Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2001
Publication Title
Health and Social Work
Abstract
Although hoarding has been studied in adults, little is known about problems of hoarding by elderly people. This study used a structured telephone interview with elder services providers to investigate hoarding behaviors in relation to functional impairment, cognitive deficits, and physical and psychological conditions in 62 elderly clients. Most elderly hoarders were female, unmarried, and lived alone. Extensive clutter was associated with significant impairment, interfering with basic hygiene, and posing a serious physical threat for many elderly clients. Clients were rarely insightful about their collecting and often resisted change, rendering interventions generally ineffective. Never-married status was associated with more severe hoarding and greater impairment and possibly with worse outcomes of intervention efforts. Health and mental health implications of hoarding by elderly people and implications for treatment are discussed.
Keywords
Clutter, Collecting, Elderly people, Hoarding, Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Volume
26
Issue
3
First Page
176
Last Page
184
DOI
10.1093/hsw/26.3.176
ISSN
03607283
Recommended Citation
Steketee, Gail; Frost, Randy O.; and Kim, Hyo-Jin, "Hoarding By Elderly People" (2001). Psychology: Faculty Publications, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
https://scholarworks.smith.edu/psy_facpubs/158
Comments
Archived as published. Open access paper.