Wendy Jane along with her mother have a family-owned business: Caring Transitions East Colorado Springs. Combined they have over 75 years of caring with a strong background in nursing, sales, and ministry. She is a mother of three and a dog owner.
This is a different king of caring.
It’s caring for the community and helping people make their life transitions as smooth as they can be.
Caring transitions is a nationwide franchise that is independently owned with over 200 offices throughout the US. Certified relocation and transition specialists.
Their expertise is to relieve the stress associated with moving and downsizing.
What Caring Transitions does:
Manage your entire transition from start to finish. Facilitate the move from planning, downsizing, packing, unpacking, and resettling.
- Online auctions or estate sales
- Donate
- Recycle
- Discard
Their goal is to relieve the stress associated with relocating and rightsizing.
There is an expected increase in the senior population. We want to change what it means to grow old in America. Studies have shown that older adults who moved as part of their retirement plan are happier than those who stayed in their original home.
Today home transitions such as right sizing, relocating are accepted rites of passage in later life.
Factors to consider before deciding to right size:
- Do you want to be closer to friends and family?
- Does your neighborhood meet your needs?
- What is the best move financially?
Reactions to the idea of Right Sizing:
- Stress
- Depression
- Grief
- Anxiety
- Fatigue or other medical side effects
- Loneliness/isolation
- Shame/embarrassment
What are the common challenges during transition?
- Not being able to get to their family members.
- Adult children having their own children to tend to.
- Emotional attachment to items.
- Family disinterested in acquiring items.
- Inability to see the big picture.
- Where to put everything?
Remedy
Acknowledge – that there is a life transition that you are embarking and there are a number of issues and emotions that you go through.
Resources – There are resources that can help with this transition.Where to Start?
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. We must start somewhere. Sometimes its just a matter of getting started and taking small steps.
Planning is Key.
It’s important to be proactive and understand that reactive downsizing can stress many factors in the process. Plan a budget, plan a new location, a timeline and space planning.
Right Sizing Tips
- Start early, be proactive and take baby steps.
- Give away mementos or photos to friends or family now, don’t wait.
- Repurpose items, sell or donate.
- Ask tough questions – Do I really need that? When was the last time I used it?
- Keep what you truly love.
- Anticipate grief and regret but don’t let it hold you back.
Key Takeaways from Right Sizing
- Every journey starts with a single step.
- You don’t need to do this alone – ask for help.
- Rightsizing your household items and selling your home go hand in hand.
- Planning makes for a successful transition.