Hoarding

owlwink

This week my family and I had to clean out my granny's drawing room because it was quite cluttered and all of the family tend to meet there on xmas eve to exchange gifts. This year we were all quite shocked as it was clearly evident that her need to hoard has become compulsive to the point where it is clearly a serious problem. This leads me to a series of questions and statements

1. Have you experienced anyone in a similiar situation (elaborate at will) or are you the hoarder ?

2. Think about your own hoarding (if appropriate) and dispose or donate any junk !!!

3. Someone please try explain what an ornament means to them and explain to me how someone can justify filling their house with useless objects!!!

4. Is there any way of curing this condition (if it is one)?

Lexus1976

Everybody is a hoarder to some extent. So what if your granny likes to collect ornaments. Whats strange about that? I know hundreds of people who have their house filled with ornaments.

4. Is there any way of curing this condition (if it is one)?

Yeah leave your granny alone and start worrying about your attitude towards the elderly :rolleyes:

Darragh29

owlwink wrote: »

This week my family and I had to clean out my granny's drawing room because it was quite cluttered and all of the family tend to meet there on xmas eve to exchange gifts. This year we were all quite shocked as it was clearly evident that her need to hoard has become compulsive to the point where it is clearly a serious problem. This leads me to a series of questions and statements

1. Have you experienced anyone in a similiar situation (elaborate at will) or are you the hoarder ?

2. Think about your own hoarding (if appropriate) and dispose or donate any junk !!!

3. Someone please try explain what an ornament means to them and explain to me how someone can justify filling their house with useless objects!!!

4. Is there any way of curing this condition (if it is one)?

Jesus don't get me started! Me Granny used to hoard everything! Ireland's Owns, phone books, you name it, she had it in abundance!

owlwink

Lexus1976 wrote: »

Everybody is a hoarder to some extent. So what if your granny likes to collect ornaments. Whats strange about that? I know hundreds of people who have their house filled with ornaments.

4. Is there any way of curing this condition (if it is one)?

Yeah leave your granny alone and start worrying about your attitude towards the elderly :rolleyes:

Well would you not consider it a problem when it is apparent that she can barely move around rooms because of the clutter and it is dangerous for her because there are so many boxes.

Your idea seems to be the standard approach people take towards the elderly. LEAVE THEM ALONE TO ROT IN THEIR HOUSES???

I should probably mention that the problem is the excess of the hoarding, hence it is compulsive. I'm sorry if commenting on ornaments upsets you. it's just they always seem to be the core of the problem. I didnt say collecting ornaments I said hoarding ornaments. ;-)

Plug

owlwink wrote: »

This week my family and I had to clean out my granny's drawing room because it was quite cluttered and all of the family tend to meet there on xmas eve to exchange gifts. This year we were all quite shocked as it was clearly evident that her need to hoard has become compulsive to the point where it is clearly a serious problem. This leads me to a series of questions and statements

1. Have you experienced anyone in a similiar situation (elaborate at will) or are you the hoarder ?

2. Think about your own hoarding (if appropriate) and dispose or donate any junk !!!

3. Someone please try explain what an ornament means to them and explain to me how someone can justify filling their house with useless objects!!!

4. Is there any way of curing this condition (if it is one)?

YORE MA is Hoarding on the streets.

endasmail

just leave her at it ,no cure

Ross_Mahon

My grand parents have collected a huge amount of videos, DVD's and books over the years, Its getting to the point were stuff is being moved to the shed.

m83

Plug wrote: »

YORE MA is Hoarding on the streets.

Ban please.

Overheal

This is really a Personal Issue, and hoarding can be a serious mental illness.

I've seen houses where the hoarding was just beyond reproach - you couldnt walk into the garage/carport, just a pure mountain of shyte. The living room was full of books arranged into little corridors weaving around the room and halls. The couch was filled with purses. Umpteen packs of rotting meat in the fridge. countless unopened bottles of milk on the counter. An entire drawer committed to dozens of scissors.

Compulsive Hoarding

.

m83

Ross_Mahon wrote: »

My grand parents have collected a huge amount of videos, DVD's and books over the years, Its getting to the point were stuff is being moved to the shed.

Wow! That's so interesting and amazing! You should write a film about it starring Kirk Douglas and Brian Dennehy as your grandparents. I'd watch that!

AlmightyCushion

My parents are the same. We've a massive shed full of crap that will never be used.

owlwink

Overheal wrote: »

This is really a Personal Issue, and hoarding can be a serious mental illness.

I've seen houses where the hoarding was just beyond reproach - you couldnt walk into the garage/carport, just a pure mountain of shyte. The living room was full of books arranged into little corridors weaving around the room and halls. The couch was filled with purses. Umpteen packs of rotting meat in the fridge. countless unopened bottles of milk on the counter. An entire drawer committed to dozens of scissors.

Compulsive Hoarding

.

It's random because I looked at this and it really is a very ambiguous "illness" as in most cases it is more a symptom of OCD.

Never know when you might need rotting meat though...

owlwink

"Use it or Loose it"... (junk motto)

Quazzie

Look at channel 241 (SKY) right now if ya wanna know more about it

GirlInterrupted

owlwink wrote: »

This week my family and I had to clean out my granny's drawing room because it was quite cluttered and all of the family tend to meet there on xmas eve to exchange gifts. This year we were all quite shocked as it was clearly evident that her need to hoard has become compulsive to the point where it is clearly a serious problem. This leads me to a series of questions and statements

1. Have you experienced anyone in a similiar situation (elaborate at will) or are you the hoarder ?

2. Think about your own hoarding (if appropriate) and dispose or donate any junk !!!

3. Someone please try explain what an ornament means to them and explain to me how someone can justify filling their house with useless objects!!!

4. Is there any way of curing this condition (if it is one)?

I've had a relative with hoarding tendancies, although she was very elderly and forgetful so we could blitz out the rubbish and she wouldn't necessarily remember it.

I collect certain things, and I'm sure this is related to the hoarding trait, I hope it never goes beyond collections and into plastic-wrapper-hoarding territory.

I doubt an elderly person will change their ways without considerable stress to themselves, and I think relatives will have to step in and ensure there's no fire hazard or safety issue as regards escape routes in a fire situation etc.

Hoarding is a recognised symptom of mental illness common in the elderly, and usually, from what I've read, very hard to treat.

Biggins

LOL One of my Grandmothers hoarded everything.

...including a cannonball and a musket she found in her garden.
We eventually persuaded her to give it to the towns museum but it took years for her to part with it!
What the heck she wanted to keep an old cannon ball for stretches the mind. :pac:

4zn76tysfajdxp

Biggins wrote: »

LOL One of my Grandmothers hoarded everything.

...including a cannonball and a musket she found in her garden.
We eventually persuaded her to give it to the towns museum but it took years for her to part with it!
What the heck she wanted to keep an old cannon ball for stretches the mind. :pac:

Is this the same Grandmother whos house collapsed on top of you? Maybe she was in trouble with some of the local pirates.

Biggins

Leon Blue Anorexic wrote: »

Is this the same Grandmother whos house collapsed on top of you? Maybe she was in trouble with some of the local pirates.

LOL the Granmothers house was in Scarlet st, Drogheda. A few yards down the road was the prison that Cromwell used as he passed thru on his holiday trip! The balls were a souvenir he left for the residents. He left many such gifts everywhere apparently 'cos he was such a nice bloke!
(the street was called Scarlet st cos of the blood that ran down it from the prison)

owlwink

Biggins wrote: »

LOL the Granmothers house was in Scarlet st, Drogheda. A few yards down the road was the prison that Cromwell used as he passed thru on his holiday trip! The balls were a souvenir he left for the residents. He left many such gifts everywhere apparently 'cos he was such a nice bloke!
(the street was called Scarlet st cos of the blood that ran down it from the prison)

Yesterday my granny did allow one thing to leave her drawing room. It was a bust made of her head for some radiotherapy thing. I took it from her in the hope to scoop out the head and make a plant pot holder for a cactus. This is not a personal hoarding tendency (I hope) more of a random tendency I have...

abi2007

owlwink wrote: »

"Use it or Loose it"... (junk motto)

I agree.. i don't keep anything i don't use. hate clutter.

the_syco

I hoard stuff. Not as bad as I used to, but meh.

emeraldstar

owlwink wrote: »

Yesterday my granny did allow one thing to leave her drawing room. It was a bust made of her head for some radiotherapy thing. I took it from her in the hope to scoop out the head and make a plant pot holder for a cactus. This is not a personal hoarding tendency (I hope) more of a random tendency I have...

That's just weird

owlwink

emeraldstar wrote: »

That's just weird

:eek:Shockingly Strange.

emeraldstar

owlwink wrote: »

:eek:Shockingly Strange.

No, really... I couldn't scoop out my granny's (fake) head. It would be a bit unsettling.

barnacle

Yore ma is a hoar.

4zn76tysfajdxp

emeraldstar wrote: »

No, really... I couldn't scoop out my granny's (fake) head. It would be a bit unsettling.

Would you scoop out her real head?

owlwink

barnacle wrote: »

Yore ma is a hoar.

You never really said whose "ma", but it's ok a peanut brain is a hard thing to work with...

emeraldstar

Leon Blue Anorexic wrote: »

Would you scoop out her real head?

No, I don't think I would.

WoollyRedHat

All hoarding isn't too bad though. Some of it is great to look back on, for other family members too. I love going through old issues of Reader's digest and such for example, interesting stuff, gives you a taste of what it was like back then.

Eoin

owlwink wrote: »

1. Have you experienced anyone in a similiar situation (elaborate at will) or are you the hoarder ?

2. Think about your own hoarding (if appropriate) and dispose or donate any junk !!!

3. Someone please try explain what an ornament means to them and explain to me how someone can justify filling their house with useless objects!!!

4. Is there any way of curing this condition (if it is one)?

I think sometimes it comes from when people lived in much harder times (rationing during war time etc), when nothing was thrown away.

I'm not too bad, but we have lots of ornaments from various holidays etc, which I would hate to throw away. They may not serve any tangible purpose, but I wouldn't want to be that cynical where everything must be utilitarian and have no emotional value attached to it.

4zn76tysfajdxp

emeraldstar wrote: »

No, I don't think I would.

You're missing out.

stick-dan

I generally hoard some of my personal stuff that means a great deal to me like sentimental items but the rest of it i donate to charity.

gurramok

What about grannys hoarding chocs given to them by their relatives?

Hoards of Toblerone, Black Magic etc just left there past by the best before date, i dunno what it is, but why do they do that and not just eat the frigging things?

owlwink

gurramok wrote: »

What about grannys hoarding chocs given to them by their relatives?

Hoards of Toblerone, Black Magic etc just left there past by the best before date, i dunno what it is, but why do they do that and not just eat the frigging things?

almost as bad as hoarding drink until it's worthless.

the_syco

owlwink wrote: »

almost as bad as hoarding drink until it's worthless.

Unless it's wine. Then when you find it, it's suddenly worth a few mil.

owlwink

the_syco wrote: »

Unless it's wine. Then when you find it, it's suddenly worth a few mil.

Or a fine substitute for vinegar.

Blush_01

I have to admit, I'm more than a bit of a hoarder.