Home Instead Senior Care of Sonoma County shares an advertorial with article on hoarding syndrome. Hoarding is a problem that is especially tough for the elderly as well as their family caregivers. Article outlines what to look for and how to prevent the problem.

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Business Journal Reprint from June 14, 2010 / Pages 34-35
Hoarding is a major problem for seniors
How to see it, understand it, prevent it and be of help
BY JULIE ANN ANDERSON, HOME INSTEAD SENIOR CARE OF SONOMA COUNTY
If you begin to notice these signs actually keep them from being safe in
in senior loved ones or their homes, their homes, which could jeopardize
clutter could start creeping up on their ability to stay there.
them: Clutter is all about control, but so
1. Piles of mail and unpaid bills is being the one who decides where
2. Difficulty walking safely stuff goes. Reminding your loved ones
through their home if they don’t decide where something
3. Frustration trying to organize will go – donate to charity or give to a
4. Difficulty managing activities family member – someone else will.
of daily living
5. Expired food in refrigerator Caregivers Can Help
6. Jammed closets and drawers At Home Instead Senior Care, our
7. Compulsive shopping CAREGivers can help reduce seniors’
8. Difficulty discarding items loneliness and fear associated with
9. A health episode such as a parting with possessions they have col-
stroke or dementia lected over the years. Visiting each
10. Loneliness week, we can help your elderly loved
In the kitchen, a senior can fall as a tachment to a prom dress, the sense of one clean a table, closet or cupboard so
result of trying to reach for pots and pans loyalty to someone who may have given that progress is made and a sense of ac-
in a cupboard or cabinet that is stacked them a gift or the need to conserve be- complishment is felt. Our CAREGivers
with too many. They can suffer food poi- cause they went through the Depression. can also spot clutter creep before it gets
soning or malnutrition if food is kept be- There’s also a change in health, where to be a serious problem or health hazard.
yond expiration dates. Or they can have they may not have the energy to clean up Having someone there on a regular
heat or air conditioning turned off as a like they used to. Perhaps they really en- basis to help your aging loved one clean
result of unpaid bills. joy shopping each week and continue to up and stay organized can mean all the
In the bathroom, expired medications buy unnecessary things. And loneliness difference in whether a senior can remain
in the medicine cabinet can mean missed can often be a contributing factor to keep- living independently in their own home.
medications and can lead to accidental ing too many pictures, keepsakes, news- For more information about seniors
overdosing. Cluttered shelves can prevent papers, magazines, clothing and anything and hoarding, visit our Home Instead
a senior from finding necessities. else that might be considered clutter in blog at http://homeinsteadsonoma.com,
In the bedroom, stacks of newspapers the home. where we’ve posted all kinds of helpful
or magazines can be a fire hazard, and too resources for you on this topic, including
many clothes or shoes can lead to confu- What to do tips from Vickie Dellaquila, certified pro-
sion. Magazines on stairways or steps can Getting rid of stuff is actually a two-step fessional organizer and author of Don’t Toss
be a tripping hazard, and basements can process: 1) sorting and deciding and 2) dis- My Memories in the Trash.
often be a catch-all for everything caus- posing. But convincing seniors to go And for a complimentary home care
ing unwanted mold, mildew, insects and through the process can be challenging. assessment of how a Home Instead
even rodents. If you help your senior by clearing off CAREGiver can help a senior or elderly
the table together, you can cheer a small loved one get organized, simply call your
Understanding Why victory by celebrating the accomplish- Sonoma County Home Instead office at
There are many reasons why seniors ment together. Or you can gently ap- 707.586.1516. Or visit us on the web at
tend to hoard. There’s the sentimental at- proach the idea that too much clutter can http://homeinstead.com/sonoma.�
North Bay BusiNess JourNal • 427 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, CA 95401 • 707-521-5270 • www.NorthBayBusinessJournal.com
JUNE 14, 2010 • HEALTH CARE & SENIOR LIVING GUIDE NORTH BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL 35
© 2010 North Bay Business Journal. Reproduction in any form prohibited without permission.

2. 34 NORTH BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL HEALTH CARE & SENIOR LIVING GUIDE • JUNE 14, 2010