Our family business is doing well in the pandemic,” says reader T, “but the problem is our 70-year-old mother. She holds on to things, her house is so cluttered. We joke that mother can open her own supermarket and she is getting worse. Before the pandemic, she went to church daily and walked in the mall with friends, but now she buys stuff that she doesn’t need online. Her wheezing is getting worse. What can we do?”
Your mother suffers from hoarding disorder, exacerbated by the pandemic. Many of our current elderly did not grow up rich, so perhaps your mother learned to be thrifty starting in childhood. Certain items, such as family photo albums, offer comfort and have become priceless treasures. This behavior is not necessarily alarming, but clearly, hoarding is already negatively impacting your mother’s health and quality of life.
Aside from allergies, research shows that people who live with clutter more likely experience depression and anxiety, headaches, fatigue, low motivation, low self-worth. Many seniors are intimidated by technology, yet your mother migrated online to buy and hoard.
Your mother may be suffering from some kind of depression and anxiety. You as her family need to patiently understand her situation and brainstorm ways to improve her life.
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If other symptoms, such as suicide thoughts, crop up, you need to insist that she consult a psychologist or a psychiatrist as soon as possible, even online. Therapy can help, with medications to alleviate depression and anxiety if needed.
Why does your mother hoard things regardless of value?
