{"id":616295,"date":"2026-05-01T00:43:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T00:43:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/616295\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T00:43:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T00:43:14","slug":"for-seniors-hoarding-disorder-is-a-concern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/616295\/","title":{"rendered":"For Seniors, Hoarding Disorder Is A Concern"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Sarah Boden |\u00a0Spotlight PA<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Eva Williams, wife of Fight the Blight founder Matt Williams, works to clean the basement of someone with hoarding disorder.
Credit: Submitted<\/p>\n

A dozen people seated around folding tables clap heartily for a beaming woman: She\u2019s donated two 13-gallon garbage bags full of clothes, including several Christmas sweaters and a couple of pantsuits, to a Presbyterian church.<\/p>\n

A closet cleanout might not seem a significant accomplishment. But as the people in this Sunday-night class can attest, getting rid of stuff is agonizing for those with\u00a0hoarding disorder<\/a>.<\/p>\n

People with the diagnosis accumulate an excessive volume of things such as household goods, craft supplies, even pets. In extreme cases, their homes become so crammed that moving between rooms is possible only via narrow pathways.<\/p>\n

These unsafe conditions can also lead to strained relationships.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had a few relatives and friends that have condemned me, and it doesn\u2019t help,\u201d said Bernadette, a Pennsylvania woman in her early 70s who has struggled with hoarding since retiring and no longer allows guests in her home.<\/p>\n

People who hoard are often stigmatized as lazy or dirty. NPR, Spotlight PA, and KFF Health News agreed to use only the first names of people with hoarding disorder interviewed for this article because they fear personal and professional repercussions if their condition is made public.<\/p>\n

As baby boomers age into the group most affected by hoarding disorder, the psychiatric condition is a growing public health concern. Effective treatments are scarce. And because hoarding can require expensive interventions that drain municipal resources, more funding and expertise is needed to support those with the diagnosis before the issue grows into a crisis.<\/p>\n

For Bernadette, the 16-week course is helping her turn over a new leaf.<\/p>\n

The program doubles as a support group and is provided through\u00a0Fight the Blight<\/a>. The Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, organization started offering the course at a local Masonic temple after founder Matt Williams realized the area lacked hoarding-specific mental health services.<\/p>\n

Fight the Blight\u00a0uses a curriculum<\/a>\u00a0based on cognitive behavioral therapy to help participants build awareness of what fuels their hoarding. People learn to be more thoughtful about what they purchase and save, and they create strategies so that decluttering doesn\u2019t become overwhelming.<\/p>\n

Perhaps more importantly, attendees say they\u2019ve formed a community knitted together through the shared experience of a psychiatric illness that comes with high rates of\u00a0social isolation<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0depression<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou get friendship,\u201d said Sanford, a classmate of Bernadette\u2019s.<\/p>\n

After a lifetime of judgment, these friendships have become an integral part of the changes that might help participants eventually clear out the clutter.<\/p>\n

Clutter Catches Up to Baby Boomers<\/p>\n

Studies have estimated that hoarding disorder affects\u00a0around 2.5%<\/a>\u00a0of the general population \u2014 a higher rate than schizophrenia.<\/p>\n

The mental illness was previously considered a subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder, but in 2013 it was given its\u00a0own diagnostic criteria<\/a>\u00a0in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the DSM-5.<\/p>\n

The biological and environmental factors that may drive hoarding are not well understood. Symptoms\u00a0usually appear<\/a>\u00a0during the teenage years and tend to be more severe among older adults with the disorder. That\u2019s partly because they have had more time to acquire things, said\u00a0Kiara Timpano<\/a>, a University of Miami psychology professor.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of a sudden you have to downsize this huge home with all the stuff and so it puts pressures on individuals,\u201d she said. In Bernadette\u2019s case, her clutter includes a collection of VHS tapes, and spices in her kitchen that she said date back to the Clinton administration.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s more than just having decades to stockpile possessions; the urge to accumulate strengthens with age, according to\u00a0Catherine Ayers<\/a>, a psychiatry professor at the University of California-San Diego.<\/p>\n

Researchers are working to discern why. Ayers and Timpano theorize that age-related cognitive changes \u2014 particularly in the frontal lobe, which regulates impulsivity and problem-solving \u2014 might exacerbate the disorder.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is the only mental health disorder, besides dementia, that increases in prevalence and severity with age,\u201d Ayers said.<\/p>\n

As the U.S. population ages, hoarding presents a growing public health concern: Some 1 in 5 U.S. residents are baby boomers, all of whom will be 65 or older\u00a0by 2030<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This population shift will require the federal government to address hoarding disorder, among other age-related issues that it has not previously prioritized, according to a\u00a0July report<\/a>\u00a0by the Democratic staff of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, chaired then by former Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.).<\/p>\n

Health Hazards of Hoarding<\/p>\n

Clutter creates physical risks. A cramped and disorderly home is especially dangerous for older adults because the risk of falling and breaking a bone\u00a0increases with age<\/a>. And having too many things in one space can be a\u00a0fire hazard<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Last year, the\u00a0National Fallen Firefighters Foundation<\/a>\u00a0wrote to the Senate committee\u2019s leadership that \u201choarding conditions are among the most dangerous conditions the fire service can encounter.\u201d The group also said that cluttered homes delay emergency care and increase the likelihood of a first responder being injured on a call.<\/p>\n

The Bucks County Board of Commissioners in Pennsylvania told Casey that hoarding-related mold and insects can spread to adjacent households, endangering the health of neighbors.<\/p>\n

Due to these safety concerns, it might be tempting for a family member or public health agency to quickly empty someone\u2019s home in one fell swoop.<\/p>\n

That can backfire, Timpano said, as it fails to address people\u2019s underlying issues and can be traumatic.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can really disrupt the trust and make it even less likely that the individual is willing to seek help in the future,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s more effective, Timpano said, to help people build internal motivation to change and help them identify goals to manage their hoarding.<\/p>\n

For example, at the Fight the Blight class, a woman named Diane told the group she wanted a cleaner home so she could invite people over and not feel embarrassed.<\/p>\n

Sanford said he is learning to keep his documents and record collection more organized.<\/p>\n

Bernadette wants to declutter her bedroom so she can start sleeping in it again. Also, she\u2019s glad she cleared enough space on the first floor for her cat to play.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause now he\u2019s got all this room,\u201d she said, \u201che goes after his tail like a crazy person.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the home of someone with hoarding disorder might always be a bit cluttered, and that\u2019s OK. The goal of treatment is to make the space healthy and safe, Timpano said, not to earn Marie Kondo\u2019s approval.<\/p>\n

Lack of Treatment Leaves Few Options<\/p>\n

A\u00a02020 study<\/a>\u00a0found that hoarding correlates with homelessness, and\u00a0those with the disorder<\/a>\u00a0are more\u00a0likely to be evicted<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Housing advocates argue that under the Fair Housing Act, tenants with the diagnosis are entitled to reasonable accommodation. This might include allowing someone time to declutter a home and seek therapy before forcing them to leave their home.<\/p>\n

But as outlined in the Senate aging committee\u2019s report, a lack of resources limits efforts to carry out these accommodations.<\/p>\n

Hoarding is difficult to treat. In a\u00a02018 study<\/a>\u00a0led by Ayers, the UCSD psychiatrist, researchers found that people coping with hoarding need to be highly motivated and often require substantial support to remain engaged with their therapy.<\/p>\n

The challenge of sticking with a treatment plan is exacerbated by a shortage of clinicians with necessary expertise, said Janet Spinelli, the co-chair of Rhode Island\u2019s\u00a0hoarding task force<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Could Changes to Federal Policy Help?<\/p>\n

Casey, the former Pennsylvania senator, advocated for more education and technical assistance for hoarding disorder.<\/p>\n

In September, he\u00a0called for<\/a>\u00a0the\u00a0Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration<\/a>\u00a0to develop training, assistance, and guidance for communities and clinicians. He also said the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should explore ways to cover evidence-based treatments and services for hoarding.<\/p>\n

This might include increased Medicare funding for mobile crisis services to go to people\u2019s homes, which is one way to connect someone to therapy, Spinelli said.<\/p>\n

Another strategy would involve allowing Medicaid and Medicare to reimburse community health workers who assist patients with light cleaning and organizing;\u00a0research has found<\/a>\u00a0that many who hoard struggle with categorization tasks.<\/p>\n

Williams, of Fight the Blight, agrees that in addition to more mental health support, taxpayer-funded services are needed to help people address their clutter.<\/p>\n

When someone in the group reaches a point of wanting to declutter their home, Fight the Blight helps them start the process of cleaning, removing, and organizing.<\/p>\n

The service is free to those earning less than 150% of the federal poverty level. People making above that threshold can pay for assistance on a sliding scale; the cost varies also depending on the size of a property and severity of the hoarding.<\/p>\n

Also, Spinelli thinks Medicaid and Medicare should fund more peer-support specialists for hoarding disorder. These mental health workers draw on their own life experiences to help people with similar diagnoses. For example, peer counselors could lead classes like Fight the Blight\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Bernadette and Sanford say courses like the one they enrolled in should be available all over the U.S.<\/p>\n

To those just starting to address their own hoarding, Sanford advises patience and persistence.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if it\u2019s a little job here, a little job there,\u201d he said, \u201cthat all adds up.\u201d<\/p>\n

This article is from a partnership that includes\u00a0Spotlight PA<\/a>,\u00a0NPR<\/a>, and\u00a0KFF Health News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Spotlight PA<\/a>\u00a0is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania.\u00a0Sign up<\/a>\u00a0for its free newsletters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By\u00a0Sarah Boden |\u00a0Spotlight PA Eva Williams, wife of Fight the Blight founder Matt Williams, works to clean the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":616296,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[97,259,260],"class_list":["post-616295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mental-health","tag-health","tag-mental-health","tag-mentalhealth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=616295"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616295\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/616296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=616295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=616295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=616295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}