General Chat

My 95 year old mother has lived in worsen control for the past eight years but she is now going into extra care she is very lucky to live in a borough that is very good to their elderly they have just built two care homes she moves next week carpets curtains are already in each flat in the kitchen washing and tumble dryer fridge and freezer plus a dish washer but I have never seen so much rubbish I love her but thank goodness this is her last move <3 <3

The furnishing & provided equipment sound quite something. Lets hope she is able to enjoy their use for some time to come.

We're trying to help our neighbour sort things to down-size & know exactly what you mean by 'rubbish'. Her daughter has already filled one skip & taken van loads to a charity shop. I've been going through carrier bags of papers with her - the earliest date we've come across so far is a receipt from 2009. There has been loads of earlier stuff in a filing cabinet - the daughter's dealing with those.
Today's achievement was persuading her to part with calender's from 2014, 15 & 16. She insists she keeps 2017.

Its hard for them to part with their security blanket.

When My MIL & FIL moved to Warden control home it was very nice .but the rubbish in their home they moved from was awful MIL never threw anything out .old clothes newspapers handbags .but after we helped them move a lot of stuff went to the tip & charity shops Sad when they have to move but hope your Mum will be cared for Bless Her Barbara

Poor love Bless her xx

None of us live near her but my sister came up o Saturday and did some packing took about six bags to the charity shop but she made me laugh she came across this bag she thought was rubbish but was full of unused Christmas cards she said she won't have to buy another card ever again today brother found a big bag of Christmas crackers and another bag with loads of scellotapes least we had a laugh :-D :-D

When we had to clear MIL and FIL's house 3 years ago we thought being a small terraced house it wouldn't be too big a job. What a shock.......bills going back to the 50s, 3 carrier bags full of old medicines, big boxes of newspaper supplements, boxes full of old towels and sheets, all the old cable and switches from when the house was rewired in the 50s, every tear off from their prescriptions, 36 pairs of scissors and 18 clocks. Panes of glass behind the wardrobes and bits of wood everywhere. FIL had every stereo set they ever had..

Oh, don't!! I keep trying to 'downsize' my hoard! :-0

Put all these hoards together and they wouldn't match the amount of stuff I have hoarded up!

Lizx

We're another family who have recently been helping to declutter the home of an elderly relative, when she had to go into residential care.

A lifetime of collected china, 'treasures', books and photographs have been sorted and given new homes or donated to charity. The family had moved many times including postings overseas, but that didn't limit the hoard, it just added interest to the variety.

The thing is, our elderly relatives have often lived through times of great hardship and wartime shortages, so are not wasteful and are more likely to have held on to items that might one day be 'useful'.

Gwyn, there is that aspect of hating waste, and 'it might come in useful'. in our case, the neighbour was born during WW2 & must have been influenced by the shortages of the time. She has more envelopes & greeting cards, the ones sent in Charity envelopes to shame you into sending a donation, to shake a stick at.

One thing we couldn't understand was why both she & her deceased husband kept all of their payslips. From what she's said, they must have dated back to the late 50's/early 60's.
Keep a couple for posterity, and the P60s for 7 years, then shred the rest.

Liz, many of us will remember your fight for help over hoarding. Have things improved, all be it slowly?

When mum was moving into where she is now she was going to throw out my brother and sisters wedding albums and the rest of the photos ( I did not have one) she does not believe in keeping them I have two of when I was a child and we have none of her wedding anyway I said I would take them home because I think like most people photos are very important her reply was whose going to want them when your dead no answer to that :-D :-D

Linda, that's sad. I think there are people who like old photographs especially if they show places that have changed now. I am on a fb site about old Norwich and the many photos that turn up are fascinating and altho I have lived here most of my life, I learn new information and such, often.

+++DetEcTive+++, I am still stuck with much too much 'stuff'. My support worker was taken away in April, after a year, I was sent a letter saying 'unable to continue with care....as we are not commissioned for clients with hoarding issues.' I already knew that which is why I was trying to get help from the people dealing with hoarding, at Bath university. I was refused that help until Norfolk had tried to deal with my problems but they were just trying to save money. Bath are no longer doing the hoarding programme so I have missed out.

The letter went on to say ' there is a website dedicated to people with such issues ...... and an online forum which might be useful'

I need more than that so am about to investigate hynotherapy. I will keep you posted.

Lizx

Liz <3