WEBVTT 00:00:00.620 --> 00:00:03.740 You know what's interesting? Most people rush 00:00:03.740 --> 00:00:06.540 right past the end of the month. They flip the 00:00:06.540 --> 00:00:09.759 calendar and they keep on going. But here's the 00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:12.980 thing. The end of a month is powerful. It's a 00:00:12.980 --> 00:00:16.699 natural pause. A quiet moment to breathe. So 00:00:16.699 --> 00:00:20.149 today I want to give you that pause. In the next 00:00:20.149 --> 00:00:22.570 few minutes, I'm going to help you gently reflect 00:00:22.570 --> 00:00:25.350 on the month you just lived through, notice what 00:00:25.350 --> 00:00:27.989 worked and what didn't, and use that awareness 00:00:27.989 --> 00:00:30.769 to step into the next month with a fresh start, 00:00:31.390 --> 00:00:34.250 without pressure, guilt, or big resolutions. 00:00:35.030 --> 00:00:37.890 And if we haven't met before, I'm Robin Schultz. 00:00:38.039 --> 00:00:40.880 I'm a senior home safety specialist, and for 00:00:40.880 --> 00:00:43.820 many years I've worked closely with older adults 00:00:43.820 --> 00:00:47.679 and family caregivers. I've seen how small reflections 00:00:47.679 --> 00:00:51.000 lead to safer homes, calmer minds, and better 00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:55.759 days. So let's slow this down together. When 00:00:55.759 --> 00:00:58.259 we think about reflection, a lot of people think 00:00:58.259 --> 00:01:01.560 it has to be deep or emotional or complicated. 00:01:01.920 --> 00:01:05.319 But it really doesn't. Reflection can be simple. 00:01:05.879 --> 00:01:09.040 It can sound something like... How did this month 00:01:09.040 --> 00:01:14.060 actually feel? Not how it should have felt, not 00:01:14.060 --> 00:01:18.359 how you wanted it to look on paper, just concentrating 00:01:18.359 --> 00:01:21.359 on how it really felt in your body, your mind, 00:01:21.379 --> 00:01:24.459 and your day -to -day life. Maybe this month 00:01:24.459 --> 00:01:28.560 felt busy. Maybe it felt heavy. Maybe it felt 00:01:28.560 --> 00:01:32.200 calm in some way and stressful in others. All 00:01:32.200 --> 00:01:35.799 of that counts. If you're a caregiver, especially. 00:01:36.109 --> 00:01:39.329 Months can blur together. There's doctor visits 00:01:39.329 --> 00:01:42.349 and medications and safety concerns and trying 00:01:42.349 --> 00:01:45.709 to keep everything running. So let me ask you 00:01:45.709 --> 00:01:49.569 something. Did you notice any small wins this 00:01:49.569 --> 00:01:53.269 month? And I mean small. Maybe you finally cleared 00:01:53.269 --> 00:01:56.189 a hallway so it's easier to walk through. Maybe 00:01:56.189 --> 00:01:59.109 you added a nightlight in the bathroom. Maybe 00:01:59.109 --> 00:02:01.969 you made one phone call you've been putting off. 00:02:02.209 --> 00:02:05.010 Or maybe you rested when you usually would have 00:02:05.010 --> 00:02:09.340 pushed through. Even small things like that matter. 00:02:10.319 --> 00:02:14.159 Progress and aging in place is rarely loud. It's 00:02:14.159 --> 00:02:17.520 quiet and steady, and it's often invisible to 00:02:17.520 --> 00:02:21.659 everyone except you. Now let's talk about what 00:02:21.659 --> 00:02:24.620 didn't work. This part can be uncomfortable, 00:02:24.620 --> 00:02:28.360 but I want you to hear this. Noticing what didn't 00:02:28.360 --> 00:02:33.229 work is not failure. It is information. Maybe 00:02:33.229 --> 00:02:36.750 you tried a routine that just didn't stick. Maybe 00:02:36.750 --> 00:02:40.629 a safety plan felt overwhelming. Maybe you realized 00:02:40.629 --> 00:02:43.689 you've been carrying too much on your own. That 00:02:43.689 --> 00:02:46.530 is not something to judge yourself for. It's 00:02:46.530 --> 00:02:50.330 something to learn from. Here's a simple reflection 00:02:50.330 --> 00:02:55.090 question I like to use. What felt harder than 00:02:55.090 --> 00:02:58.689 it needed to this month? Sometimes the answer 00:02:58.689 --> 00:03:01.250 shows us exactly where we need more support. 00:03:01.469 --> 00:03:04.409 or a different approach, or to give a little 00:03:04.409 --> 00:03:07.949 more kindness to ourselves. So now let's talk 00:03:07.949 --> 00:03:11.509 about the idea of a fresh start. A fresh start 00:03:11.509 --> 00:03:14.550 does not mean starting over from scratch. It 00:03:14.550 --> 00:03:18.050 means starting from experience. You are not the 00:03:18.050 --> 00:03:19.889 same person you were at the beginning of the 00:03:19.889 --> 00:03:22.849 month. You've learned things. You've adapted. 00:03:23.389 --> 00:03:25.909 You've handled situations that you did not plan 00:03:25.909 --> 00:03:30.259 for. So instead of big resolutions, I want to 00:03:30.259 --> 00:03:34.159 focus on one small intention. Just one. It might 00:03:34.159 --> 00:03:37.439 be something like, I want my home to feel calmer, 00:03:37.860 --> 00:03:40.780 or I want to worry less at night, or I want to 00:03:40.780 --> 00:03:43.900 ask for help sooner, or I want to move my body 00:03:43.900 --> 00:03:48.080 a little more safely. That one intention becomes 00:03:48.080 --> 00:03:51.199 your anchor for the next month. And when you're 00:03:51.199 --> 00:03:54.939 making decisions about safety, routines, caregiving, 00:03:55.310 --> 00:03:58.990 You can come back to it and ask, does this support 00:03:58.990 --> 00:04:02.189 that intention? If the answer is yes, you're 00:04:02.189 --> 00:04:04.629 moving in the right direction. If the answer 00:04:04.629 --> 00:04:09.069 is no, that's okay too. You can adjust. I also 00:04:09.069 --> 00:04:12.009 want to speak directly to anyone who feels behind. 00:04:12.650 --> 00:04:15.330 If this month didn't go the way you hoped, you 00:04:15.330 --> 00:04:18.889 are not alone. Aging, caregiving, and staying 00:04:18.889 --> 00:04:22.829 safe at home are not linear journeys. Some months 00:04:22.829 --> 00:04:25.779 are about action. Some months are about survival. 00:04:26.379 --> 00:04:30.100 Some months are about rest. It all counts. And 00:04:30.100 --> 00:04:32.379 sometimes the bravest thing you can do at the 00:04:32.379 --> 00:04:35.500 end of a month is to say, I did the best I could 00:04:35.500 --> 00:04:39.800 with what I had. That is not giving up. That 00:04:39.800 --> 00:04:43.040 is not a failure. That is simply being honest. 00:04:43.879 --> 00:04:46.360 As we step into a new month, I want you to carry 00:04:46.360 --> 00:04:50.439 three things with you. First is awareness. You 00:04:50.439 --> 00:04:53.850 know more now than you did before. The second 00:04:53.850 --> 00:04:57.149 is permission, which is permission to go at your 00:04:57.149 --> 00:05:01.529 own pace. And the third is hope. Not the loud 00:05:01.529 --> 00:05:04.649 kind, but the quiet kind that says, I can make 00:05:04.649 --> 00:05:07.610 this a little safer, a little easier, and a little 00:05:07.610 --> 00:05:11.129 better. Because you can. And you don't have to 00:05:11.129 --> 00:05:14.329 do it all at once. So as you finish listening 00:05:14.329 --> 00:05:18.120 today, maybe take one minute. Just one, and think 00:05:18.120 --> 00:05:20.939 about one thing you want to keep from this past 00:05:20.939 --> 00:05:23.459 month and one thing you're ready to let go of. 00:05:24.100 --> 00:05:27.759 That is your fresh start for next month. So thanks 00:05:27.759 --> 00:05:30.379 for joining me today. Please share this episode 00:05:30.379 --> 00:05:32.459 with someone you care about who could use the 00:05:32.459 --> 00:05:35.480 information to make their life safer. You'll 00:05:35.480 --> 00:05:37.920 find more resources for seniors and caregivers 00:05:37.920 --> 00:05:41.939 on our website at seniorsafetyadvice .com. And 00:05:41.939 --> 00:05:44.600 if you're searching for an aging in place specialist, 00:05:44.829 --> 00:05:48.610 please visit our sister website at aginginplacedirectory 00:05:48.610 --> 00:05:52.029 .com. And if you haven't subscribed to our YouTube 00:05:52.029 --> 00:05:55.170 channel or to this podcast yet, go ahead and 00:05:55.170 --> 00:05:57.990 do that right now. Then come back tomorrow for 00:05:57.990 --> 00:06:00.689 another daily moment of guidance and encouragement 00:06:00.689 --> 00:06:04.069 right here on the Senior Safety Advice Podcast. 00:06:04.790 --> 00:06:08.110 Until next time, thanks for listening. Take care, 00:06:08.689 --> 00:06:09.050 bye.