What are the physical and emotional challenges of household disbandment and how can we best support those confronting this often-overwhelming journey?

Investigating a process that can be fraught with temporal, physical, and emotional pitfalls, Making Space draws on poignant personal narratives from different cultures and economic classes and provides thought-provoking questions to foster hope for those challenged with the task of household disbandment. Through research-inspired support, authors Heather Carlile Carter and Jennifer Carlile-Bortz reassure readers that they are not alone in their journey.

A compassionate resource that goes beyond existing research, this book is ideal reading for students of Gerontology, Human-Centered Design, Interior Design, Social Work, and Psychology, as well as adult children, social workers, and home health professionals.

Heather Carlile Carter PhD is Assistant Professor of Interior Design at Johnson County Community College, Kansas.

Jennifer Carlile-Bortz is a freelance editor and writer with over forty years of experience.

Heather Carlile Carter was born in Fairbanks, Alaska, and moved with her family to the foothills of Denver at the age of two. She grew up appreciating all four seasons and developed a preference for dry, cool weather. The arid climate, often carrying the scent of sage, offers an earthy counterpoint to the bustle of Denver. Hiking throughout Colorado has immersed her in a rich mosaic of scents—sage, wildflowers, and pinyon pine among them—and she fondly recalls sleeping with the windows open, letting those aromas drift inside.