Hoarding In Older Adults

You're concerned about your aging parent. The last time you went to the house, it was a disastrous mess!

But how do you know if your loved one is just messy, is having trouble keeping the house clean because of physical limitations, or has a hoarding problem?

Hoarding is a mental health illness. According to the Hoarding Connection of Cuyahoga County, it is defined as the acquisition of and the failure to discard an unimaginable number of possessions that appear to be useless or of limited value to people other than the person who hoards. It can result in hazardous living conditions for the hoarder and their neighbors.

People may have hoarding tendencies their whole life, but as they age those tendencies may turn into a debilitating problem. The disorder may be triggered by a traumatic event such as a death of a spouse. Individuals who hoard may have trouble managing their lives, and are unable to pay attention, organize things or make decisions.

It may not be obvious to an outsider that a person hoards, because some hoarders are quite sociable in public; they just don't invite people into their residences. If you are trying to determine if the condition of your loved one's home is cause for concern, ask yourself if rooms can no longer be used for their designed functions. Are there piles of newspaper on the stove top, making it impossible to cook? Is the bed so covered with clothes and other items that it can't be used for sleeping? Is the bathtub being used to store overflow from the linen closet? Are any doorways blocked by piles of stuff?

Many times with older people's homes, the situation is discovered by an emergency first responder or a utility company employee, who enters the home. Or the older adult becomes ill and needs home care services, or the person needs to move due to downsizing or eviction.

Typically a person who is hoarding is not going to ask for help. Patience and compassion are key. You want to ensure that your parent or other loved one is living in a safe environment, but there are no quick fixes to dealing with hoarding. Remember, hoarding is a mental illness. A one-time clean-out of the home will not make it go away.

Caregivers need to understand that the person who hoards will require long-term, periodic intervention. You'll need to work with a team of professionals – a social worker, mental health professionals, organizers, clean-up services – to help your loved one through his journey to wellness.

Resource: The Hoarding Connection of Cuyahoga County www.hoardingconnectioncc.org