Decluttering and Cleaning in Hoarding Situations Judith Moves You finds hoarding situations in many homes we visit. Hoarding causes dangerous health issues for the hoarder and those who live nearby. Infestation, dust, odors and fire hazards are just a few of the problems associated with these situations. Hoarding is a psychological disease which is not easy to address. You can find out more about hoarding, and see a helpful hoarding/clutter scale at the Institute for Challenging Disorganization. www.challengingdisorganization.org At Judith Moves You we get calls every week from family members and social workers who need help with this situation. Since we work with seniors, the most common scenario is when the hoarder is hospitalized and needs to return home with an aide. Homecare agencies will not place a worker until the home is safe and livable. Most of these situations need to be resolved quickly because the hospital or rehabilitation facility is ready to discharge the patient. Judith Moves You does not work directly with hoarders, but during their absence, we can make the home livable again. Infestations, mold and overwhelming smells are remediated before the process begins. Our staff scours the apartment, finding and securing items of value such as irreplaceable personal papers or fine jewelry. We then organize the items that will remain. Simultaneously, we supervise a trusted cleaning and junk hauling service specializing in deep cleaning. The hoarder themselves cannot be present during this process. If you or someone you know needs to declutter and clean a home, please give us a call to discuss the process. We look forward to helping you. |
Judith Kahn member
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