Resources  For
Families and Children of Hoarders
 

 

Dear Reader:

  If you are looking into this link for children and families of individuals who hoard and clutter, chances are there is someone in your life you are worried about who has difficulty with this issue. You are not alone.

 In fact, at presentations I have given on hoarding behavior, I am always struck that a fair amount of the audience is comprised of individuals who identify that someone close to them is living and struggling with hoarding behaviors. After a discussion of treatment options for individuals who hoard, questions that typically arise from audience members include “Yes, but, what if the individual doesn’t want treatment?” and “What can we as family members do to cope with this situation?”

 These are excellent questions, and, unfortunately, there are not always hard and fast answers to these questions. While hoarding has historically largely been a hidden issue, over the past decade there has been an enormous increase in the amount of scientific, public health, public policy, and humane interest in this topic. We have compiled links to several resources that we believe could be of interest to you as you struggle with these issues. We hope that these resources will address some of your questions and provide you with support.

 Thank you for visiting our site.

Sincerely,
Tamara Hartl, Ph.D.
Stanford University School of Medicine
VA Palo Alto Health Care System


The following web sites may be of interest:*

Caring.com, Family Advisor, April 20, 2010
Mom's a hoarder whose "stuff" is keeping us apart!
by Carol O'Dell 



New England Hoarding Consortium, Page 13 of  Hoarding Newsletter, Spring 2009                
 Helping Family Members Who Hoard                                                              
http://www.science.smith.edu/departments/PSYCH/rfrost/Spring_2009_Hoarding_Newsletter.pdf



How to Talk to Someone with Hoarding: Do’s and Don’ts
The Do's and Don'ts page

 

Alzheimers and Hoarding
http://www.cornellaging.com/pdf/hoa_alz.pd



Help for Hoarders:10 small steps
by Dorothy Breininger



For families where animal hoarding is a problem: See

The Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium web site.
Tips for families and friends
Intervention is possible but challenging, requiring tact and patience
 http://www.tufts.edu/vet/cfa/hoarding/intervent.htm#A1

GateHouse News Service,Reading, MA  May 31, 2007
By Dan O'Leary, The Senior Advocate
My good friend’s house is extremely cluttered. I’m not sure if she would be classified as a hoarder,
but she definitely has a problem. Do you have any suggestions on how I might help her
http://www.townonline.com/reading/opinion/x1856463940



"Spouses of Hoarders"
Yahoo Group run by Sandra Felton of Messies Anonymous:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mates-of-Messies/



When a Loved One Hoards
by David Tolin Author of Buried Treasures Oxford University Press
 "Some general principals to guide conversations:
Show Empathy: Don't Argue; Respect Autonomy; Help the person recognize that his/her actions
are inconsistent with his/her greater goals or values."
 http://blog.oup.com/oupblog/2007/01/when_a_loved_on.html



Article on How Compulsive Hoarding Affects Family found on OCF Web site: 
 http://www.ocfoundation.info/hoarding/effects-family-society.php 

 

When a Loved  one hoards By Dr. David Tolin

You may wish to check this unique web site for families and children of hoarders
http://www.childrenofhoarders.com/



A Yahoo chat group for children of hoarders
 http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/childrenofhoarders/



On line Support group  for friends and family
This group is for those who care about someone who is a hoarder. It is not a therapy group. Here we share information
which may be useful in understanding those whose lives are impacted by hoarding. Perhaps some ideas for approaches will prove useful.
This site is run by Sandra Felton organizer of Messies Anonymous
 http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Friends-of-Hoarders/



BOOK

Digging Out -
Helping Your Loved One Manage Clutter, Hoarding & Compulsive Acquiring
by Tamara Hart PhD., Michael Tompkins, PhD.
New Harbinger Publications 2009
This book gives manageable steps for helping your loved one make gradual and lasting change. 
 

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