The Hazard of Hoarding Among Seniors

We all know collectors – those who seem to never have enough stamps, salt shakers, or seashells. Some people start collections because they love the objects they collect, while others amass large collections as an investment, hoping their collection will increase in value. While some collecting may seem a bit eccentric, it’s all innocent enough – right?

But when does collecting become excessive and tip from collecting to hoarding? And even more importantly, when does hoarding become a real health hazard?

11 million people to downsize their homes within 20 years

The UK could be on the brink of a huge property shift as 5.7 million people consider moving to smaller homes, new research suggests – but they could find few suitable homes to move to.

Half of those aged 65 and over would be tempted to downsize, an increase of 300,000 people in the past 12 months, according to the latest data.

About 38 per cent of the age group would consider downsizing now, with an additional 10 per cent encouraged to move with a stamp duty exemption, says housebuilder McCarthy & Stone as part of its annual Retirement Confidence Index.

The 3 Stages of Life After 50

It’s an uninformed and inaccurate assumption to think about the period between age 50 and elderly as one single period. It’s as naïve as assuming all boomers are alike, needing and wanting the same things at the same time. It is naïve because it sets us up to be surprised and less adaptable when change —voluntary and involuntary —arrives.

I also think the period between age 50 and elderly is best described as three overlapping periods, not defined by age. They are defined by life situation, and different people arrive at them at different ages and from different circumstances. I’ll explain the three periods and give you examples of people in them.

What to Expect when You are Expecting. . .To Downsize

In a few weeks (and I’ll add a “God-willing” as a qualifier here because we all know that nothing is certain except death and taxes) we will be selling our home of 30 years. It is the home that we built on what was formerly a small piece of farmland in a little town west of Boston.  Our town grew up with us; as we aged and our family grew, our town sprouted suburban malls in which we shopped for the kids, trendy restaurants to enjoy on a Saturday night, and lately, just when I have more time to work out, a bunch of boutique fitness centers.

Busting the Top Retirement Myths

Many people in our society are clinging to retirement myths, despite the publicity and information available. Holding on to these myths as truth can be very harmful to your happiness in retirement.

To help you avoid holding on to these detrimental myths, I’d like to offer my take on some of the most widely held retirement myths.

Downsizing a Home Full of Memories

When someone lives in their home for several decades, chances are, the home is jam-packed with a lifetime of memories and stuff. As our parents age, they may need to downsize their belongings in anticipation of moving in with family, an assisted living facility, or even to a new condo in a fun retirement community

The life-changing science of photographing your clutter

The life-changing science of photographing your clutter

Tips for Downsizing your Home

t happens to all of us eventually. We achieve the great Australian dream of owning our own home, raise our kids and make many memories in that family home. Only to discover once the kids are gone the house is far too big. Like a lot of people our age we have been spending our weekends out and about at unit inspections and auctions with a view of downsizing our home. After much research and conversations with other people our age here are my tips for downsizing your home.

How to stay out of a nursing home and age independently

Want to stay out of a nursing home in your twilight years? Put down that hot dog.

A new study outlines which aspects of a healthy lifestyle predict independent living late in life. While physical activity and living with someone else can factor into reaching old age, specific behaviors — such as sticking to a Mediterranean-like diet and not smoking — may dictate a person’s ability to live without a caregiver into their late 80s, according to research published Friday in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Experts told NewsHour such guidelines for keeping the elderly mobile are invaluable as the geriatric population continues to grow.

6 Tips for a Successful Estate Sale

Next Avenue’s Richard Eisenberg recently wrote a post called “Sorry, Nobody Wants Your Parents’ Stuff.” He’s right, generally speaking, but it also kind of depends on what stuff your parents had. If there’s value — or at least value in the eyes of others — an estate sale could be worth trying.

Simply put, an estate sale is a sale of virtually everything in the house. An estate sale is probably way more stuff than you’d be able to haul outside for a yard sale. If you hire a professional estate sale company, which is a smart idea, the business will take a commission of typically 35 percent to 50 percent of the sale’s gross proceeds.