Hoarders has been cancelled. I've been looking online for TV shows that still do this sort of help but I can't find the names...
She saw one the other night where they moved everything out and put scales under the donate and throw away areas. That family got rid of over 5000 lbs.
There was one with a black lady that had been on DWTS.
I'm just trying to be supportive and help her find a list of shows she can apply to. The only way she'll ever get this done is for it to all be in one place and her having the time to go through it and throw it away. She's asked her hubby for help several times but he's not sure she'll do it even if someone did help.
Thanks in advance for the names of some TV shows she can do.
Because the shows come out and moves everything to a different location. It's all there at once to go through. They provide the tents, they provide the cleaning of the house and do some redecorating. It all happens in a short time. They provide all the workers and do the job in a few days.
Many people who have hoarding problems are OCD and are greatly overwhelmed with things being out of place, no place for them to be. So they stack them up, put them in tubs and stick them under the bed, push them to the side the stack them up even more. They can't manage the things they own because they can't figure out what to do with them.
SO getting them all out of the home and going through them in a different location is an excellent way to get the person to part with their belongings. They see everything in a different perspective.
I put my mother in the backyard in a comfortable lawn chair. We brought all her stuff from her attic when she was having to move due to dementia. Her Christmas decorations, tree, wrapping paper, our old toys, her old clothes, my dad's old fishing gear, and a bit more.
Since it was out of the attic she was able to see it and choose to get rid of it. Before, in the attic, it would get hot, we'd just be moving stuff from one corner to another, and it was not conductive to getting rid of anything.
That's pretty much the main reason to try a show. If it doesn't happen I imagine she'll live like this for the rest of her life.
SO, anyone have any answers to my question about names of TV shows that she can apply to get on? She has NO insurance so therapy is out, she has NO family left and her church thinks she's lazy and they won't help her. I'm raising 2 of my grand kids and I work 3 part time jobs so I don't have time to hold her hand while she goes through all her stuff for weeks and weeks and months and months.
Gamma,
Instead of a TV show? Why not just help her find a professional organizer and a psychologist to help her learn WHY she is hoarding and HOW to let go of things?
She needs HELP. Not a TV show.
Good luck!!
Why a show and not just professional help?
ETA based on SWH:
The only show I know of is Hoarding: Buried Alive, which Yarrmatey already linked you to. I don't watch a lot of tv to know if there are others. I will say I'd be curious what the success rate for people who do the show is long term. I imagine without therapy, a relapse is quite possible. I'd research that a little before pursuing the show. I also have to wonder how the publicity of her situation will affect her - those shows do not try to protect the dignity of the hoarder they profile. I often wonder if they understand how they are being perceived or whether the shows are objective or really sensationalize the mental disabilities these people fight.
There are therapists who specialize in hoarding and who can help her with the emotional side, as well as physically cleaning it out (they contract with organizers to help purge the hoard.)
Is there any way she will go to a 12 step program.. they have clutterers anonymous.. this is the official website.. https://sites.google.com/site/clutterersanonymous/Home
I don't think you need a program on t.v. to get better.. in fact, what I don't like about the hoarders show is that you never hear them discussing a 12 step program.. which I think is essential... The program is FREE and like the other 12 step programs, they have more success than any other program out there... I wish her all the best..
While it seems like a grand idea on the surface that she is willing to let some "show" come in and help her with her hoarding the odds of that happening are slim.
It seems to me if this person was serious they would get some counseling and some real help from mental health professionals that specialize in this arena. She isn't the only one that needs the help. The entire family living in the house need help too.
The show formerly hosted by Neicy Nash (DWTS), is clean house and they only serve the Los Angeles area. Rarely do they venture outside of that area. The show is now hosted by Tempest Bledsoe (former Cosby Kid "Vanessa").
The more serious and possible lasting hope with this problem would be to seek professional help. Some jobs offer emergency crisis counseling. This problem would definitely qualify. I would encourage her in this direction over depending on some show to come through.
Having more than one road to get to a destination is a better way of dealing with problems than only having one way. I'll be praying for your friend.
I've heard of the weighing clutter thing before, but can't recall a name. Hoarding Buried Alive is still on-air, I think. The problem is this:
"The only way she'll ever get this done is for it to all be in one place and her having the time to go through it and throw it away."
That is a classic thing for a hoarder to say. She certainly believes it but it isn't true. If it was, she wouldn't be in this place. The show spends a limited amount of time on a person's house. If she wants it all cleared out within a few days she will not be able to personally go through everything.
The only way she will ever get this done, for real and for always, is with psychiatric care. The show does offer some of that, during and after, but so many people decline it.
I googled hoarding shows accepting applicants.
http://www.tlc.com/tv-shows/hoarding-buried-alive/about-t...
I think that's great that she's willing to do that. My mom is a hoarder and has told us repeatedly that we had better not 'surprise' her by trying to get her on a show. I wish she was willing to put herself out there to get the help.
If the show thing doesn't pan out, there are lots of other resources. Google hoarding help and tons of stuff will come up. But as you probably already know, she needs to work with a pro. It's a serious thing. My aunt is very sweet and comes out to try and help my mom, but of course they are just spinning their wheels- because my aunt is not a pro! We (the kids) get so frustrated, but my mom has to be willing to accept help and make some tough changes. It's heartbreaking for my family.
God bless you for helping your friend and standing by her.
Hoarders was canceled? :*(
Even if you find a show, it's unlikely she will get on. Worth a try though.
Any chance you can get a whole bunch of people together to commit to a few days to help her out? If she's willing, all you need are a group of people and a dumpster or two.
Good luck.
Forget a TV show, they will just want to make a spectacle out of her. She needs professional help and it does not need to be public.
Find a psychologist or therapist that can help her.
You may then need the help of a company that hauls out trash and junk.
The doctor will be with her to help her through these choices.It will take a bit of therapy, before they get to the cleaning out of her home.
I think the biggest motivator is to ask her what big ticket item she wants. For example, she may want a flat screen tv. Help her to host a Friday to Sunday yard sale with that goal in mind.
Poor thing. My mil was a clean hoarder. It would take more than the perfect time and place, I'm afraid. It is a psychological issue, usually precipitated by some kind of big loss in their life. They have to deal with that first before they can let go. My mil has always been afraid of emotions(except anger) and thought of them as tools, really to keep people doing what she wants.
I hope you friend changes her mind about the show. But I suspect she won't. It's just another defense ploy to prolong the purging because, really, what are the odds of this? If she does the therapy, you will come much closer to doing this, than searching for the perfect show, the perfect time, the perfect set up...
Gamma, I can't answer your question - wish I could. I'm sorry for your friend. My mom has a friend who has been this way for more years than we've known her. Her husband died 10 years ago and it is even worse. She recently went into the hospital and is in rehab, but we don't think she'll ever get to go home. God knows what her sister will do with her stuff if the place has to be sold...
I understand exactly what you're saying in your SWH. The truth is, just the act of WANTING someone to help is huge. Knowing full well that y mom's friend may not get home EVER, and that her poor sister will have to deal with it eventually, she STILL doesn't want anyone touching her stuff. She still resents her friends who tried to help one time throwing out what amounted to newspapers, twine, 20 year old paper cups that no one would have wanted to drink out of, that kind of stuff. One can barely walk down her little hallway and it's almost impossible to make the bed around all her stuff. I don't think she has dusted her house in years. I really think that the place is a health hazard and she's better off in a nursing home for the rest of her life, however long that will be now. (She has major health issues.)
I really feel for people like this. I can't relate to not being able to throw things out, but knowing someone like this helps me to see your friend's situation. I wish I had an idea of how else you can help, but I don't.
Hi Gamma, she is fortunate to have people like you around who care. I don't know of a TV show but maybe you can look for other resources in your area. Maybe google and try and find a professional who specializes in treating hording and see if that person will offer a sliding scale or knows of someone who does. Bottom line this is a serious psychological condition that requires professional intervention.
Does she have daily access to the internet? If so, she can at least start with Flylady.com and start getting the positive messages from her. It sounds like she'll need a great deal of outside help, but it can't hurt to see if there is anything she can do herself with routines and decluttering exercises now. I think it comes down to committing to 15 min. a day to get started. Maybe you can assist with helping her process the stuff she's ready to get rid of by taking it to the dump or goodwill for her. That's often the hardest part of getting things out of the house.
