Senior Housing Transitions

Listen to Seniors!!

While driving to a job last Thursday, I (ignorantly) asked my Husband why flags were flying at half-mast?  I glanced at the front page of the paper that morning and didn't see anything unusual.  I think I saw something about "Minnesota's Wind Power" I told him.

About 1 minute later, I realized that it was 9/11.......a date none of us will ever forget, but apparently I had!  I shamefully tell you, that there was a point in time where I wondered if the press would ever stop writing about it and reminding us about that terrible day.  Well, obviously, it worked, because I didn't see a big headline in the paper last Thursday (there wasn't one) and was just going about my day.

As we drove on, my Husband (Keith) and I talked about what we were doing that day and how we heard what had happened.  I know that a lot of Senior's remember the same things from the day John F. Kennedy was shot (I was 7 at the time and remember it too), but I think 9/11/2001 is "the" day that Baby Boomers will talk about in those terms.

I don't like to dwell on negatives, but it It was sobering to think that I had "forgotten" (even for a moment) that day in history.

Then I realized how many days in history my Parents (87 & 85) have seen!  Yes, BOTH of my Parents were Marines in World War II...so there are many stories told during our Sunday dinners!!  Funny, my Sister and I always wondered why they talk about the past so much.

But, now I know....and after my reaction on Thursday, I can see why Seniors want to talk about the past......and it was a reminder to me that I am going to make sure and listen closely!

Jeri Pischke
TENDER HEART TRANSITIONS INC.
www.tenderhearttransitions.com
tht@frontiernet.net

Researching Valuables Can Pay Off

While helping Families sort through their Parent's Possessions, I have seen many items considered (by the Family) to be of little or no value.  And then I see some Families who believe that every item is worth a lot of money.  It's important to remember, that all these possessions do have a value...whether it's sentimental or monetary. 

But today, I want to stress the importance of spending a little time on the Internet to do research.

While sorting, often times, since the Family has "grown up" with the possessions and have seen them for years, so they don't think there could be any worth.  Plus, during the stress of packing up everything in a home, people have a tendency to want to keep plowing through the clutter and throw a lot of it out.

Here's what we've found recently:

A very small print that was in a cardboard frame......value was approximately $1,200

Petrified rocks.....there were a lot and some were very valuable!

Old albums.........many people LOVE these and there can be real value here

A stamp collection.......there were many valuable stamps in there.....just had to go through and research

A coin collection.....when I saw it, they had it in baggies ready to cash in at the bank...worth a lot more to a collector

Then, I received an email from someone in the NASMM (National Association of Senior Move Managers) Organization that I belong too...

While sorting through an old trunk that was being thrown away (full of cobwebs and extremely dirty so the family was tossing), they found a First Edition Copy of "Uncle Tom's Cabin"...value could be $15,000!!

Whether you are selling, donating or keeping these possessions, you can see that it can be advantageous to spend a little time on this.  The Internet has been an incredible tool for this kind of research and typically, you can find values quite quickly.  Plus, using the Internet, you can often find people who can appraise the items as well.

Jeri Pischke

www.tenderhearttransitions.com