This week we worked with a 90-year-old couple who moved into an apartment at a local senior community. The husband has macular degeneration and I was particularly concerned that we get things in the right places for him so his body memory isn’t disrupted too much. I really love to make floor plans for our clients to make sure it feels as familiar as possible.
At the end of the move-in day, we usually hang pictures. The husband was saying how useless he felt being around all the unpacking and putting away. One of my gals said to him, “Well, you come and help me hang some pictures!” And they did it together! He held the measuring tape and the pencil for her and even nailed in some of the nails for the hangers.
Huge lesson learned here for me. I am so focused on the floor plan and the furniture placement and getting things situated the best way for the clients, that I forgot to listen to what was going on NOW. He needed to participate, not just sit and watch. I LOVE providing our services for our clients, I think of it as a gift to them. I often say, “Your job is to make the decisions, our job is to be your hands and make sure what you want happens.” What he wanted this time was to do some of the work himself!
Now, he has a greater pride in his new home than he would have had before! My ears are opened!
