Rosie’s once-neat weatherboard home and it’s self-contained bungalow where she lives with her 35 year old intellectually disabled son had become a storage unit for her purchases. After her husband died, Rosie turned to ‘retail therapy’ to assuage her grief because it was the easiest way to distract herself while someone took care of her son. She had formerly been heavily involved in local organisations that helped support her son, but in her grief, she couldn’t face interacting with these social groups. Her situation was exacerbated by the fact that the bungalow still contained the possessions of an elderly relative who had recently moved into a nursing home. Rosie’s home had become a repository of goods that was making her feel boxed in.
Carers Need Care Too!
Then Rosie needed assistance for herself and extra care for her son. Her Case Manager had suggested that someone move into the self-contained bungalow and provide care for the two of them, but both the house and bungalow were crammed with the fruits of Rosie’s retail therapy and her relative’s goods. Rosie was distressed by the clutter but too exhausted to take action on it and she clearly needed help sorting things out.
A Vision for the Possible
Classic Moves was contacted by Rosie’s Case Manager who had prior experience of the empathetic and caring manner in which our staff worked with clients in similar situations. Our representative spent time with Rosie describing what her home could be like, and how much easier her life would be on every level if we helped her sort through the clutter. Rosie loved the picture we set before her and agreed that she needed to be proactive and follow our suggestions so that a carer could move into the bungalow within 2 months, and her own home could be decluttered to make things easier for herself and her son.
Setting Goals and Achieving Desired Outcomes
Rosie joined a group workshop that helps people like her develop strategies for letting go of their goods, and she set goals to move towards the vision she had for her home. It wasn’t always easy for Rosie and at times she found the focus group challenging and she felt overwhelmed by the magnitude of the task and the effort that was required. Classic Moves kept providing positive reinforcement and guiding her through her overwhelm.
Finding Homes For Unwanted ‘Stuff’
One of Rosie’s concerns was the sheer waste. This had defeated all her previous attempts to declutter because the idea of throwing good stuff out was horrifying, but the alternatives were just too hard. It helped that we were able to show her how her ‘clutter’ could actually serve others – and how the extra space could serve her and her son.
Clutter Free and Happy
Today Rosie’s home is clean, neat and safe. As a result of her decisive action she has a carer living comfortably in the bungalow and she and her son will be able to stay safely in their home for many years. She can enjoy her surroundings, spend time with her son, and she is once again an active member of her church and other local organisations. More importantly Rosie feels confident to invite people into her home.
