Politics
My mum is a hoarder and her home is uninhabitable
DEAR DEIDRE: MY mum has come to live with me as her home has become uninhabitable.
I’m 45 and have grown-up children. Mum is 79.
The agreement was she would help me clear out her home so she could return to live there
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The agreement was she would help me clear out her home so she could return to live there.
But six months have passed and she hasn’t lifted a finger – or shown any sign of wanting to.
I would be happy to sort it all out myself but she won’t let me go through anything, insisting only she can do that.
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There are newspapers, junk mail and cards going back decades. Every surface is piled high with jars, boxes, old broken crockery she says she will fix.
You can’t even enter certain rooms because the floor is covered with boxes and old clothes. It makes my skin crawl.
How can I help her get out of this habit?
Most read in Dear Deidre
DEIDRE SAYS: Your mother is a hoarder and sometimes people who live like this can’t even see they are doing it.
Hoarding often starts because that individual has been through some traumatic experience.
Keeping hold of every single possession is a way of maintaining a sense of control. Find out more at mind.org.uk.
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