What You’re Giving Away and Do So within Charity Guidelines
Many charities have some very specific guidelines about the items that they accept and the amounts of items and donations that they can accept. They have those guidelines because they know what they can handle at a given time. If you plan to donate large amounts of items to a particular charity, it’s a good idea to call them first and see whether they can accept your donation. If they can only accept part of the donation, you may need to work with multiple charities.
Always Start Early, if Possible
If it’s at all possible, talk with your elderly family member before she passes away about what she wants done with her belongings. This can be a really difficult conversation, so you may need to tread very carefully. Hospice elder care providers can put you in touch with people and groups who can help you to work through how to have these conversations.
While dealing with this type of responsibility, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and to feel a bit resentful about having to sort through all of those things. Try to see it as another way to honor your family member and the belongings that she loved.
If you or a loved-one are considering elder care in Sandy Springs, GA, please call the caring staff at Arcturus Hospice and Palliative Care today. Call 678-383-9973 today to speak to our care team.
Kate Gorinshteyn is the director of marketing at Arcturus Health Care. Arcturus is a fast-growing Hospice striving to provide the highest level of quality care to patients faced with life-limiting illnesses. Our goal is to make each patient as pain-free as possible and give physiological, emotional and spiritual support to both the patient and family. We understand that the decision change from curative to comfort care is difficult, and our team is trained to help you every step of the way!
We are proud to make a difference in the lives of those we serve.