The Impacts of Aging
In 1900, the average lifespan in North America was approximately 45 years of age. Fast forward to today, and Canadian men live to about 80 and women to 84 years old. That is an incredible jump in a relatively short time period. While part of that is due to decreased child mortality rates, we have also improved the overall state of health of most Canadians. And that means that we have a much larger cohort of aging Canadians than in generations past. The impacts of that aging generation is now felt today.
Baby Boomers are a generation of people born between 1946 – 1964. Due to a population boom (hence the name boomer) after World War II, they were one of the largest populations of people on the planet. By 2019, Millenials (born between 1981-1996) had taken that title, but their numbers still outstrip Generation X (born 1965 – 1980) in the middle. As time marches on, Baby Boomer numbers will inevitably shrink, but overall better health means that this generation of people is here to stay for a while to come.
Challenges with Aging
While this is fantastic news, there are challenges and impacts that come with our aging populations. Some boomers are still taking care of elderly parents, despite their own increased years. Many have retired and are looking forward to enjoying their golden years to the best of their ability. Other folks in this generation are beginning to slow down and experience more health issues. Those years of experience also have some recognizing that life itself holds more value than mere things and subsequently make changes to reflect that. And the impacts from Covid are still unfolding.
What does that translate to?
- downsizing
- moving into senior living facilities and nursing homes
- opting for quality over quantity and experiences over things
Estate Clean Up Services
Load of Rubbish inspects all items we collect to determine usefulness before deciding what to do with them
Load of Rubbish is contacted on a regular basis by people looking for estate clean up services either for aging parents or for themselves directly. Once children have left home, there is less need for the space and things once required by busy households. When people move into retirement, travel becomes more appealing, hence the need to change mindsets when leaving behind pets, plants or other valuables. Increased health concerns have some looking to get away from the challenge of stairs or from homes in need of upgrades or expensive retrofits. All those changes amount to a need to purge space and things. That is what we excel at.
“I just can’t say enough good things about Load of Rubbish. They were fantastic. I hired them to do a clean out of my parents’ home. I had been so worried about how I was going to get everything out , but I needn’t have worried. A friend recommended Load of Rubbish, and she was right – they did an excellent job. The job got finished in a day, and they even recommended a good cleaning company when I was having difficulty finding someone to clean the home after everything was removed.
One of the things I really appreciated was that every time the Load of Rubbish team found something that they thought I had missed (and might want to keep) they informed me. They didn’t have to do that – they could have just dumped everything into a bin , but they considered me as a person, not just a customer. They made the effort to show me the items that they thought I might want to keep. That is above and beyond what I expected. Great company, great service, great value.”
~Laurie K
Changing the Narrative of the Impacts of Aging
Just because you have made the decision to downsize doesn’t mean that you want the items you or your loved ones have collected over the years delegated to the trash heap. At Load of Rubbish, we handle your belongings with care. Not only do we check in with you every step of the way, in packing up items, to making decisions on what to keep or dispose of, but we also ensure that as many of those items as possible get donated. This means that those items continue to see use for someone else down the line. It is part of our vision and mandate. And what we feel like family should do.
The impacts of aging are inevitable, but the challenges behind it can be circumvented. Talk to the professionals at Load of Rubbish and see how we can help with our mindful services, perfect for those facing their golden years.
