Officials say its a problem more serious than meets the eye
By: Rachel Silverman
Imagine a home littered with trash.
Newspapers fill every corner, egg cartons every nook.
A gang of cats runs freely through the kitchen, and parasites such as lice, fleas and mites nest inside ratty old pieces of furniture.
For individuals known as hoarders, this cluttered, claustrophobic nightmare may be reality.
Hoarding refers to the collection and retention of objects or animals until they interfere with day-to-day functions, such as home, health, family, work and social life. It strikes less than 1 percent of the population and is linked to other diseases, such as dementia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder.
In Princeton, a growing number of documented cases have prompted community leaders to organize a cross-agency, anti-hoarding task force. Last month, the group hosted a kickoff meeting with officials from the Princeton Fire Department, Human Services Commission, Health Department, Princeton Senior Resource Center and St. Paul’s health-care ministry.
Susan Hoskins, executive director of the resource center, said the umbrella organization is meant to pull together different first-responders.
"There’s such a high value on autonomy and privacy in our society that, at each agency, they really have very little they can do," she said. "If we work together, we can often have a better outcome."
Ms. Hoskins explained that the problem of hoarding is far more serious than meets the eye.
"It could be a falling hazard for someone with a wheelchair or walker," she said. "The emergency medical technicians may not be able to get in with a stretcher."
The clutter could also present an animal or fire safety hazard, she said.
"People aren’t cooking for years, because they have stuff all over the stove," Ms. Hoskins continued. "It sometimes spreads to the neighbors’ yards."
According to Ms. Hoskins, a clinical social worker by training, the disorder may have genetic underpinnings.
"It runs in families 80 percent of the time," she said.
It’s also possible to acquire hoarding habits during childhood, she explained.
"The people that are hoarders now are the generation that lived through the Depression," she said. "They think there’s a use for everything you don’t throw anything out."
Ms. Hoskins said the subject will be discussed further during a brown-bag lunch session at the Princeton Senior Resource Center on Dec. 16.
"It’s fine to be a collector," she added. "But the hope is to help them stay safe and stay healthy."

