NASW Specialty Practice Sections held a webinar providing an overview of recent research studies of compulsive hoarding in older adults, discussing ethical and legal issues, and new developments in knowledge and skills for practice with older adults who hoard. Specialty Practice Section members can view the webinar in its entirety.
Presenter(s):
• Barbara A. Soniat, Ph.D, MSW
Moderator(s):
• Chris Herman, MSW, LICSW
Excerpts from the webinar
“Where do you draw the line, when is it more than clutter? Hoarding is an obsession or excessive acquiring. When you have an obsessive acquiring or excessive acquiring coupled with difficulty discarding materials, that results in inability to use the space for its intended purpose…”
“We have recently seen a lot of attention from the media, and as well as in clinical and research literature about hoarding. The severity of hoarding behaviors range from mild to severe, at its most severe level, we’ve seen hoarding result in serious injury and in some instances death of people…”
Questions Raised:
- What causes hoarding?
- Is there a connection between hoarding and anxiety disorders or OCD?
- Why does hoarding seem more prevalent in older adults?
- What treatments have proven successful with persons that hoard?
Did You Know?
Hoarding only affects 1% of the population.
Posted in Practice, Practice and Professional Development, Specialty Practice Sections |
