Many of us have seen TV shows dedicated to cleaning out houses that are filled to the brim with rubbish, or have read horror stories about extreme hoarders, but have you ever really given hoarding much thought?
Examples of the extreme are not hard to find, with a man in his 70s burning alive in a house fire in Noble Park, Victoria, in a blaze the fire department referred to as a “high fuel load”. An 82-year-old woman, also from Victoria was found dead under a pile of her belongings, after being missing for more than 18 months.
The RSPCA have cited cases where cats have died from being covered in too many fleas, and one woman reportedly resorted to going to the toilet in a kitty litter tray because she couldn’t get to her toilet, and would then store the used litter and her excrement in other areas of the house.
What Causes Hoarding?
In many cases, the compulsive need to hold onto items that most of us would readily throw out is a mental illness known as “hoarding disorder”. This is a persistent difficulty in discarding possessions, regardless of their actual value, to the point where the person’s accumulated goods congest living areas and impede their intended use.
Many people who suffer from this condition will energetically collect items from thrift shops, yard sales and the like, and are often drawn to items such as newspapers, magazines, old clothes, bags, books, mail, and paperwork.
Some sufferers are even inclined to collect rubbish that they see on the street and bring it home with them. However, hoarding often extends beyond these parameters and leads to a pile up of household goods, furniture, old appliances and much more
This condition can be triggered through a sense of sentimentality, by an emotional loss, some form of trauma, or even from simple loneliness. Regardless of the cause, the effects of hoarding can be severe.
Why Is Hoarding Dangerous?
In 2007, the Metropolitan Fire Brigade over in Melbourne began looking into hoarding after they realised there had been three deaths in a four month period where hoarding seemed to be a common denominator. After further research they discovered that hoarding fires account for 24 per cent of all preventable deaths, with an average of 10-15 call outs per month for hoarding fires.
However, fires aren’t the only risk posed by hoarding. A lack of functional living space often causes a lower quality of life, with hoarders often going without heating and other comforts. It also causes anger, resentment and depression among family members, and can affect social development in children.
Plus, there are many health risks associated with hoarding, as healthy cooking becomes difficult, and in many cases so does bathing and sleeping. There is also an increased risk of injury from falling/tripping or from falling objects.
Hiring a Skip Bin for the Clean-Up
If your loved one is suffering from “hoarding disorder”, there’s no short term fix, and encouraging to throw away trash can be difficult.
One approach is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, whereby the individual is taught to see the objects around them in a new light, and sometimes the most appropriate fix is getting them to scale back and only have one room dedicated to storage, rather than an entire house.
When the time does come to clean out their property, hiring a skip bin – or two – will be a worthwhile investment. This will likely be a distressing time for everyone involved, but with the correct waste management assistance, the process will be streamlined, so your loved one can start healing in a safer, more spacious home.
If you’re looking at hiring a skip bin for your waste disposal needs, contact Bulk Waste Collection today.
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