HOARDING

Clutter can lead to serious injuries and my Mother is a good example. She was talking on the telephone and moved to sit on the chair alongside. But several magazines were on the chair and she slid to the floor breaking her hip. Fortunately, she was speaking on the telephone and her friend called 911. During her first week of recovery in a hospital bed in her own home, she had me bring her one desk or bureau drawer at a time in order to go through them and sort, save, give to charity or toss. Moral: clutter can be bad. It can even lead to blocked exits in time of emergency and, in my Mother's case, serious injury.

But now to hoarding. AARP research tells us that 1.5% of the general population qualify as hoarders while cluttering affects many millions of people. However, the percentage is probably higher among Seniors and this might be attributed to the higher rate of seniors being alone, or at least the feeling of being alone. Truly, many of us do not have loving family members close at hand and so hoarded objects can begin to take their place in our homes, our minds and our hearts. Silly thought?! Not a bit. And just why do you talk to that stuffed animal?

The habit of hoarding can have many sources. It might have begun in the Depression Years when everything was saved and tried to be used again because there just wasn't that much of anything. So it could have been taught by parents, or be the result of extreme poverty in childhood, or the loss of not having control and so one 'saves', the sense of losing everyone and everything as one becomes more infirm. Those of us who remember rationing during WWII can well recall the need for more sugar, meat or gasoline. Obviously, reasons for hoarding can be many and should include just plain old procrastination.

So what does one do when hoarding begins to overwhelm? Seek help first of all. But you can also, in some cases, treat the issue not the stuff. Ask yourself if you really need to 'save' another Chinese take-out tray or empty cottage cheese container. Throw out what is really useless and take the time to sort out things which might possibly be repaired and those which might be of benefit to someone else such as Housing Works or The Salvation Army.

There are known instances when a person actually 'saves' a dose of medication on the fear that they will run out of the prescription, thus missing the necessary dosage. There is also the very real problem in some cases of lack of funds to pay for further medications. In such instances professional help is called for. Sometimes a social worker or even a friend could be of value. But even this help is not always available. Just speaking with someone might start you on your way to ending the clutter in your home and begin to make an inroad on your habit of hoarding and the eventual discovery of why you do it.