How to help an aging parent who has a problem with hoarding
DEAR SAVVY SENIOR — My 70-year-old mother has become somewhat of a hoarder. Since my father died a few years ago, her house is so disorganized and messy with stuff that it’s becoming a hazard. What should I do to help her? — Troubled son
DEAR TROUBLED — Clutter addiction is a problem that effects up to five percent of Americans, many of whom are seniors. The problems can range anywhere from moderate messiness to hoarding so severe it may be related to a mental health disorder like obsessive-compulsive disorder. Here’s what you should know, along with some tips and resources that can help your mom.
Why people hoard
The reasons most people hoard is because they have an extreme sentimental attachment to their possessions, or they believe they might need their items at a later date. Hoarding can also be a sign that an older person is depressed or showing early symptoms of dementia.
Common problems for seniors who live in excessive clutter are tripping, falling and breaking a bone; overlooking bills and missing medications that are hidden in the clutter; and suffering from the environmental effects of mold, mildew and dust, and even living among insects and rodents.
What to do
To get a handle on your mom’s problem, the Institute for Challenging Disorganization offers a free “Clutter Hoarding Scale” that you can download off their website at ChallengingDisorganization.org.
If you find that your mom has a moderate cluttering problem, there are a number of things you can do to help.
Start by having a talk with her, respectfully expressing your concern for her health and safety, and offering your assistance to help her declutter.
If she takes you up on it, most professional organizers recommend decluttering in small steps. Take one room at a time or even a portion of a room at a time. This will help prevent your mom from getting overwhelmed.
Before you start, designate three piles or boxes for your mom’s stuff — one pile is for items she wants to keep-and-put-away, another is the donate pile and the last is the throwaway pile.
You and your mom will need to determine which pile her things belong in as you work. If your mom struggles with sentimental items that she doesn’t use, like her husband’s old tools or mother’s china, for example, suggest she keep only one item for memory sake and donate the rest to family members who will use them.
You will also need to help her set up a system for organizing the kept items and new possessions.
Find help
If you need some help with the decluttering and organizing, consider hiring a professional organizer who can come to your mom’s home to help you prioritize, organize and remove the clutter. The nonprofit group National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals has a directory on the website at NAPO.net to help you locate a professional in your area.
If your mom has a bigger, more serious hoarding problem (if her daily functioning is impaired, or if she is having financial difficulties, health problems, or other issues because of her hoarding), you’ll need to seek professional help. Antidepressants and/or talk therapy can help address control issues, anxiety, depression, and other feelings that may underline hoarding tendencies, and make it easier for her to confront her disorder.
To learn more and find professional help, see the International OCD Foundation which provides a hoarding center on their website (Hoarding.iocdf. org) that offers information, resources, treatments, selfhelp groups, and more. Also see HoardingCleanup.com, a site that has a national database of qualified resources including cleaning companies and therapists that can help.
Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org.
All hands on duck! Drivers stop for dozens of ducks
BIDDEFORD, Maine — Dozens of ducklings have made a bid to create the world’s cutest traffic jam in a Maine city.
Even “Make Way for Ducklings” author Robert McCloskey couldn’t have envisioned a scene like the one in Biddeford on Wednesday morning.
Biddeford resident Karen Ramunno captured the scene on video as a mother duck guided 45 ducklings across a five-lane road.
The mother duck shepherded the babies across in two waves, one of 22 and another of 23. WCSH-TV reports the impromptu duckling parade brought traffic to a standstill in both directions. All made it across safely. The adult duck was not likely the parent to all the young. One possible explanation for the abnormally large brood is that some bird species will group fledglings together to make it easier to care for them.
Judge tells restaurant iguana thrower: Don’t brag about it
PAINESVILLE, Ohio — An Ohio judge has told a man who threw an iguana at a restaurant manager that he’s not allowed to brag about the crime.
Forty-nine-year-old Arnold Teeter pleaded guilty Thursday to cruelty to animals and resisting arrest.
Painesville Municipal Judge Michael Cicconetti sentenced Teeter to two years of probation. The conditions also include that Teeter cannot live in a home with animals for five years.
In April, authorities said Teeter pulled the 2-footlong iguana from under his sweatshirt, swung it around by its tail and threw it at a Perkins Restaurant manager but missed.
The iguana suffered a fractured leg but recovered.
The lizard had ended up with Teeter after getting away from its rightful owners while they were moving. It has since been returned to them.
Man takes golf cart on wild ride into Florida Walmart store
GIBSONTON, Fla. — Authorities say a 56-year-old Florida man took his golf cart on a wild ride through a Walmart store, terrorizing shoppers and ignoring deputies’ orders to stop before crashing into a cash register.
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s investigators say they were summoned to the store near Tampa on Thursday, where they found Michael Dale Hudson blocking the liquor store entrance with his golf cart. The Tampa Bay Times reports he was demanding to speak to a manager.
As deputies spoke to Hudson, they say he suddenly drove toward the store’s main entrance. Customers jumped out of the way as he barreled through the door. He raced toward the checkout area, hitting several customers.
He was jailed on multiple charges, including aggravated battery. A lawyer wasn’t listed in jail records.