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We want Tasmanians who live with hoarding or have challenges maintaining a healthy home to have access to effective support so they can age well at home.
This research project looks into the experiences and needs of Tasmanian families, carers, and service providers who support older people living with hoarding or challenges maintaining a healthy home.
We want Tasmanians who live with hoarding or have challenges maintaining a healthy home to have access to effective support that enables them to age well at home.
Treasured Lives shows us how this can happen by:
Treasured Lives received ethics approval to talk directly to older Tasmanians who live with these challenges. Unfortunately, the Tasmanian Department of Health does not currently have the capacity to work on this with us. We strongly recommend that older people who live with these challenges are included in any future consultations about supports and services.
For more information about the project please contact the Researcher, Lindsey Fidler, on lindseyf@anglicare-tas.org.au.
This research project is being overseen by a Research Reference Group. It includes members from:
For more information about the project please contact the Researcher, Lindsey Fidler, on lindseyf@anglicare-tas.org.au .
The project has been approved the University of Tasmania’s Human Research Ethics Committee. Project ID 18686. If you have a complaint to make about how this research is being conducted please contact Research Integrity and Ethics Unit: human.ethics@utas.edu.au | Phone: (03) 6226 6254.
If you have a complaint to make about any other matter relating to the project, please contact: Mary Bennett, SARC Coordinator, on email: maryb@anglicare-tas.org.au.
Hoarding is a recognised psychiatric disorder involving challenges with acquiring, sorting and/or discarding items or animals. It may lead to living spaces being unsafe and difficult to use for their intended purposes, such as sleeping, cooking and bathing. People with such challenges hold significant attachment to items, which makes discarding difficult. It can also lead to people being socially isolated.
Challenges maintaining a healthy home describes an unsanitary environment that has arisen from extreme or prolonged neglect and poses health and safety risks to the people and/or animals living there, as well as others within the community. It could be because there is an accumulation of rubbish, decomposing food, grime, dust or mould. This can lead to health challenges for those who live there.
‘Older Tasmanians’ in Treasured Lives are people aged over 50, or 45 if they are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
In this video we speak with Social Researcher, Lindsey Fidler about the Treasured Lives project.
We discuss:
It is estimated that 2.5% of the adult population live with hoarding. This means about 5,000 older Tasmanians might have hoarding behaviour.
It is estimated that one household with hoarding could cost the government over $56,000 in emergency care and legal matters. If that household is given effective specialist supports, the cost falls significantly.
This means the Tasmanian government could be spending over $200m on older Tasmanians living with hoarding or CMHH. If resources were spent on effective specialist supports, we estimate the cost would fall to under $800,000 per year, with additional supports through Primary Health Tasmania.
Treasured Lives has looked at what Tasmania needs to deliver effective support for these households. The first phase of the project looked at the experiences and needs of families and carers. The second phase has looked at how services currently try to provide support and deal with problems. Together they provide Tasmania’s first in-depth insights into hoarding and CMHH.
In the first part of Treasured Lives, we talked to the families and carers of older Tasmanians who have challenges with hoarding or maintaining a healthy home.
The report focuses on what we know about people who live with this issue and the experiences of their families and carers. It examines how to help families and carers and what’s being done interstate and internationally.
This part of the research explored what Tasmanian services need to help older people who have challenges with hoarding or maintaining a healthy home.
It looked at aged care and disability support, and other services like housing and mental health. It also explored the role of statutory agencies such as emergency services, local government environmental health and animal welfare organisations.
Staff working in these areas were interviewed to ask what it’s like for them. They reported that they had nowhere to refer their clients to and were sometimes unable to work with them due to workplace health and safety issues. These are some of the most vulnerable older Tasmanians, but there is no safety net to help them age well.
The report also looked at policy, programs and practice in other parts of Australia and internationally that support people living with this issue, particularly older people.
We recommend the Tasmanian Government and Primary Health Tasmania invest in:
To do this, we estimate that the Tasmanian government needs to invest about $3.3m over 5 years from 2022-23 to 2025-26. As well, Primary Health Tasmania would need to invest about $4.5m over the same period.
This investment would provide intensive supports for up to 90 people a year. It would also allow mainstream services to improve and expand their response to this group.
This would be a significant saving for the government and give Tasmanians living with hoarding or CMHH access to effective supports that enable them to age well at home by 2025.
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1st to 24th April 2022, Top Gallery, Salamanca Arts Centre, Hobart Tasmania.
Artist Siobhan Marriott, who has family members with hoarding behaviour, is having a solo exhibition at the Salamanca Arts Centre.
Regional Workshops
Anglicare Tasmania held Treasured Lives Workshops across Tasmania in February 2022 to bring together professionals interested in supporting Tasmanians living with hoarding or challenges maintaining a healthy home.
These workshops aimed to:
Hear talks from Lindsey and guest speakers Siobhan Marriott (artist and member of a family living with hoarding), Lesley King (Tasmania Fire Service) and Rick Fulton (Housing Tasmania).
Webinar – Treasured Lives: Tasmanian Carers Supporting Hoarding
Facilitated by TasCOSS CEO Adrienne Picone, this webinar explored hoarding and what’s needed to ensure we can support older Tasmanians living with these challenges to age well at home. Participants had the first opportunity to hear our lead Researcher, Lindsey Fidler, share insights from Treasured Lives. It also included families and carers supporting older people living with hoarding or challenges maintaining a healthy home. Mental Health Families and Friends CEO Maxine Griffiths and Carers Tasmania’s Executive Policy Officer Dr Christine Materia also spoke.
Precious Excess: Compulsive acquisition
11th February to 26th February 2022, Moonah Arts Centre, Tasmania
This group show brought together five artists from across Australia, the USA and the UK, responding to themes of acquiring and discarding, as witnessed through the caring of family members with hoarding behaviours. While building on compassionate mental health and peer support connections, these works explore the consumerist influences of capitalism and trauma behind amassing material belongings.
See the artists’ work via Instagram @precious.excess
Read Lindsey’s introduction to the exhibition below:
Do you work or live in Tasmania?
Are you interested in joining a network to support Tasmanian families living with hoarding behaviours or challenges maintaining a healthy home?
Please complete this Expression of Interest form to let us know. Or contact Lindsey Fidler: lindseyf@anglicare-tas.org.au
Why join a regional support network?
Local networks of professionals who encounter or work with people living with hoarding behaviours can:
This is a selected list of resources that may be useful for those living with hoarding and/or maintaining a healthy home (CMHH), their families and carers, and those working with these two groups.
Name | Target group | Run by | Description |
r/hoarding | People living with hoarding
Families and carers Service providers |
Hosted by large social media platform Reddit, run by volunteer moderators. 34,000 registered members. | Public discussion forum offering advice and support. Has a wiki with comprehensive info and resources. |
International OCD Foundation | People living with hoarding
Families and carers Service providers |
Non-profit promoting awareness and providing resources and support for people affected by Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and associated conditions. | Website with information and resource directory. |
Maroondah Hoarding | People living with hoarding
Families and carers Service providers |
Forum for agencies and community groups in the City of Maroondah, Victoria, Australia. | Excellent introductory articles. Comprehensive resource guide for Maroondah locals and others |
Pathways through the maze | People living with hoarding
Families and carers Service providers |
Catholic Community Services, New South Wales, Australia | Basic information, resources and training |
Hoarding Disorders UK | People living with hoarding
Families and carers Service providers |
Hoarding Disorders UK | Resources and information for people affected by hoarding. |
Children of Hoarders | Families and carers | Volunteer grassroots U.S. non-profit | Biggest and best known online support for family members of hoarders. Resources, information and support. |
Name | Target group | Author | Description |
Hoarding Disorder playlist | People living with hoarding
Families and carers Service providers |
International OCD Foundation | A Youtube playlist of short (2-3 minute) videos explaining hoarding disorder. |
Clutter Chronicles | People living with hoarding
Families and carers Service providers |
Lori Koppelman | Free podcast. An ongoing conversation with Mary, who calls herself a recovering hoarder. |
The Hoarding Solution | People living with hoarding
Families and carers Service providers |
Tammi Moses | Free podcast. An exploration of how the community can approach this issue with compassion, kindness & awareness. |
Helping hoarders let go | People living with hoarding
Families and carers Service providers |
ABC Radio | Archived radio broadcast. An interview with Jessica Grisham, a clinical and research psychologist at the University of NSW. |
The psychology of hoarding | People living with hoarding
Families and carers Service providers |
ABC Radio | Archived radio broadcast. Interviews with Professor Randy Frost (co-author of Buried in Treasures), a support worker, and two people who hoard. |
Title | Target group | Author | Description |
Buried in Treasures | People living with hoarding
Families and carers Service providers |
David Tolin, Randy Frost and Gail Steketee | Self-help treatment program |
Stuff: Compulsive hoarding and the meaning of things | People living with hoarding
Families and carers Service providers |
Randy Frost and Gail Steketee | Case studies and exploration of the psychology of hoarding |
Digging Out: Helping your loved one manage clutter, hoarding and compulsive acquiring
|
Families and carers | Michael Tompkins and Tamara Hartl | Practical advice focusing on harm reduction and salvaging relationships |
Children of Hoarders: How to minimize conflict, reduce the clutter, and improve your relationship
|
Families and carers | Fugen Neziroglu and Katharine Donnelly | Aimed at helping adult children of hoarders manage their own emotions. Uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, mindfulness etc. |
Understanding hoarding: Reclaim your space and your life
|
People living with hoarding | Jo Cooke | An explanation of what hoarding is and an 8-step plan with practical steps to tackle the problem |
Overcoming hoarding: A self-help guide using cognitive behavioural techniques
|
People living with hoarding | Satwant Singh, Margaret Hooper and Colin Jones | Offers support, guidance and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy activities to help overcome hoarding |
Reclaim your life from hoarding
|
People living with hoarding | Eileen Dacey | Workbook with case studies, self-care strategies and an action plan |
Dirty Secret: A daughter comes clean about her mother’s compulsive hoarding | People living with hoarding
Families and carers Service providers |
Jessie Scholl | Memoir by the daughter of a parent living with hoarding behaviour |
Coming Clean | People living with hoarding
Families and carers Service providers |
Kimberley Rae Miller | Memoir by the daughter of a parent living with hoarding behaviour |
White Walls: A memoir about motherhood, daughterhood and the mess in between | People living with hoarding
Families and carers Service providers |
Judy Batalion | Memoir by the daughter of a parent living with hoarding behaviour |
Lessons in letting go: Confessions of a hoarder | People living with hoarding
Families and carers Service providers |
Corinne Grant | Memoir by an Australian living with hoarding behaviour |
Mess: One man’s struggle to clean up his house and his act | People living with hoarding
Families and carers Service providers |
Barry Yourgrau | Memoir and exploration of hoarding by a person living with hoarding behaviour |
Name | Target group | Run by | Description |
Hoarding Home Solutions Family & Friends | Families and carers | Hoarding Home Solutions | Online. Workbooks, video lessons, real life stories and resources and tools. 12 x 1-hour sessions. Fee to be paid |
Understanding and treating hoarding disorder | Families and carers
Service providers |
University of Sydney | Online; one 8-hour session. Covers etiology, assessment and therapy (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy). Fee to be paid |
Virtual Hoarding Awareness Training | Families and carers
Service providers |
Hoarding Disorders UK | Online. 4.5 hours over one day. Covers understanding hoarding, how to help and further knowledge. An advanced course is also available. Fee to be paid |
Helping People Who Hoard: Alternatives to nagging, pleading, and threatening | Families and carers | Michael Tompkins via IOCDF | Free 44-minute Youtube video. Covers dealing with people who refuse help and repairing damaged relationships.
|
Family as Motivators | Families and carers | Lifeline Victoria | One 2-hour session per week for 10 weeks. ‘How to encourage a person with hoarding disorder to seek help and look after your own wellbeing.’ Free via GP referral |
Hoarding and squalor training in effective service responses | Families and carers
Service providers |
Catholic Community Services | Full day workshop. Unclear whether online or in person. Half day introductory workshop also available. Cost unclear. |
Understanding animal hoarding | Families and carers
Service providers |
Animal Courses Direct | Online. Study time 10 hours. Fee to be paid |
How to help someone who hoards | Families and carers
Service providers |
Hoarding Home Solutions | Free online. 40 minute video. |
Name | Target group | Platform | Run by | Description |
Hoarding and clutter support group | People living with hoarding | Zoom | ARC Victoria | Free peer-led mutual self-help support group.
|
Virtual Buried in Treasures | People living with hoarding | Zoom | Mutual Support Consulting | Paid, facilitated series of workshops based on Buried in Treasures. Must have a copy of the book.
|
Online Hoarding Support Groups | People living with hoarding | chat | Steri-Clean | One group includes professionals, the other is peer only
|
Clutterers Anonymous virtual meetings | People living with hoarding | Phone and Zoom | Clutterers Anonymous | Virtual meetings following the Alcoholics Anonymous methods and traditions
|
Hoarding/Cluttering Support Group | People living with hoarding | Private Facebook group | Volunteer members | Emotional, educational and psychological support, and a resource for understanding hoarding and cluttering
|
The Clutter Movement Individual Support | People living with hoarding | Private Facebook group | Unknown | A peer community working together to share knowledge, experience, and ideas to affect sustainable change amongst themselves.
|
Adult Children of Hoarders | Families and carers | Private Facebook group | Volunteer members | ‘A place to get support, share experiences and feelings, and sometimes laugh at the absurdity of it all – without judgment’
|
Family and Friends of Hoarders Support Group | Families and carers | Private Facebook group | Volunteer members | ‘A safe place to be able to let out the frustration of living with a hoarder.’
|
MYCOHP | Families and carers | Groups.io | Volunteers | ‘A safe, understanding, peer support group for minors and youth living in hoards.’
|
Children of Hoarders | Families and carers | Groups.io | Volunteer members | Peer support and information sharing.
|
r/hoarding | People living with hoarding
Families and carers Service providers |
Volunteer members | Public discussion forum offering advice and support. | |
r/ChildofHoarder | Families and carers | Volunteers | Public discussion forum offering advice and support.
|
|
Arafmi Carer Support Group | Families and carers | Zoom | Arafmi | A wider support group of families and carers to talk about their feelings, explore alternative ways of coping, offer mutual support, or listen and observe.
|
Safe Spaces | Families and carers | Face to face and Zoom | Mental Health Families and Friends Tasmania | A wider support group of Tasmanian families and carers to share experiences with others who understand.
|
Name | Target group | Location | Service | About |
Fiona Mason,
0437 772 097 |
People living with hoarding | Hobart | Professional organiser | Works with people wanting to declutter or downsize, and also works with NDIS and MyAgedCare participants. Has training in hoarding.
|
Dr Bethany Lusk,
0361 242 222 |
People living with hoarding | Hobart | Clinical psychologist | Has an interest in working with clients experiencing hoarding problems and has completed training
|
Dr Jan Eppingstall, | People living with hoarding | Melbourne | Psychologist | Hoarding specialist offering therapy over Zoom as well as in-person
|
Julie Jensen,
0411 241 005 |
People living with hoarding | Melbourne | Counsellor | Primarily a grief counsellor with training and interest in hoarding. Offers phone and Zoom therapy as well as in person
|
George Turnure,
0413 674 328 |
People living with hoarding | Sydney | Clinical Psychologist | Works frequently with hoarding and offers multiple telehealth options |