Winter Is Coming — Is Your Parent’s Home Ready?

As Midwest temperatures begin their slow drift downward, many of us shift into holiday-prep mode. For many of us, this season brings another layer of responsibility: making sure Mom or Dad’s house is safe, secure, and ready for winter.

Late fall and winter in Central Iowa can be unpredictable and unforgiving. A home that isn’t prepared can lead to bigger issues: drafts that drive up energy bills, icy walkways that put loved ones at risk, or malfunctioning heating systems that stop working during the coldest cold stretch. For older adults who want to remain independent, these challenges can be overwhelming.

A few proactive steps can make a world of difference in keeping your parent’s home cozy and safe, without adding another set of tasks to your already full plate.

Midwest Winter Home Tasks for Older Adults Aging in Place

1. Check the Heating System Before It’s an Emergency

Furnace tune-ups and filter changes are easy to forget until something goes wrong. Schedule the maintenance now and ensure consistent heat, safer air quality, and fewer surprise repair bills.

If your parent uses space heaters or electric blankets, now is the time to check cords, placement, and safety features. Additionally, change the smoke detector and carbon monoxide batteries (yearly) and test the dectors.

2. Prepare the Entryways and Walkways

Ensure the outside of the home is ready for snow and ice to reduce the risk of slips and falls.

Consider:

• Clear clutter from walkways and ensure grass is trimmed well along the edge

• Check handrails for safety, improve existing or add new if necessary

• Stock ice melt or sand, add an old plastic cup, and make sure it’s easy and convenient to access and spread

• Ensure the shovel is in good working order

• Check exterior lighting

These small adjustments are especially important if your parent is still coming and going independently.

3. Weatherproof Windows and Doors

Drafty windows and gaps under doors not only make a home uncomfortable, but they can dramatically increase winter heating costs.

Simple fixes like weatherstripping, sealing cracks, or adding insulated curtains help keep heat in and cold out. For older adults, this isn’t just about comfort; it supports their health, reduces fall risks from cold floors, and keeps the home operating more efficiently.

4. Review Winter Supplies and Emergency Items

Ice storms wreak havoc in Central Iowa and can lead to several hours without heat and lighting. Your parent’s winter preparedness kit should include:

• Working flashlights with easy to turn on/off functionality

• Extra blankets

• Shelf-stable food and bottled water

• Charged backup power sources

• Medications refilled ahead of storms

• A plan for emergencies, including who they’ll call

Taking care of these items now prevents last-minute stress when a storm rolls through.

5. Organize Holiday-Season Tasks Early

As the holidays approach, everyone's to-do list grows. Supporting an aging parent can mean more errands, more planning, and more mental load during the most stressful time of the year. Think ahead about:

• Grocery runs

• Seasonal cleaning and decorating

• Gift shopping and wrapping

• Preparing spaces for overnight guests

Thankfully, Central Iowans don’t have to carry the burden alone.

Let Simply Golden Solutions Lighten the Load

Your time is limited. Ensure your parent’s home is ready for winter weather and the holidays without having to sacrifice time, energy, or peace of mind.

My Household Management Services offer hands-on winter-prep support especially designed for older adults aging in place. Simply Golden Solutions helps with:

• Scheduling and managing home maintenance

• Prepping for winter weather

• Coordinating safety upgrades

• Decluttering and prepping for holiday guests

• Grocery, errand, and gift shopping support

• Home check-ins for those traveling

This is more than a checklist for me. This is about creating a cozy, secure environment for your parents and giving you and your parents time and peace of mind during an already busy season.

If you want to ensure your parent’s home is ready for winter (without adding more to your plate), I’m here to support you. Together, we can make sure they stay safe and comfortable all winter long — and that you can enjoy the season with less stress and a lighter load.

📍 Serving West Des Moines, Urbandale, Grimes, Ankeny, Johnston, Saylorville, Bondurant, Des Moines, Altoona, Pleasant Hill, Carlisle, and Norwalk

📞 Schedule a Household Management Service with Simply Golden Solutions today. We’ll help you reduce the stress this holiday season.

Think a Personal Assistant is Too Expensive? Think Again

When you hear the phrase “personal assistant,” you may think it’s a luxury reserved for executives or celebrities. It feels out of reach, and maybe even unnecessary. But for busy professionals trying to balance demanding careers, families, and personal lives, having a personal assistant isn’t about extravagance—it’s about reclaiming time, reducing decision fatigue, and making space for what matters most.

The Real Cost of Doing It All Yourself

Every errand, every appointment to schedule, every meal plan to figure out—those small tasks add up. They drain mental energy, stretch your day, and often spill over into the time you’d rather spend with your family, friends, or even just yourself.

The truth is: when you’re spending hours each week on tasks someone else could manage, you’re paying with your most valuable resources—your time, your focus, and your peace of mind.

Fewer Decisions, Less Mental Load

Research shows that the more small decisions we make in a day, the less energy we have for the bigger ones. By outsourcing routine responsibilities—like grocery shopping, coordinating schedules, or home maintenance tasks—you cut down the noise. Suddenly, your brain has room for the creative, strategic, or meaningful work that only you can do.

The Smart Investment: Saving Time, Energy, and Even Money

Hiring a personal assistant is about shifting your investment. Imagine if you had an extra five to ten hours each week. What could you do with that time?

• Spend it with your kids without multitasking

• Focus on billable work instead of errands

• Rest and recharge so you show up sharper and calmer at work

And let’s not forget—when tasks are done efficiently and on time, you avoid costly mistakes like missed appointments, late fees, or forgotten deadlines.

Practical Personal Assistant Support, Tailored to You

At Simply Golden Solutions, I focus on practical, everyday support that makes life easier and less stressful. That might mean running errands, managing household responsibilities, handling meal planning and grocery shopping, or helping coordinate busy schedules. These aren’t glamorous services—they’re smart solutions designed to give busy professionals more breathing room in their lives.

The Bottom Line

You don’t need to be a CEO to benefit from having a personal assistant. You just need to value your time and recognize that you don’t have to do it all alone. The return on investing in support is simple: more energy, more focus, and more time for the things that actually matter to you.

If you’re ready to see what it feels like to take some of that weight off your shoulders and you are in Central Iowa, I’d love to help. Together, we can identify the tasks that drain your time and energy and create a plan that works for your life.

Hedwig is ready hear what Simply Golden Solutions can do to lighten your load.

Busy Families Want Less Mealtime Stress

For many families, mealtime is supposed to be the moment when everyone slows down and connects. But in reality, it often feels like one more stressor on an already overwhelming day.

Between busy work schedules, kids’ activities, and assisting older family members, the “sandwich generation” finds themselves frequently juggling far too many responsibilities to approach mealtime with ease.

Why Are Mealtimes So Stressful?

The stress doesn’t usually come from the cooking itself—it comes from the decisions leading up to it. What should we make tonight? Do we even have the ingredients? Is there something quick and healthy that everyone will eat? These questions pile on at the end of long days when energy and patience are at their lowest.

Add in picky eaters, dietary needs, or last-minute schedule changes, and suddenly dinner becomes a battleground or another DoorDash bill instead of a chance to recharge.

What Strategies Reduce Mealtime Stress?

The good news is that small changes can make a big impact

• Meal planning ahead of time to reduce decision fatigue during the week.

• Keeping a well-organized pantry and refrigerator so you know exactly what’s available.

• Stocking versatile staples (like beans, rice, frozen veggies, or rotisserie chicken) that can easily mix and match into quick meals.

• Creating family favorites lists so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel each week.

The common thread in all these strategies? Preparation and organization. A little planning goes a long way toward reclaiming the dinner table as a place of peace instead of stress.

How Concierge Care Can Help

Even with the best intentions, it can feel impossible to carve out the time to meal plan, declutter the fridge, or keep the pantry updated. That’s where Simply Golden Solutions can step in. One of our most impactful services for busy families is the  Pantry & Refrigerator Refresh:

• We clear out expired or unwanted foods.

• Organize shelves and group ingredients in ways that make sense for your family.

• Create a clear list of what you already have on hand.

• Suggest meal ideas based on those ingredients and identify any gaps to make shopping simple.

By reducing the number of decisions you have to make and ensuring your kitchen is set up for success, we help families get back to enjoying mealtimes instead of dreading them.

Final tip 

Ready to reclaim your evenings? Our Kitchen Organization/Refresh helps busy families and caregivers turn their kitchens into stress-free zones. Contact Simply Golden Solutions today to make mealtime easier, healthier, and more enjoyable.

📍 Serving West Des Moines, Des Moines, and surrounding areas

📞 Schedule a Kitchen Organization/Refresh with Simply Golden Solutions today. We’ll help you reclaim some control over mealtime.

Before and after of a recent pantry space reclaimed