Our Blog
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This month’s guest blog is written by Lou Bailey of www.loubaileydesign.com
Making a New House Feel Like Home Moving house later in life is not like moving house at 25. It isn’t just boxes and van hire. For many of us, it means leaving…
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Hospital discharge: you shouldn’t be bullied into bringing a loved one home before they’re ready.
One of the most stressful phone calls a family can get is the one that starts with “we’re looking to discharge your mum/dad today.” It often comes with pressure attached — the bed is…
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Silver Saturday Event 2026
We are delighted to be organising another free Silver Saturday event at St Mary and St John the Divine in Balham this October on Saturday 10th. It will take a…
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Living Well, Your Way
Do join us for the Right at Home event Living Well, Your Way, where we will join a host of other later life providers, all at St Mary’s Church, Putney…
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August 2026 drop in clinic
The next drop in at St Mary and St John the Divine is on 26th August, between 10 and 11am in the church on Balham High Road. Drop in and…
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Ten tips for utilising an Ikea blue bag
If you’ve ever had a declutter, a house move, or a car boot sale in your life, chances are you’ve got at least one of those big blue Ikea bags tucked away somewhere. They’re one of the…
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Is it time to get some help?
There’s a moment many of us reach when the garden’s got away from us, the skirting boards haven’t seen a duster in months, or the ironing pile has quietly become a landmark. It’s easy to tell yourself you’ll catch up next…
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This month’s guest blog is written by Susan Gregory of Turners Oak about the emotional reality of moving in later life
If you’ve been thinking about a move in later life but find yourself putting it off or ‘feeling stuck’ you are far from alone. Indeed a Government Report suggested that 4 million older homeowners…
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How to find the type of property you want to live in as you age
When people start thinking seriously about where they want to live in later life, they often have a very clear picture in their mind. Single-storey living, ideally. A garden they can use and maintain easily. A…
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What to do with the things you cannot sell or give to a charity shop when decluttering
One of the things that surprises people when they declutter is discovering that some items can’t simply be passed on to a charity shop or sold online. Not because they aren’t useful or in…
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Top tips for organising your kitchen when you unpack in your new smaller kitchen
The kitchen is almost always the room that catches people out after a move. You’ve already done the hard work — you’ve sorted, decluttered and let go of a lot. So everything you’re bringing with you is there for a reason. Now the…
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Why cuddly toys are important to keep after a declutter
When we are going through someone’s home, cuddly toys are one of the things that often get set aside for the charity shop without a second thought. They can feel…
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Creating Safety When Wandering with Dementia
Over the course of living with dementia, 70% of individuals will go wandering and missing at least once. This is a scary statistic when you consider the higher risks associated with…
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Planning with Care event Raynes Park 10th July
We’re delighted that Ashley is taking part in ‘Planning with Care’ event on 10th July, 10am – 11:30am.This is a free talk at Poppy’s Raynes Park, to help you plan…
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Don’t take your stories with you: share family history while you still can.
You are have stories that nobody else has. And one day, without any warning, those stories could simply be gone. This isn’t something people like to dwell on. But in my years of helping families…
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June 2026 drop in clinic
The next drop in at St Mary and St John the Divine is on 24 June 10-11 in the church on Balham High Road. Drop in and ask about anything…
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Be ready before you need to be: a hospital bag for your loved one
In my work supporting seniors and their families, I have seen many moments of crisis – a fall, a sudden illness, an unexpected hospital admission. And in those moments, on…
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I’m not against having possessions – but use them, or keep them with purpose
People often assume that because I do what I do – helping people downsize, declutter and let go – I must be against owning things. I’m really not. I love a beautiful piece of furniture.…
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Living in a gold mine — and staying put
This month’s guest blog is written by Mel Kenny, a chartered financial planner with Radcliffe & Newlands Wealth www.rad-new.com, and a SOLLA www.societyoflaterlifeadvisers.co.uk accredited later life financial adviser, which means he specialises…
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May 2026 drop in clinic
Our next drop in at St Mary’s in Balham is on Wednesday 27 May 2026. If you are retired pop in and ask us about health, finance, moving, staying at…
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Loneliness and solitude — they are not the same thing
Retirement is one of the biggest life changes any of us will go through. One day there is a diary full of meetings, colleagues, deadlines and purpose. The next, there…
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Ditch the envelope
Do you open your post and put the letter back in the envelope? Or perhaps you open the envelope, glance at what’s inside, and put the whole lot down on…
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How to sell or give things away online
So you’ve done a declutter and you have a pile of things that you don’t want to just throw away. Perhaps they have some value, or perhaps you simply want to know they are going to a good home.…
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Why storing belongings at your parents’ house holds them back in later life
We hear it so often: ’Oh, that’s just my son’s stuff in the spare room’ or ’My daughter’s boxes are still in the loft from when she moved out.’ What starts as a temporary…
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Loneliness isn’t always about being alone. Sometimes, it’s about not being truly seen.
This month’s guest blog is written by David Annand, Head of Operations and Fundraising at Adopt a Grandparent One of the questions I’m asked most often is this: How…
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Join us at Age UK Richmond
We would be delighted if you would join us at Age UK Richmond’s Peace of Mind day on 5th May 2026 from 0930 at the Twickenham Wellbeing Centre. Ashley will…
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Power of Attorney Day – 22nd April 2026
Carers UK have joined forces with Standard Life to launch the first ever UK-wide Power of Attorney Day taking place on Wednesday, 22nd April 2026. A power of attorney is a legal document that…
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Phone a friend
So you’ve decided to declutter either to make space at home for a renovation, or because you are moving house, or just because you know you have too much stuff and it…
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What matters to you?
When faced with a 5-bedroom house and a downsize, it can be challenging and daunting to know where to start with decluttering. Most of my clients going from that size house (or…
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April 2026 drop in clinic
Our next drop in at St Mary’s in Balham is on Wednesday 22nd April 2026. If you are retired pop in and ask us about health, finance, moving, staying at…