Croydon Council Croydon Council have developed and started running support groups for those suffering from hoarding disorder. The group sessions are run over a 12 week period. There is also opportunity for one-to-one sessions with trained counsellors who act as ‘declutter’ buddies help practically and emotionally.”In the group sessions… we actually look at why – why did we start hoarding, why do we find it difficult to get rid of stuff and strategies as to how we might tackle all those difficulties,” says Sarah who attends the group sessions. The one-to-one sessions involve practical measures such as bagging up items,
Read more →The Risk to Neighbours Could you imagine your neighbours suffering from hoarding? As we know hoarding is a condition which is very difficult to manage. It can have a significant and lasting affect on the person who is suffering and their friends and family. However some people who are not always thought of are the person’s neighbours. As a person’s house becomes an increasing health and fire hazard this can have a direct impact on those living next door. Particularly if it is a semi-detached house. As these risks increase it becomes very dangerous for those living in a hoarded
Read more →South Shore Hoarding Problem South Shore is facing a very prominent hoarding problem which is growing year on year. As we know, hoarding was only recognised as a diagnosable mental disorder just five years ago. Before then it was considered a symptom of obsessive-compulsive-disorder (OCD). There are positive’s to come out of classification of hoarding. That is towns and cities are now starting to generate a lot more intervention & recovery programmes. Hoarded homes provide a unique challenge for the police and firefighters. Hoarded homes are often borderline uninhabitable and gaining access is extremely difficult. As a result people can
Read more →About 670 hoarders are known to Welsh fire services but they estimate up to 150,000 people could have the disorder. Statistics show 25% to 30% of fire deaths are related to hoarding. A leading fire officer in Wales has said extra resources are needed to protect those at risk of death or injury in house fires across Wales. The Welsh Government said it had invested £3m in psychological therapies in Wales in the past two years. Watch the full story below… Remember, if you or someone you know is suffering from hoarding, you can contact us at www.facebook.com/CloudsEndCIC for
Read more →A 74-year-old hotel worker’s hoarding has spiralled so far out of control that he now cannot get into one of his homes. Michael Saunders bought his first home 40 years ago and after living there for 20 years, he bought the house two doors down for his mother but shortly after she passed away. Now the front door and window to one of his West Midlands semi-detached homes is blocked by a seven foot high pile of furniture, bin bags and boxes. The local council had to call in professional help from hoarding specialists Tee and Caz from the N
Read more →The hoarding shows we can’t get enough of have more than one aspect of hoarding wrong, which becomes a serious factor in raising awareness for the situation within communities. The people in the midst of the piles we call clutter are often collectors of items they believe have deep personal value. Collecting these items gives the hoarder a sense of belonging to something, and while people have let him or her down, the collected items will never do that. All the items we see as junk are items that hold personal meaning for the collector. The Hoarding Lifestyle This
Read more →Living with hoarding For most of us growing up, we were raised and had what you might call a ‘normal’ childhood. We could freely access all areas of our house without thinking anything of it. Unfortunately some people do not have this luxury. This is due to being forced to grow up in a hoarded home where they can do nothing about it. To them it may seem normal when they are young. As they get older though it can dawn on them that something isn’t quite right. It is interesting then to come across this story. It looks into
Read more →A Hoarded Home These astonishing photos paint the picture of the interior of a severely hoarded home. Frenchman Jean, aged 60, suffers from Diogenes syndrome which is also known as senile squalor syndrome. The syndrome is characterised by withdrawal, compulsive hoarding and self-neglect. Furthermore the condition has meant Jean now lives a very negative lifestyle. Jean has to live off things he finds in bins and money from an inheritance due to Diogenes syndrome. These emotional images give us a sharp look into the reality of life as a hoarder. It also shows how the condition can affect and take over one’s
Read more →A rather interesting new decluttering ‘trend’ has recently started doing the rounds and catching attention. Not just for it’s unusual name but also for the actual process involved. There are a number of ways that you can ‘complete’ ‘Swedish death cleaning’. This is because the end goal is always the same. It sounds scary but it is actually a very good idea and one that, when put into practice, could specifically help out your loved ones in years to come. Take a look at this article posted by Treehugger which goes into detail about the specifics of ‘Swedish death cleaning’,
Read more →Virtual Reality Hoarders are taking new steps to confront clutter, through the use of virtual reality. In this article provided by Motherboard, they simulate hoarding in VR to see how it affects them. They said: How would you feel standing in a cramped room surrounded by garbage, newspapers, and random camping equipment? Turns out, even when this mess is simulated in virtual reality, it’s pretty stressful. I know this because I recently participated in a VR study of hoarders, who are using the technology to confront their disorders. Researchers out of Ryerson University in Toronto are conducting a study to
Read more →