What Does it Mean to Reduce Harm with Hoarding?

By Shanele Healy | November 19, 2018 |

With some situations your elderly family member faces, such as hoarding, the best that you can hope for is to reduce some of the harm caused by the hoarding. This might look different for every situation.

Elderly Care Monroe NC – What Does it Mean to Reduce Harm with Hoarding?

Treatment May Be Refused

Treatment is definitely an option for people who tend to hoard. The problem comes in when your aging adult knows that she’s exhibiting hoarding tendencies and doesn’t want to undergo treatment of any kind. This can mean that she doesn’t want to clean up her home and she doesn’t want help from a professional organizer or therapist, either. She may feel that it’s too late for treatment or she may tell you that she is happy just the way that she is.

Reducing Harm

A compromise that you and your senior might reach is that you’ll work together to reduce the harm she might experience from hoarding. This can be defined in different ways, so it’s important to talk to your senior and determine what it means for both of you in her situation. In simplest terms, reducing harm means that you’ll remove some things from her environment, but only what’s truly necessary in order for her to be as safe as possible.

Removing Items from the Home

Once you do start removing items from the home, even if you think those things are simply trash that needs removing, you might find your elderly family member feels differently about those items. Depending on the situation, though, you may need to push to ensure that you’re able to clear out pathways and make her home safer. This is why having an understanding with your senior before you begin can help.

Maintaining the Progress You Make

The problem with hoarding is that it’s definitely something that the person will almost always revisit. You’ll need to make some effort to maintain the progress you’ve made. One way to do this is with the help of elderly care providers. They can assist your aging family member with household tasks that she might otherwise avoid, which can lead back to hoarding behaviors. They can also let you know if they spot signs that your senior is continuing to hoard.

Ultimately, you may only be able to get so far with an elderly adult who is hoarding items. You may not get as far along in the process of correcting the situation as you would like, but you can do your best to ensure that your senior is as safe as possible.

If you or an aging loved one are considering Elderly Care Services in Monroe NC, please call the professional staff at Caring at Heart today at (704) 379-7510. Serving Charlotte, Statesville, Ballantyne, Mooresville, Huntersville, Matthews, Concord, Gastonia, Pineville and Indian Trail.

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Shanele Healy

Owner at Caring at Heart

Caring for others has always been a passion for the owner. She joined the healthcare field while still in high school believing that every health provider had the same intentions at heart. While working as a nurse assistant,Gloria quickly realized that those whom needed us most were being neglected and not receiving the best quality of care they deserved.
Knowing in her heart that families deserved better, she started Caring At Heart in 2008 with two key goals in mind: To provide clients and their families with an experience that was personable, easy, and reassuring and to create a working environment that employees were excited and proud to be a part of.