Unfortunately hoarding is a mental disease. If the person is hoarding in their old age, it is probably not because they just don't know how to handle too much stuff. Helping them get rid of their stuff just makes them angrier if they are not first getting mental help. If they don't think they need mental help, or if they have already gone into dementia, it has been my experience that those closest to the person are not useful in ending the cycle. It is better to get a completely disinterested third party to help them unbury themselves. We always hurt the ones we love, as the saying goes. My mom literally saves trash and throws away useful things and then gets mad at us because she believes we are making her get rid of the things she needs. She is very unwell in this matter and I am afraid she will end up on the streets if she doesn't die from sheer anger.
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I am doomed. I am trying to purge all my junk now. If hoarding is in my future there is no hope.
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Fortunately, the 84-year old gentleman I helped out of his hoarding mess recognized his hoarding behavior as unhealthy when he saw the hoarding show on TV. He stopped bringing things into the house, but it was too late as code enforcement/the city attorney's office were ready to place his home into receivership (force him out, demolish, re-sell it to the highest bidder to recover their costs). The pandemic had just been declared, so I was able to keep him in his house while we worked for over a year to bring his surroundings up to code enforcement's satisfaction. It was not easy as he foresaw being able to sell the hundreds of video cassette tapes in 10 years for good money "because no one else will have them." I asked him to visualize his life in 10 years...he wanted to be able to sit in his living room, listening to his vast collection of music (albums stacked to the ceiling) and reading his Reader's Digest. I reminded him of this scene often and one day, he put all the boxes of video cassettes in the dumpster all on his own. This was huge for him, but for the house, a small feat. It was not easy and I am not a mental health professional, but I kept him focused on what was important: keeping his home. And he was able to make the changes on his own.
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I knew my mother was filling her pockets and rollator with food, toilet paper, Kleenex and the cats' toys, but I never realized until now all that she was hoarding. I am in the process of going through all her stuff and boxing most of it up. Imagine my surprise when I discovered my tablet cord, charger and carrying case in one of her purses that she doesn't use. In another purse I found my Burt's Bees lip softener and my green tea lip softener in another. In a third I found one of her bras and two pairs of my socks. In the fourth purse I found three nail clippers. All this stuff I thought had walked off and hid under chairs, etc and all along she was picking the stuff up and "keeping it safe?" Thank goodness she picked up relatively safe items and not anything that could harm her or anyone else in the house. But then again, I'm just getting started.
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Hoarding as elderly! I must admit I have been touched for a very long time especially when it comes to tools. Now at 67 I am forced to move and face the huge task of cleaning everything up. I hit my head and say why! The good thing is I see a new life ahead after the purge.
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