What is the best time to get your affairs in order? When things are calm and you can do it on your own terms. If you wait until a crisis forces the decision, or until your family is grieving and overwhelmed, it will only add to the stress of a difficult time.
Ready to get started? Here’s how:
- Start with the paperwork. Have you designated both medical and financial Power of Attorneys? Have you updated your will? Those are a great foundation—but dig a little deeper. Are your heirs listed as signers on your bank accounts? Under HIPAA, no one can access information about your care, even a spouse or adult child, without written legal authorization. These aren't morbid details to avoid. They're gifts to the people who love you most.
- Have the conversation with your kids about belongings. You might be surprised that many adult children don't want much. But they do want to be asked. Walk through the house together. Let them take things now, or designate who gets what down the road. Are there other properties or investments involved? Get those conversations on the table too, while everyone is thinking clearly and emotions aren't running high.
- Start downsizing — slowly and steadily. Set up an appointment with a downsizing professional once or twice a month. A good rule of thumb: if you haven't used something in two years, you don't need it. If it turns out you do need it someday, you can buy it again. Things change, and so do we. That broken Mr. Coffee taking up counter space? It went for eight dollars at a garage sale. Space has value — and as we age, so does simplicity.
- Hold onto what truly matters. Of course you want to prioritize the meaningful keepsakes, the things tied to real memories. But you don't need to keep everything, including your kids' sixth-grade schoolwork. Take a photo of it and let it go.
When families wait until the last minute, they're making major decisions in the middle of grief — and grief freezes people. Give yourself and your loved ones the gift of having already figured it out.
Start now, while it's still a choice. You’ll be glad you did!
Organizing Tips
Give Your Favorites a Home
If you have keepsakes and knick-knacks you truly love, don't let them get lost in the shuffle. Instead of scattering them throughout the house, give them one dedicated spot — a single shelf, a small tray, or a shadow box where they can shine.
The rule: if something new comes in, something else moves on. This keeps your most meaningful pieces visible and special, rather than buried in clutter. As in a museum, your curated space can’t hold everything at once. The things that are on display will get noticed and appreciated.
It's a small shift that makes a big difference, both in how your home feels and in how much easier it becomes to let go of the things that don’t generate joy.
Resources (In Honor of Memorial Day)
Featured Senior Service
SA Benefits for Veterans
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303-946-2696
Design Tips
Make the Most of Artistic Pieces
Group decorative items in odd numbers.
Threes and fives naturally draw the eye and feel more balanced than even groupings.
Whether it's candles on a coffee table or frames on a shelf, cluster items in sets of three at varying heights — it instantly looks more intentional and curated.