Download Definition of Hoarding

Elderly Hoarders: Beyond Reality
Television
Georgia J. Anetzberger, PhD, ACSW, LISW
Definition of Hoarding
a pattern of excessively collecting and
saving useless things that
 results in an inability to use living spaces
for their intended purpose,
 interferes with daily functioning, and
 creates risk for the individual
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Hoarding vs. Collecting vs. Cluttering
Profile of Elderly Hoarders
 female
 median
age mid-70s
 unmarried
 homeowner
 lives alone
 socially isolated
Hoarder Traits
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long term behavior
lifestyle choice
mentally competent
indecisive
perfectionist
avoidance
disorganized
procrastination
sentimental
lacking insight
Commonly Hoarded Things
 printed
information
 containers
 clothing
 food
 items from someone’s trash
 animals
Common Hoarding Places
 living
room
 dining room
 bedroom
 hallway
 bathroom
Potential Consequences of
Hoarding for Hoarders
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embarrassment or shame
avoiding having others into the home
difficulty finding things
conflict with family or neighbors over clutter
limitations of movement or use of home
health or safety risk
eviction
premature institutionalization
Hoarding Truths
 It
often runs in families.
 It may be associated with certain
mental disorders.
 It may be triggered by a traumatic
event.
 It isn’t common.
 It’s rarely reported.
Local Newspaper Headlines on
Elderly Hoarding
 Loner’s
death brings guilt pangs
 East Cleveland police rescue woman,
85
 Woman found in condemned home
 Woman living without electricity is
hurt in fire
A Focus on Animal Hoarding
Key Statistics
700-2,000 cases per year
46% age 60+
39 median number of animals
Distinct Features of Animal Hoarding
more than the usual number of companion
animals
 inability to provide even minimal
standards of:
nutrition
sanitation
shelter
veterinary care
 denial of care inadequacies and their
consequences
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Commonly Hoarded Animals
(in hierarchal order)
cats
 dogs
 birds
 small mammals
 reptiles
 horses
 cattle, goats, or sheep
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Recent Local Newspaper Articles on
Elderly Animal Hoarders
Number and Type of Animal
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30 miniature Dobermans
20 cats
92 cats
21 cats
30 dogs
18 cats
53 cats
50 cats
Age of Hoarder
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74
72
74
80
86
64
90
71
Types of Animal Hoarders
 overwhelmed
caregiver
 rescuer/savior
 breeder-hoarder
 exploiter-hoarder
Those Most Likely to Encounter
Animal Hoarding Situations
animal control officers
 adult protective services workers
 police officers
 social services workers
 municipal agency staff
 others
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Approaches for Addressing
Hoarding
public health issue
 social problem
 self-neglect situation
 animal rights concern
 mental health disorder
 medical syndrome
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Barriers to Effective Intervention
with Hoarders
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high hoarding recidivism rate
hoarders refusing or restricting entry or help
hoarders denying that they or their animals are
suffering due to hoarding
no single agency responsible for hoarding
lack of mandatory reporting of hoarding situations
laws protecting residents from being ousted from their
homes
clutter interfering with service delivery
difficulty in getting the public to take hoarding cases
seriously
Legal Interventions with
Hoarding: Various Intents
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protecting the hoarder
 adult protective services
 civil commitment
 guardianship
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protecting the public
 health, safety, and housing codes
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preventing cruelty
 humane treatment of animals
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preserving the rights of hoarders
 fair housing
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criminalizing hoarding
 no state law
Clinical Interventions with
Hoarders: What Has Been Found
Useful
 early
recognition and introducing
alternative behaviors
 peer support groups
 service coordination
 hoarding-specific community task
forces
 partial hospitalization
 medications
 behavioral
techniques
 carefully defined successful outcomes
 use of before and after photos
Scales for Assessing Hoarding
Hoarding Scale
 Savings Inventory Revised
 Savings Cognition Inventory
 Yale-Brown Compulsive Scale
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Suggestions for Working with
Hoarders
use a gentle approach
 let the person tell her/his own story
 treat the person with respect and dignity
 understand the meaning and attachment to
possessions
 remain calm and factual
 offer specific assistance
 give the person a sense of control
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refer for medical and mental health evaluation
and other community resources
 focus first on organizing possessions and very
little on discarding them
 later address more threatening issues
 be reassuring and go slowly
 involve the person in seeking solutions
 work with other agencies and the person’s
family and friends
 maintain realistic expectations about the
hoarder’s ability to change
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