Hoarding, behavior characterized by acquiring and failing to throw out a large number of items that would appear to have little or no value to others, is a problem that can affect people of all age groups. Seniors, however, tend to suffer from hoarding more frequently. Problems that come from aging, such as dementia and frontal lobe impairment, can bring on Diogenes Syndrome, or elderly hoarding.
While hoarding can be a tough subject to bring up, there are many ways that you can help seniors in your life deal with hoarding. The first step to helping your loved ones is to recognize the problem. It is important to look for the signs that the senior in your life may be a hoarder and to see how bad the problem is.
Once you have established that there is a problem, use these simple tips to start working towards a solution. You can also follow these steps to carefully address the problem without offending your loved ones.
