Are You Good with Grief? Plus how to get rid of HHW

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Smaller Spaces Newsletter

Anney Ardiel

I observe grief in many of my clients and their families. Grief over the loss of a parent or spouse, grief caused by illness, loss of "home", independence, giving up personal belongings, or other loss that can come up at a time of transition.

There are good ways to support someone in grief, and there are not-so-good ways. Have you ever had someone tell you "I know how you feel", in an attempt to comfort you, but instead it made you want to say "How do you have any idea how I feel?" Not so good!

Here are some good ways to support someone in grief:

Listen. Try not to speak too much. Let them speak if they want, maybe ask "What's that like for you?" or other appropriate open-ended questions.
Body language. Be aware of your
body language and try not to stiffen up, draw back or show physical withdrawal. Relax your body and breathe. Touch the person, squeeze their hand, pat their back, give a hug if appropriate.
Support. If you can, offer practical assistance to give them less to worry about.
Accept. Grief is a natural emotion in times of loss and old grief can come back unexpectedly too. Dealing with loss is an ongoing, shifting process and it look a little bit different from person to person but it is totally acceptable and normal.
Feel honoured. They've given you the opportunity to connect and to support them because they trust you.

Have a great day!

Anney

PS: Everyone likes to get a referral for personalized services like downsizing. If you know a senior who needs to move and can't do it alone, please let them know about Act Together Moving Services.

Recycle the Hazards in Your Home

By Patrick Fagan, Move Manager for Act Together Moving Services

Patrick Fagan

One of the least-loved part of a move is saying goodbye to expired paint, tomato fertilizer and various cleaning sprays that will need safe disposal before moving day. Products like these that collect over the years are likely categorized as hazardous household waste (HHW) and will require some special attention when it comes time for disposal.

The usual HHW suspects are:

Paint and left-over cans
Flammable liquids
Gasoline
All-purpose cleaners
Oven cleaners
Pool chemicals
Pesticides
Aerosol containers

DIY Hazardous Household Waste

While preparing our clients for their move we apply 3 steps to the disposal of various products we discover under the sinks, in the garage and at the back of the storage shelf.

Step 1: Identify and organize the types of liquid waste then sort accordingly into suitable containers for transport: Paints - Solvents - Pesticides - Gasoline

Step 2: Locate the nearest hazardous household waste disposal centre that will accept the types of hazardous products in your containers.

Step 3: Take the hazardous household products to the appropriate disposal centres (or call us and we can do it for you).

Resources

Your personal safety and the health of the environment is why these products cannot be simply poured down the sink. Thankfully the BC Paint and Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) program includes the Product Care depots in BC for household paint, consumer pesticides, flammable liquids and waste gasoline. Click here to learn it all from the BC Recycling Handbook. Or call them toll free in BC: 1.800.667.4321

Moving and Storage of HHW

Keep in mind that storage and transport of hazardous household liquids is closely regulated. If a move includes a chainsaw or lawn mower then the gas and oil needs to be drained prior to loading.

If you need more information about downsizing and moving we are happy to help!

Please give us a call:

In Victoria (778) 351-3888

On the Mainland (604) 655-3909