FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: March 25, 2009
CONTACT: Ardith Bell-Bshara
508-758-4911/www.healingspaces.info
 
National Association of Senior Move Managers Welcomes
Healing Spaces as a New Member
 
MATTAPOISETT, MA– The National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASMM) is pleased to welcome Healing Spaces as its newest member.
 
“On behalf of NASMM, I am pleased to welcome Healing Spaces to NASMM’s growing family of premier senior move management providers,” said Mary Kay Buysse, NASMM’s Executive Director.
 
Healing Spaces was founded October 19th, 2004 in Mattapoisett, MA.  With decades of experience in helping people live in their homes and work in their businesses with less clutter, more organization or assist with a move to a new location including especially, downsizing inspired the company’s opening.  Ardith, as a family care giver and advocate found helping seniors moving and living better within their homes to be a perfect place to put her experience, sensitivity and efforts.  This past February, Ardith attended the association’s yearly conference in New Orleans.
 
“Through our membership with NASMM, we have access to support and resources which support our commitment to providing client-centered senior move services with compassion and integrity”, said Ardith Bell-Bshara. “I look forward to working with NASMM and its members to build a better industry for us all.”
 
The National Association of Senior Move Managers (www.nasmm.org) is a not-for-profit, professional association of organizations dedicated to assisting older adults and families with the physical and emotional demands of downsizing, relocating, or modifying their homes. The senior move industry is relatively new, but the challenge of transitioning an older adult is not. As the only professional association in the country devoted to helping the rapidly increasing 55+ population, with middle and later life transition issues, NASMM members are committed to maximizing the dignity and autonomy of all older adults. 
 
For more information, contact Ardith Bell-Bshara, C.E.O./Designer, at 508-758-4911, or via email: ardith@healingspaces.info

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 March 2005 / The South Coast INSIDER:

              

Does Your Space Need Healing?

By Rona Trachtenberg

      Five-year old Ardith Bell suspected she was born with a special talent for organizing when she stored all her toys and games in size and color order and placed her books on the shelf using the Dewey Decimal system. At ten, she rearranged the furniture in her family's living room and reorganized the contents of closets and cabinets throughout the house. As a teen, she started to take noticed of her maternal grandmother's passion for collecting and preserving antiques and her paternal grandmother's penchant for neatness.

      Whether it was nurture or nature at work, Ms. Ardith Bell-Bshara finally realized her calling, last year (2004), when she started Healing Spaces and became a Professional Organizer and Spatial Designer.  While her self-made title may seem a bit long, Ms. Bell-Bshara can easily justify it.

     "Healing Spaces combines the services of a professional re¬organizer, who takes what is already there and repositions it for a new-and-improved function, with the skills of an interior designer, who creates new concepts using beauty and emotion¬al factors to promote calmness, inspiration, love and healing. As a spatial (as in "space") consultant, “I help people who fear change achieve healthier environments through non-threatening techniques."

     The name 'Healing Spaces' grew out of Ms. Bell-Bshara's passion to take a space and heal it.  “I believe that every space has a heart, soul and spirit that needs to be honored."


Who could benefit from a professional organization designer?


      Ardith Bell-Bshara believes that, "Life altering challenges often require downsizing, up-scaling, or both.  If you are experiencing an important challenge in your life, you  may be a candidate for a professional organization designer."

DOWNSIZING would be necessary to eliminate belongings, change the home or business from a larger square footage to a smaller area, and is frequently required after serious health issues, retirement, career change and geographical relocation. Many clients look forward to assistance during these times. Others, such as seniors who must be moved to a facility, might be resistant and a professional organization designer would be useful in helping them retain their dignity.

•    Moving an older parent or family member into an assisted living facility or nursing home.

•    Having a teen or young adult leave the "nest".

•    Purchasing a mobile home or boat to live in.

•    Purchase a camper to travel for more time than living in a house.

•    Moving from a cold climate to a warm one.

•    Moving from a country home to a city apartment.

•    Having to clear out the belongings of a deceased family member or friend.

•    Changing from a larger to a smaller office.

UPSCALING would be necessary if a home or business needed to serve a new function or to serve additional people. An entire structure or just one room can be upsized. This category usually involves making major purchases.

•    Moving into your first home, office or business.

•    Preparing fur a new baby or adopted children.

•    Needing extra space to accommodate medical equipment for a loved one.

•    Needing to create space for a home office.

•    Moving from a city apartment to a country house with a yard.

•    Acquiring an additional vacation home, camper or boat.

•    Needing a special place for a hobby such as painting, weaving, scrap booking, model making.

•    Needing additional space for exercise equipment.

•    Caring for indoor pet or outdoor animals.

•    Creating a new outdoor entrance, patio (outside dining area) or other outdoor space for use (lawn games, hammock, potting bench).

BOTH DOWNSIZING AND UPSCALING would be necessary for two people sharing a space, especially if one person has lived in the space for a long time and must accommodate a newcomer. In reality, both individuals would need to have fewer be¬longings for this to be successful. This "humanitarian moving" situation, which is often emotional and financially charged, requires a large amount of communication, time and effort. There is usually a large upheaval before the dust settles and everyone gets settled where he/she needs to be.

•    Moving an older parent or family member into the home of an adult child.

•    Moving a young adult back home after college.

•    Moving single adult "parent" into a home with their child (after divorce or separation)

•    Having a grandparent take in a grandchild.

•    Changing careers from working in an office to becoming self employed.

•    Needing to consolidate a closing business into a home office.

•    . Changing a spare room into a new baby's room or home office.

•    Splitting up a home during divorce, where one or both parties need new living quarters.

•    Changing business products (adding a line, liquidating another).


      One of the many important philosophies of Healing Spaces is "Without organization, there can be no great design," Ms. Bell-Bshara asserts that, "Resolutions and improvements can be made to even the smallest room.  By looking at spaces with new eyes, ears and heart, I help clients achieve spatial improvements. I have yet to find a space that I can't improve."

Will Healing Spaces work for you?

      "Americans as a whole tend to be hoarders; hunters and gatherers in modern day terms, philosophized Ms. Bell-Bshara. "We laugh at the insights of comedian George Carlin, who ridicules how we deal with stuff in our homes. We identify with this situation because we all collect and keep so much stuff. That is why it is imperative we organize it all that we can function within our busy work and home lives. Some people have the ability to get rid of what isn't needed or working for them, while others can't."

      Ms. Bell-Bshara utilizes personality profiles to explain why people can't organize the space themselves. "Many people have a hard time getting rid of unused belongings because it is too meaningful to them. Accumulating stuff is like eating food. We all have to eat, but some people have eating disorders. The same is true of “stuff keepers”. Perfectionists tend to hold onto the most incredible things because they strongly believe that they may need them someday. I assist these folks by asking when they last used this item. If they can't recall, then it goes into storage. If it is too difficult to watch, I will often suggest that the client wait off-site until I have remodeled their space.

     “A second type of person is time-impaired. He/she wakes up too late for breakfast, jumps in the shower, leaves a towel on the floor, dresses quickly in part of yesterday's clothes, runs out the door late, and starts his/her professional day at an elevated stress level. Then he/she returns home to a messy house and the whole pattern starts over again the next day. I help this client prioritize life's details and then we make the space better.

     "The third type of person may need a shovel to clear a path to get to his/her bed or can't open the door all the way because there is so much stuff behind it. They will mix clean be¬longings with dirty dishes, stale laundry and bags of garbage. Many of these adults are diagnosed with ADHD or ADD and have neurological problems with sequential reasoning. They are unable to handle details or break down a big project into workable parts. Because they are overwhelmed by the task, they just let the stuff pile up. My first suggestion would be for them to hire a professional cleaning service under the supervision of Healing Spaces. Then, I would help the client develop a plan to maintain an organized living space.”

     “A fourth type of person is spatially challenged. We typically perform tasks and routines as our parents did or didn't do. Depending on those role models, we either live by the value of 'Cleanliness is next to Godliness' or not. Our lifestyles are a direct result of how our brains are hardwired. As seeing-eye dogs are to those who are sight-impaired, spatial organizers are to those who are spatially impaired.

      "The fifth type of person has emotional challenges possibly due to life-altering changes. Without a doubt, personal happiness and neat spaces go hand-in-hand. Imagine walking into a room where dirty plates fill the tables, disorganized piles of newspapers and magazines are piled high on the floor, a funky smell permeates the air, and dark curtains cover the windows. You can bet that a depressed individual is living somewhere in¬side. This person may be so afraid of failing that he/she is paralyzed from doing anything at all. For these people, who are afraid of making a mistake, I will create the designs for them thus freeing them from guesswork and decision-making.”

      "The sixth type of situation is when an organized person lives or works with some¬one who isn't neat and the chaos wins after a while. For clutter-folks to live or work with minimalists is equally frustrating. I have seen minimalists give up all of the available space except one room with an agreement that the clutterer can't add anything to it. This scenario often leads to arguments and even divorce. An organizational professional should be called before the relationship is ruined.”

      “No matter why the space isn't neat, medical experts claim that cluttered environments are unhealthy because they breed paper mites and cause allergies and breath¬ing problems from the dust. From a safety standpoint, accidents occur when passageways in the home or office are blocked with belongings. This is especially true for senior citizens who could easily fall over something because they might have poor eyesight and shuffle through a room without looking down."

      Ms. BelI-Bshara gave two reasons why pride gets in the way of people asking for help.  First people are embarrassed to let anyone see their 'mess' for fear they will he judged harshly. I am sensitive to this and never judge my clients. I simply ask questions about how they function within their space and use the answers to create solutions. Second, asking for help might infer that they can't handle things for themselves and that would make them appear out of control and vulnerable."

      Ms. Bell-Bshara can't understand how people can be bold enough to request a personal trainer at the gym, yet are too shy to hire an organizational professional for the home or office. "It just doesn't make sense. Our spaces are mirrors of ourselves. How we organize our life and work environments directly impacts how successful we are."

Each client gets a personalized design

      Most of Ms. Bell-Bshara's clients are homeowners or business people who are unhappy with their current surroundings and are ready for a change, but don't know how to go about it. "I can do as little as rearranging some furniture and buying a few new pieces with different functions, to performing a complete a makeover that includes removing everything inside and re-creating a different interior with a new purpose".

      "I have tremendous dimensional reasoning that allow me to simply look at a space and clearly see its potential. By combining left and right brain activities, I can work through problems using logic, heart, soul and passion to come up with good solutions for my clients.”  Ms. BelI¬-Bshara has an upbeat, can-do attitude, and she isn't afraid of manual labor after physically rebuilding of her own two homes.

      Ms. Bell-Bshara utilizes ergonomics, the use of body-friendly fur¬niture; and Feng Shui, the 6,000 year old Chinese art of architectural placement, to create unique designs for each client. She wins over clients with her philosophy of claiming your space."  If we are paying rent, mortgage or even real estate taxes for our personal or professional space then we need to get the biggest bang for our hard-earned buck. Why not make your physical layout the best it can be so that you can be the best you can be?”

      Some of Healing Spaces more interesting projects were a professor's home, a therapist's office, two manufacturing companies, and a photographer's studio.

Jackie Corvello, owner of “The Framemaker and Gallery” in North Dartmouth, was so grateful to Ms. Bell-Bshara for reorganizing her work area, that she wrote a poem to thank her.



     Ms. Bell-Bshara also provides staging for real estate agents. This is where a POD (professional organizer designer) goes into a home that is on the market and prepares the rooms for a quicker sale and maximum profit. Tasks have included fresh coats of paint, rearranging furniture and adding eye-catching items that make the home cozier. One client liked Ms. Bell-Bshara's home makeover so much that she took the house off the market and continued living in the improved space.

       Another business service is 'company presentation’.  Healing Spaces has helped businesses with their corporate image, design of entrances, foyers, sales areas, stock rooms, filing areas, employee lounges and overall safety and comfort needs.

      Ms. Bell-Bshara uses her education (BA in Art History from UMD) and former careers … to design bedrooms and living spaces for people who are medically challenged, require special machinery, and need comforting, healing spaces.

      One inspirational example comes to mind. “A widow called me and complained of nightmares”, said Ms. Bell-Bshara. “She was having a hard time sleeping in the bedroom that she and her deceased husband shared for over 30 years”. After an in-home consultation, I suggested moving her bedroom to a downstairs guest room, with a great view of the backyard that overlooked a natural wonderland. She agreed and after I moved all the furniture she decorated it very femininely with pinks and florals.  While I was there, she asked me to sort through some of her husband's belongings that she wanted to give away. I helped her understand that this adjustment would take time. Since the move, she said that she now sleeps through the night.

     Ms. Bell-Bshara also handles organizational emergencies, such as when a loved one passes away at an assisted living facility or nursing home and the family is asked to clear the room as soon as possible so that the next tenant can move in.  Ms. Bell-Bshara makes herself available because she understands how hard it is for the grieving family members to handle the relative's belongings so soon during the bereavement process.

How does Healing Spaces work its magic?

      When Ms. Bell-Bshara gets a call for a design consultation, she asks the client to identify goals, needs and budget. While on site, she measures spaces and makes a list of what the room needs, such as car¬pentry, electrical work, plumbing, painting, window treatments, floors or new furniture. For large re-design projects, she will draw up a floor plan.    

     Back in her office, Ms. Bell-Bshara does extensive research, thinks of effective organization and storage, and then creates drawings using imaginative colors, materials, textures and designs.  When she return to the site for a second consultation she reviews the details, costs, and work schedules with the client and makes sure he/she is happy with the process, and is ready to commit financially as well as emotionally to the plan.

      Much like the show “Mission Organization”, one of Ms. Bell-Bshara's favorite television shows, featured on the Home and Garden Channel (HGTV), Healing Space customers are invited to sort their belongings into three piles: keep, give away and throw away. "Some clients really get excited about the makeover and pitch in”, said Ms. Bell-Bshara, “while others who find it too painful, give me a list of what to keep and what to discard and come back when it's all completed."

     For those clients who get touchy when they see their belongings rearranged or frustrated during the chaotic transformation. Ms. Bell-Bshara reminds them that. "Rome wasn't built in a day. If it took five or ten years to create the room as it stood before, then it's going to take a little while to recreate its new design. Hard work, communication and patience are necessary to arrive at what is envisioned."

     The most rewarding aspect of Ms. Bell-Bshara's profession is, "Seeing a smile on my client's face when he/she walks into the renovated space for the first time lets me know that I have aesthetically met or exceeded their expectations."

     Of her ultimate mission, Ms. Bell-Bshara says, "It is satisfying to know that Healing Spaces has positively impacted peoples' lives through thoughtful design. If you invite me to your home or business for a consultation, I will turn your problem space into a positive place."

Ms. Bell-Bshara charges $65 an hour for consultation and organizational design work. Healing Spaces is located in Matttapoisett, MA and has a website www.healingspaces.info.  Ms.Bell-Bshara can be reached at (508) 758-4911 or via e-mail ardith@healingspaces.info .


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Check these out! (from your library, borrow from friends or buy used copies on www.Amazon.com)


BOOKS ABOUT CARE GIVING AND GIVING CARE TO ONE'S SELF



And Thou Shalt Honor by Dale Bell and Harry Willand

The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

Between Pets And People, The Importance of Animal Companionship, by Alan Beck and Aaron Katcher, M.D.

Buried in Treasures, Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving and Hoarding by David F. Tolin, Gale Stekette and Randy O. Frost

Caring for You, Caring for Me, Education & Support for Caregivers (Leader's Guide and Participant's Manual) by David Haigler, Kathyrn Mims and Jack Nottingham (through the Rosalynn Carter Institute at Georgia Southwestern University)

Essential Aromatherapy, A Pocket Guide to Essential Oils and Aromatherapy by Susan Worwood and Valerie Ann Worwood

The Fragrant Mind, Aromatherapy for Personality, Mind, Mood and Emotion by Valerie Ann Worwood

Helping Yourself Help Others, A Book for Caregivers by Rosalynn Carter with Susan K. Golant

Living Juicy, Daily Morsels For Your Creative Soul by Sark

Making the Moments Count, Leisure Activities for Caregiving Relationships by Joanne Ardolf Decker

Simplify Your Life, 100 Ways to Slow Down and Enjoy the Things That Really Matter by Elaine St. James

Rules for Aging, Resist Normal Impulses, Live Longer, Attain Perfection by Roger Rosenblatt

The 36 Hour Day, A Family Guide to Caring for Persons with Alzheimer Disease, Related Dementing Illnesses and Memory Loss in Later Life by Nancy L. Mace and Peter V. Rabins

Wisdom of the Ages, 60 Days to Enlightenment by Wayne W. Dyer

You Have a Visitor, Observations on Pet Visitation and Therapy by Renne Lamm Esordi



BOOKS ABOUT COLOR


The Gardener's Palette, Creating Color in the Garden by Sydney Eddison

Kid's Rooms, More than 80 Innovative Projects from Cradle to College by Debbie Travis

Lee Bailey's Country Flowers, Gardening and Bouquets form Spring to Fall by Lee Bailey

Living Color, Master Lin Yun's Guide to Feng Shui and the Art of Color by Sarah Rossbach and Lin Yun

Renoir's Garden by Derek Fell

Souvenirs, Gifts From the Garden by Katheryn Kleinman and Michaele Thunen


BOOKS ABOUT DESIGN AND SENSE OF PLACE

Chic Living With Feng Shui, Stylish Designs for Harmonious Living by Sharon Stasney

Decorating Kid's Rooms, Nurseries to Teen Retreats by Better Homes and Gardens Books

Frank LLoyd Wright's Lost Buildings by Carla Lind

First Impressions, Fresh Looks for Entryways, Hallways and Foyers by Anna Kasabian

Home, Chronicle of a North Country Life by Beth Powning

The Home Office Planner, Hundreds of Great Ideas for your Workspace by Barty Phillips

Leading the Artful Life, Interiors Designed with Artistic Intuition by Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion

Meditations On Design, Reinventing Your Home With Style and Simplicity by John Wheatman



BOOKS ABOUT FENG SHUI

Feng Shui for Beginners, Successful Living by Design by Richard Webster

Feng Shui in a Weekend, Transform Your Life and Home In a Weekend or Less by Simon Brown

The Western Guide to Feng Shui, Creating Balance, Harmoney, and Prosperity in Your Environment by Terah Kathryn Collins





BOOKS ABOUT ORGANIZING AND CLUTTER CONTROL


Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui by Karen Kingston

Creating Sacred Space Within Feng Shui, Learn the Art of Space Clearing and Bring New Energy into Your Life by Karen Kingston

The Home Organizing Workbook, Clearing Your Clutter, Step by Step by Meryl Star

It's All Too Much by Peter Walsh

Organized To Be The Best, New Timesaving Ways To Simplify And Improve How You Work by Susan Silver

Storage & Display, Stylish Solutions for Organizing Your Home by Martha Fay, Carol Endler Sterbenz and Genevieve A. Sterbenz (Pottery Barn)

Uncluttering Your Space, A Smarter Approach to Organizing Your Space by Ann T. Sullivan



ARDITH'S FAVORITE READS

An Island Garden by Celia Thaxter, illustrations by Childe Hassam

Bloomsbury Needlepoint, From the Tapestries at Charleston Farmhouse by Meilinda Coss

Care of the Soul by Thomas Moore

The Complete Writings of Emily Carr  (The Emily Carr Omnibus)

The Domino Magazine

The Gardens of The National Trust for Scotland by Fransesca Greenoak

Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

How to Expand Love, Widening the Circle of Loving Relationships by His Holiness the Dalai Lama

My Venetian Sketchbook by Isabelle de Borchgrave

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

Seat of the Soul by Gary Sukov

Seaside Gardening by Theodore James, Jr.

The Seasons  by Louis Lawrence

Teachings on Love by Thich Nhat Hanh

Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher