Cleanout Home for your Elderly Dad, Help a Hoarder

Often times when elderly parents are left to take care of themselves it can lead to a breakdown of cleanliness. It's not that they don't want to cleanup behind themselves. It is just very difficult to do it day in and day out. In these unfortunate situations ECS staff may have to contend with really difficult situations. The home or condo may have an odor or even pest that are living in the dwelling. For example, in the townhome featured in the picture above stray cats had taken up resident with the elderly person. Along with the cats came fleas.

In this particular case the elderly owner was being moved to an assisted living facility and the siblings needed to sell the home as fast as possible in order to help pay the bills of the assisted living facility. Our job in this case is to remove all the furniture, junk and trash. We then cleaned the bathrooms, the kitchen, the appliances and the flooring / carpet. This is know in the industry as a broom sweep. From there the owner / siblings can sell the property as-is with the knowledge that they are sell 30% below market value.

Estate Cleanup Services is the premier  Property Cleanout Services  to assist you in getting your home ready for sale or rental.

How to Help a Hoarder

Do you have family or friends that can’t stop themselves from hoarding? If you feel that you can’t do something to help your loved one, then this article is for you.

Studies on the internet show that about 5% of adult Australian are hoarders. This kind of disorder can worsen as they age.

Hoarding does not always mean that these adults want to get more stuff inside the house. Some of the time, they put too much sentimental value to a thing and they are unable to let it go. On the other hand, some adults think that everything can be of some use in the future. This is why they hoard.

Some of the items may represent an important part of their past. Others may associate that particular thing on an event that has made them happy. There are also people who can’t decide if they are going to throw away a certain thing or if they can still use it. This is why they just keep it in their attics.

These inability to decide on whether to keep things or throw them away can interfere with a person’s life in the long run. They won’t be able to use some space in their house because it is already cluttered with things that they don’t need.

Here are some tips on how you can help a hoarder

1. Be more sensitive on the hoarders’ needs and don’t focus on the stuff.

Understand why they keep something and they are unable to throw it away. You should not forcefully throw their belongings without their permission because it would feel like you don’t care in their emotions.

As long as you know the root cause of their hoarding behavior, you will be able to address it more effectively.

2. Be there when they need you

People who tend to hoard may feel that they are alone and no one is there for them. This is one of the things that you can do if you want to know how to help a hoarder. If your loved one feels that way, show her that you are thinking about her all the time and you love her no matter what.

The hoarding is only a single aspect of their behavior and it is not about their whole personality. If they see that you don’t judge their hoarding behavior, they will be able to open up more to you and they will feel secure if you are always there.

3. Start with Setting up Goals

You can start with baby steps in order to declutter their hoarding. You can ask them to sort through some of their stuff and throw at least one item a week.

If they have newspaper clips that are filled with pestholes, you can start with them. Although this might sound simple to most people, it can be draining to someone who hoards and it can also be mentally exhausting.

If they are able to throw one item away, you can celebrate these small victories by treating them to a spa or cooking their favorite food for them.

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