Avoiding the Blues in the Season of Red and Green

By Nicole Jovel, guest blogger

Ann Burnside Love’s Top 10 list to help seniors beat the winter blues

It’s wintertime and though some might call it “the most wonderful time of the year,” many seniors experience some level of winter blues. Fewer hours of sunshine, longer hours of darkness, and the potential for snow and ice can leave people in hibernation mode. When you find yourself more lethargic than usual or experience a general drop in mood, turn to Ann’s list of tips for beating the winter blues:

Passing Thanks: When to Give Your Possessions to Loved Ones

By Anne Gill, guest blogger

We all know Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks and gather with friends and family. For seniors looking to downsize, it’s also a perfect time to pass on meaningful possessions or purge unwanted paraphernalia.

“Many of us live in homes with an attic, basement and one-to-two levels of living space, not to mention a shed in the backyard,” says Margit Novack, president of Moving Solutions, a senior move management company. Tack on 40 years of living in one dwelling, and the thought of excavating these spaces becomes overwhelming.

Budgeting Your Time (and Energy) for the Holidays

By Nicole Jovel, guest blogger

“My head could just buzz with all the things I’d like to do for my family,” said Ann Burnside Love as she thought about the upcoming holiday season. But Ann, founder and chair of Love & Company and resident of a suburban Maryland retirement community, has a plan. “Holidays require lead time and pacing,” she said. Her plan is to think ahead, review her calendar, and pencil in down time to counterbalance the hustle and bustle of the season. “I occasionally have ‘crash days’ where I don’t get dressed, catch up on the newspaper and listen to music all day. I might read a book with my feet up and order in the wonderful food they have on hand in my community so I don’t have to go anywhere,” Ann said.

Boxes of Life: Lightening the Load

By: Ann Burnside Love

It’s summer, time to shed layers of clothing … and other belongings as well.

Whether you’re beginning to think about moving to a senior retirement community, or you’re moving soon, or if you took entirely too much to your new retirement residence — planning to think about it afterwards, as many people do — here are suggestions for handling all those boxes which contain chapters of your life.

Enjoying the Many Holidays Which Fill out Your Year

By Ann Burnside Love

You’ve been retired for a while. You’re doing well, or you’re doing less than well, but managing. Possibly you’re thinking about, or wanting, or needing to make a change to a community where your life will be more comfortable, safer, and where there will be both friends and prompt assistance when you need it. A place specifically dedicated to keeping life inviting and interesting, and generally helping you improve the quality of your life.

When I was still living alone, I was participating less and less in life around me because I was always tired, and frequently recovering from various health challenges. One example of the limitations on my energy was that I had virtually stopped decorating for holidays, except for a small pumpkin for Halloween and Thanksgiving, a few chosen ornaments at Christmas, and a wreath on my front door.

Seasonal decorating, which I’ve always loved, used to be a real pleasure. But now the thought of getting boxes out of storage, unwrapping, arranging, and then reversing the process, loomed in my mind as something definitely to be avoided. I simply didn’t care enough to expend the energy. Thus, along the way I lost interest in all but the major and family holidays.