Hoarders: Overload

[AZChristian]

9 hours ago, auntjess said:

But were you tempted?

Absolutely.

 

ETA:  While I did not report him to his landlord, we did have several home health care agencies whose representatives had been in the house.  When I mentioned my concerns for his health to them (tripping over crap with his mobility issues, dust impacting his breathing issues, etc.), they would just look at me and say, "Oh, we see a lot worse."  So, apparently, unless the cameras are outside to film an episode of Hoarders, we should let people continue to live in an already unhealthy, unsafe environment until the cameras get there????

Edited June 30, 2017 by AZChristian

[JudyObscure]

A few years ago, just after this show had raised awareness about hoarders, a town tried to get serious about their own hoarders and forcibly removed the trash from quite a few hoarder houses.  In a short time they had to stop because the cleaned out hoarders were

killing themselves.  The hoarders had identified so strongly with their stuff that they felt like a big part of themselves had been cut off. Many of them felt naked and exposed with no walls of junk around them for protection.  Feeling frightened and lonely, without the shopping and churning to occupy their time, they tried to end it all.

It reminded me of the documentary "My Mother's Garden," where the director had her mother's house cleaned out, behind her back, while she was visiting her in New York and the result was her mother's deep depression. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLFXcsPjU5k

It's a real dilemma.  Unless children are involved or it's impacting the neighbors in some way, I think I would probably just leave the level three or four ones  alone. Of course the ones we've seen with no working plumbing, rats, animals, stuff overflowing into the outside -- the  law has to step in.

[funky-rat]

On ‎6‎/‎30‎/‎2017 at 0:58 AM, AZChristian said:

Absolutely.

 

ETA:  While I did not report him to his landlord, we did have several home health care agencies whose representatives had been in the house.  When I mentioned my concerns for his health to them (tripping over crap with his mobility issues, dust impacting his breathing issues, etc.), they would just look at me and say, "Oh, we see a lot worse."  So, apparently, unless the cameras are outside to film an episode of Hoarders, we should let people continue to live in an already unhealthy, unsafe environment until the cameras get there????

Most people don't want to get involved.  My late step father in law (who died in his gross hoard) just let his stuff get so out of hand and no one said a word (we tried, as did my brother in law).  The community he lived in left it go (you could smell it from the outside, and the front porch was just full of junk).  His neighbors would check in on him and just let it go.  My step sister in law who was supposed to be keeping an eye on him (you could see her house from his) never said a word, and would defend him if we said anything, and ask why we didn't help more (we live 2 hours away, but would frequently drop everything to take him to the hospital or pick him up from the hospital because she was too "busy" - my brother in law worked weird hours but would often drop by before he went to work) - just pass the buck - nevermind she didn't work and could pretty much do what she wanted when she wanted.  In his last few months, the VA sent in a home health worker.  We cheered, thinking this would be something positive - we'd been trying to get him to move to assisted living - he was going in to kidney failure, but he couldn't take his zillion cats, and wouldn't part with any.  My brother in law had come up with a plan - he worked with a local animal rescue that the next time he went in to the hospital, they were going to take all but 2 of his cats, and then he was going to call Adult Protective Services and have him removed for his own safety.  We didn't want to but felt we had run out of options.  I know my brother in law went in there a number of times and attempted to clean, but it would be back the way it was again in short order.

At any rate, my brother in law spoke to the VA worker at one of her visits.  She said yes, she said something about his living conditions, and he responded that if she didn't like it, she could clean it, and she just dropped it.  He was gone about a month later.

[auntjess]

I'd think any health worker would be a mandated reporter, especially when there are children or animals, or vermin is impacting the neighbors.

[funky-rat]

9 hours ago, auntjess said:

I'd think any health worker would be a mandated reporter, especially when there are children or animals, or vermin is impacting the neighbors.

You'd think, but either they aren't, or don't want to be bothered.

We were waiting for the VA to take one look at his place (or smell) and say "Nope.  You're leaving now."  That didn't happen.  They just shrugged their shoulders, and I don't know if they even reported it internally.

When he passed, the rescue my BIL had set up with came in and took all of his cats.  One escaped - we don't know what happened to it.  Hopefully it found a new home.

[FormerMod-a1]

Please take further non-episode/non-show talk to either Hoarders We Know and Encounter or Small Talk.

[BooksRule]

This morning, I caught the end of an overload episode that I know I had seen before:  the one with Sandra and the mansion.  The couple who bought the house were a lot more understanding that I would have been.  Sandra was a real piece of work (loved Matt's description of her as a 'sweet southern lady' on the first day, but turning into a 'raging bulldog' by the end).  I know that most hoarders are mentally ill, but it was frustrating (and, yes, a little sad) to see her so focused on continuing to bring stuff out into the street instead of listening to everyone telling her that she needed to begin loading up the things she wanted to take with her, because the clock was running out on when the trucks would come by and scoop up everything for trash.  She just kept saying 'No! We have to keep taking things out to the street first', even when she was down to a few minutes (and had a mountain of furniture, artwork, etc. piled up at the curb).  I think that was the first episode where Matt finally lost it, yelled at the hoarder and walked off (but I haven't seen all episodes).  I did laugh when Zasio described the mold in the basement as looking like someone took a stuffed animal, ripped it open and threw its contents around the room.