Announcement of New Service

Hoarding is becoming an increasingly common disorder. According to https://hoardinguk.org/, 25 percent of individuals can exhibit hoarding symptoms, but only 2 percent have severe symptoms and require further diagnosis and treatment. Hoarding is also inherited, is commonly observed in individuals over 55, and can become more severe with age.

Announcement of New Service

We have great news if you are living with a hoarding disorder.  Grant A Smile has set up an after-care service called We (Guiding the Recovery & Ownership of Wholeness). This service compliments our original decluttering service to provide an after-care intervention to those living with, and affected by hoarding. www.grantasmile.org.uk

Hoarding disorders are often hazardous and can make your life, the lives of your loved ones, and the lives of those with whom you share a home very challenging. We are aware that it is difficult to combat this disorder alone; but we also know that it is possible to overcome it with specialist support, as can be provided by the We. team. Symptoms of hoarding in your home or the homes of your loved ones, must be acted upon immediately to alleviate all associated.

We hope this blog provide you with invaluable insight into the disorder and highlight the difference We. can make to you and your loved ones

Announcement of New Service

Hoarding Explained

Hoarding is deemed a mental health disorder in which a person accumulates often unnecessary items, and has difficulty discarding these and other possessions. Inherent to the disorder is that items are deemed to hold sentimental value thus compounding the unwillingness to discard. Consequently, the disorder negatively impacts all aspects of individuals’ lives and those of their loved ones.

We know that in our day-to-day lives many of us amass items that we do not necessarily need, and/or are reluctant to discard for a variety of reasons.

Generally, these pose no long-term risks or harm to anyone, except maybe the search for space in wardrobes, sheds, cellar etc. The difference between most people and clinical hoarders is that the hesitancy to ‘let go’ of anything becomes habitual. Imagine this scenario being compounded by the desire to amass more and more and more… rendering the pattern of hoarding the very core of one’s existence.

 

Our experience of hoarders over the past few years has illuminated the pleasure they derive from acquiring, and the attachment to items. We have encountered residences that literally have no encumbered space rendering the households hazardous, unsanitary and in many cases uninhabitable. We are acutely aware of the difficulty residing in these environments presents for all household members but especially so for those with mobility issues, the elderly, infirm, those living with neuro-diverse needs and off course children. We cannot emphasis enough our observations of the negative impact of residing within hoarding households, the desperation of extended families and friends, and neighbours whose properties are devalued by the presence of chaos outside hoarding households.

Understanding the Chaos

 

We have responded to referrals form a range of organisations including children and adult social care representatives, family support organisations, housing, children’s centres, hospitals, psychiatric units and solicitors. In every scenario, observing the chaos in hoarding households, the desperation of hoarders, anguish of other household members, fear of extended families and friends is distressing.

 

Our team understands the emotions, guilt, and grief individuals experience when contemplating discarding their prized possessions. We work with hoarders to support and enhance their learning of the importance of change and the need to maintain healthy minds, households and relationships with loved ones and themselves.

We assist in decluttering so that the impact on individuals’ mental health is ameliorated leading to better and life enriching experiences. We offer a mentoring service that supports embracement of life enriching strategies towards change underpinned by realism and sustainability.

 

Our experience and overriding mission at We. is to ensure that we are pivotal in assisting individuals with the emotional distress associated with the recovery journey from the clear-out, to the after-care service, and signposting to longer-term external support systems.

Experiential Learning

We know that hoarding compromises individual’s sense of self and self-worth, and we work strenuously to separate the disorder from the person. There is a great deal of shame and embarrassment that individuals’ embrace as their norms, compounded by feelings of isolation, humiliation and frustration which in our experience are commonplace characteristics of this horrible and debilitating disorder that stigmatises and negatively labels. These feelings are exacerbated by feelings of helplessness which impacts any initial drive to change and, in many cases, affects work performance that could lead to social shame, unemployment and in many cases statutory social care input that has resulted in children being separated from their biological parents.

Hoarders have shared with us their feelings of loneliness and being overwhelmed by their situation, and many are acutely aware that these feelings underpin and frustrate action and mobilisation. They identify this as a barrier to seeking support and/or making change independently despite knowing that the need for change is crucial to their self-esteem, social standing, safety in the home, safeguarding of household members etc. It is because of these painful interactions with hoarders, and these paralysing feelings that sabotage any meaningful shift, the distress of extended families that we set up We to deploy a multi-disciplinary team of health care, social care, education and mental health professionals to intervene and make a positive difference in the lives of individuals.

Examples of Early Signs & Identifiable Risks of Hoarding?

For hoarders – please be aware that this is not an exhaustive list

  • If you notice you have begun to accumulate unnecessary items such as old clothing, mail, newspapers and magazines, food containers, plastic bags, etc. Developing strong emotional attachments to these objects makes it more difficult to discard them regularly
  • Your home is becoming disorganised, you feel that you are running out of space, and being creative with space by stacking.
  • Experiencing anxiety at the thought of throwing away your belongings, or others being disparaging and describing them as useless.
  • Worrying that you will run out of items therefore leading to more spending, amassing of goods.
  • Believing that every item will one day be useful
  • Your health and well-being are being affected and having a negative impact on your daily existence. Examples include neglecting your personal hygiene
  • Your children stop bringing friends home
  • You stop entertaining and have fewer social visitors to your home
  • You start to isolate yourself from others

 

For family/friends & others external to household

  • Rooms that start to become messy with no reasonable account of why, and no evidence of cleaning taking place.
  • Reports of awkwardness in movement of individuals and even falling.
  • Development of offensive odours within households and impact of poor personal hygiene.
  • Areas in the household where one is denied access and/or that are inaccessible because of the accumulation of clutter.
  • Accumulation of piles of papers, books, magazines, other artefacts that attract dust and dirt and compromise free flowing air in households.
  • The inability and/or desire to ventilate rooms and open windows leading to dampness and buildup of mould that trigger health issues.
  • Landlords, family, friends and housing personnel being denied entry/access to properties.
  • Family income being depleted because of the need to constantly amass items.
  • Unencumbered space restricting children’s free movement
  • Maintenance of basic sanitation leading to pest, other infestations and hazards
  • Fear of educational and social care agencies.

Yards and gardens showing signs of neglect and/or the presence of litter/clutter

Examples of hoarding households and outcome of interventions is shown here

Before and after - hoards clean up and disposal

Announcement of New Service

We. In Action

 

A message to hoarders

We understand that if you are hoarding, you will likely be trying to hide it from your loved ones, family and friends, but most importantly you will be denying it to yourself. At We. we vow to walk alongside you in the journey of discovery and recovery to help you combat this disorder and bring order to your life.

 

We won’t judge because we have experience of working with people like you and understand that hoarding is the result of trauma outside of your control. Our aim is to offer you assistance in reducing the amount of clutter in your home breaking the cycle of hoarding,

Announcement of New Service

 and helping you with strategies to sustain the changes and avoid future relapse.

We guarantee that engaging with us will be beneficial because we know we can be the change makers that offer you a more meaningful and sustainable experience of decluttering of your home and mind. 

We guarantee that your life will be more productive, energised, happier and fulfilled because of our intervention.

We guarantee that before we leave we will identify opportunities and signpost you to organisations that will break the feelings of isolation and provide you with accessible long-term support until you feel able to take charge and control.

 

See below the difference we have made to the lives of people just like you.

Read our trusted testimonials here: https://www.grantasmile.org.uk/

For more information, please contact us: grow.support@grantasmile.org.uk

 

We constantly need helpers and volunteer staff to work with us in achieving more with us. Consider giving a few hours of your time to help us reach more families

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *