Is hoarding a red flag for dementia?
A. There are many factors involved in hoarding behavior in older adults, including obsessive compulsive disorder and dementia. According to a study of 133 patients with dementia admitted to a geropsychiatric ward, 22.6% had hoarding behavior (Hwang, et al, 1998). Individuals with hoarding behavior related to dementia tend to have difficulty in engaging in sequential tasks, making cleaning and organizing more difficult. Additionally, if they experience delusions associated with Alzheimer’s Disease, this subgroup will be more concerned with hiding their possessions as they may believe people are stealing from them. In the upcoming year, we will be developing guidelines on how to therapeutically work with hoarding behavior in adults with dementia.
