adminThe affliction of or addiction to hoarding has gained more and more notoriety thanks in part to TV shows like Hoarding: Buried Alive on TLC and Hoarders on A & E. If you have never had the opportunity to watch these programs, you have to check it out at least once. It’s fascinating, jaw-dropping and heartbreaking all at the same time. Though many of the individuals suffer from deep depression or other psychological issues, it’s just hard to believe how some people are living in these “trash heaps” by their own volition. It’s sad to see, especially when it’s someone’s elderly parent, and in some cases have not seen their family in years because they were too embarrassed or defiant to allow anyone into their home.
For people in these extreme situations, psychological treatment and year-round cleaning is critical. However, for most of us a good spring cleaning should suffice, although high degrees of hoarding have small beginnings. Therefore, while spring cleaning, it’s important to not only clean, but downsize, recycle, and simply throw things out. This is especially crucial for an aging loved one who not only can amass a huge problem, they can also create health hazards. Even small amounts of hoarding or an unkempt home can create tripping hazards or obstacles to escape a fire. It can also lead to an infestation of critters, bacteria and germs, and air pollutants. For seniors, this can further compromise their immune system or exacerbate existing conditions like emphysema or allergies.
Take this spring with your aging loved one to provide a good corner-to-corner cleaning or even a deeper intervention to alleviate or eliminate these dangers.
Following are five tips to make it easier from www.caregiverstress.com.
1. Assess the situation and make a checklist. In addition to writing down the typical chores like washing windows, dusting, or scrubbing floors; be sure to also include the following tasks to reduce senior safety hazards.
• Clean out the medicine cabinet and dispose of expired medications or those no longer prescribed
• Throw away any expired food
• Replace batteries in smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors
• Remove clutter from walkways
• Replace light bulbs if necessary and ensure rooms and hallways are adequately lit
• Get rid of throw-rugs to eliminate tripping hazards
• Consider installing grab bars in the bathroom
2. Schedule it. Just like a doctor’s appointment or other important commitment, block off time in your schedule that you can devote to spring cleaning. You may want to knock everything out in one weekend, or you may want to take it one chore at a time over several weeks, fitting it in when you have time. Either way, consider it time well spent with your loved one.
3. Enlist help. Make it a family affair. The more the merrier. If you can’t convince family members to lend a hand, consider hiring help. A professional caregiver can assist with laundry, dusting, vacuuming and other light housekeeping tasks.
4. Involve your senior loved one. It’s important to keep your loved one engaged and feeling useful, no matter what his or her limitations. If it’s not easy for Mom to get around, hand her the silver polish and silverware. Or give Dad a stack of papers to go through while you take care of the rest of the home.
5. De-clutter, then clean. Seniors who have accumulated a lifetime of belongings often have so much stuff that it clutters the house and makes it difficult to clean, much less live safely in. Don’t just clean around the piles—tackle them first. But, be careful not to get trash-happy. Learn the 10 reasons seniors hang on to stuff and how to handle the clutter in a diplomatic manner.
Finally, be sure to address any problems you uncover while cleaning. You don’t want to see the fruits of your labor reverse back into a pig sty in less than six months. If you discover your loved one has piles of unpaid bills, expired food in the pantry, or hasn’t been cleaning up after the pets, perhaps it’s time for some extra help around the house. A little housekeeping help from a caregiver for just a few hours a week can help keep the home clean while offering your loved one companionship and support on a regular basis.
Another article you may also want to read on caregiverstress.com is Senior Hoarding Issues, the Breaking Point: Decoding the Problems of Seniors and Hoarding.
Lastly for additional help, housekeeping, downsizing or de-cluttering, contact Messiah Lifeways At Home by calling 717.790.8209 or go online to MessiahLifeways.org/AtHome to see how we can help.
