How to Stop Hoarding: Alzheimer's-Related Support for Families

It was recently announced by KFF Health News that hoarding affected around 1 in 40 Americans, a significant portion of the population. However, this number reaches even higher in seniors who may have difficulty remembering that they collected items or have other issues related to understanding their actions.

So, what are the best ways to help teach your loved ones how to stop hoarding? Otherwise, how do you curb hoarding behavior in seniors?

Below, we unpack the triggers behind hoarding and why it can often happen in those with difficulties facing mental wellness decline. Discover:

• Safety tips for reducing hoarding accidents
• How to communicate with your loved one
• Ways of helping parents declutter
• Senior home safety tips to help hoarders

So, read on to find some actionable caregiver safety tips from Sabine Place in Orange, TX, and get your loved one the help they need.

Why Alzheimer's May Trigger Hoarding

Alzheimer's is a complicated process that can often disrupt a senior's memory, causing them to forget things as simple as the fact that they own an item. As such, they may repeatedly gather copies as they believe they do not have one in their house or senior living apartment.

When they return home, they may discard the item into a pile, unable to muster the will to clean it up. Otherwise, they may place it into a hoard, having forgotten they picked it up.

At the same time, emotional difficulties caused by dementia can turn objects or "collections" into sources of comfort for seniors. They offer familiarity, especially when faces and locations become harder to remember. They trigger other sensory memories that are more comforting than other confusing activities.

Finally, the decline inherent in Alzheimer's eventually significantly impacts the ability of a loved one to make a decision. As such, they may not know how or why they should sort or discard items, and their possessions quickly accumulate out of control.

Recognizing each of these truths is one of the first steps towards differentiating it from healthy collecting behavior. It can empower you to treat their plight more respectfully, retaining their dignity and safety even during intervention.

How to Stop Hoarding by Helping Parents Declutter

Many seniors have a significant need for control as they undergo cognitive decline. It can be easy for them to pivot this into a hoarding habit.

However, you can also help with their need for agency by assisting them with tidying their living space so that they can overcome the issues they create that cause more control challenges. In many cases, simple decluttering tips can ensure they have the tools to organize their space and avoid long-term hoarding habits. In others, you may need to assist them by offering methods for storing their items more healthily.

Talk to them about the items they have on an individual basis. Ask them whether they offer them a real source of solace, i.e., if they have a current love for them, or if they simply hold onto them "just in case".

If an item does not spark joy, as coined by organizational guru Marie Kondo, it can often be more easily discarded, understanding that the ones that do spark joy are much more important. Doing this will help you learn whether holiday cards or letters, for example, mean a lot to them or are simply taking up space.

However, be aware that loved ones may not be honest about this, especially if they become anxious about what they have chosen to discard, so get it out of sight as soon as they decide, but allow them to change their mind until you throw them out.

Organizing for Senior Safety

You should also make changes to ensure that your loved one does not come to harm due to the hoard. Hoarding behavior in seniors can often cause slips, trips, or falls, for example, so make sure that you remove clutter from walkways to prevent this. You can also use the CDC's resource kit, which they provide to help seniors avoid tumbles and ensure your loved one's health in the long term.

Other things you might want to do to assist them, especially when you are not around, include:

• Removing or correcting loose rugs
• Moving electrical cords from walking paths
• Installing motion-activated lights for nighttime visibility
• Asking the staff at Sabine Place if they can check in
• Securing shower rugs with non-slip pads or double-sided tape
• Replacing uneven or damaged flooring to ensure level surfaces
• Maintaining a three-foot pathway for easier room navigation

As well as offering an elder organization support, this can ensure that your loved one avoids physical injury caused by their mental unwellness. At the same time, you can help them resolve their other issues.

Communicate Compassionately and Clearly

Before you begin the process, approach your loved one while they are relaxed, and minimize background noise to allow you to have a focused conversation. Put yourself on their physical level, and maintain gentle eye contact to ensure you have one another's attention. Then, slowly discuss the issue with them calmly and steadily.

Some key tips to ensure they feel respected and acknowledged, rather than attacked or criticized, include:

• Acknowledging their feelings as soon as they display them
• Encouraging cooperation rather than commanding them
• Focusing on positivity and what they can do to help themselves
• Offering affirmations
• Giving them meaningful but straightforward choices in the process
• Avoiding overwhelming them with hard decisions
• Framing things around familiar events to help with visualization

You should then be able to start working with them to assemble healthier collections of items, discarding items that do not serve a physical or emotional purpose, and getting their space back into a habitable position.

Getting Support for Your Loved One

With targeted effort and clear communication, you can learn how to stop hoarding and turn your loved one's hoard from a hazard into something manageable. At the same time, Sabine Place can help care for them with round-the-clock staff and oversight.

Together, you and the team here at Sabine Place can give your loved one the help they need. Our assisted living options, alongside comprehensive staff training efforts, ensure we can make their stay as comfortable as possible. So, contact us today and book a tour to learn more about what we offer.