Hoarding can
be described as a disorder characterized by
excessive acquisitions and persistent difficulty in discarding possessions. These
possessions can be alive or not. This
disorder continues to be a serious problem for many people that you may or may not
know are hoarders.
While you may think a
hoarder would be somewhat embarrassed by terrible living conditions, that is
not always the case. I discovered this when a friend I didn’t know was a
hoarder actually invited me inside her one bedroom apartment in the building where we both lived. She displayed no shame
at all about her accumulated chaos.
The entry hall was so packed with stacks of “stuff” that
only a narrow passageway remained. This path bordered by mounds of boxes, old
clothes (some that she said her mother had saved from her childhood), unopened TV
purchases and other clutter was overwhelming. When two cats came
running to greet us, I was in shock. Unsanitary and dangerous
living conditions such as these, particularly for older adults, puts them at
increased risk for fire, falling, disability, and other health risks.
A systematic study by two reviewers of the literature to
determine the possible causes of hoarding suggests that individuals with hoarding behaviors may have a
genetic susceptibility or abnormal neural activity in the brain. Traumatic life
experiences may also predispose individuals to hoard.
In the following
video, the unsanitary conditions at a California home caused the owner to
become sick and hospitalized. “Inside Edition,” a television show, features Jim
Moret suited up to go inside with the crew assigned to clean the space. A New
York woman's hoarding problem extended beyond the walls of her house and into
her front yard concerning her neighbors. Animal hoarding is also included in
this video.
Frances Shani Parker,
Author
Becoming Dead
Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes is available in paperback and e-book editions in
America and other countries at online and offline booksellers. Frances Shani Parker's Website
