Whats the difference between clutter and hoarding?
A. Cluttered conditions in a senior’s home may result from a variety of causes including physical frailty, dementia or hoarding behavior. Clutter becomes problematical when areas of the home cannot be used for their intended purpose (i.e. bed cannot be slept on, stove cannot be used for cooking) or possessions pose a safety hazard or endanger the senior’s tenancy. Hoarding is a behavior characterized by 1) collecting items that either do not serve a purpose or are redundant 2) collecting but not discarding, 3) extreme emotional attachment to the items collected and an inability to part with them without significant anxiety and stress.
