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Elderly parents

Hoarding and a fall - what to expect

32 replies

ElderlyPIL · 21/09/2026 21:32

Anyone have any advice on this situation please. An elderly relative is currently in hospital following a fall due to hoarding, they were not found for 48 hours. Property is shared ownership. Safeguarding are involved. Relative is saying they will accept carers, accept the items being moved upstairs for now and will start getting rid of things. Significant part of the collection is newspapers. But we think they will renege on the promises once they are home, we’ve let the safeguarding team know this.
As shared ownership will they force him to address the hoarding?

OP posts:
Mixymaxymoxy · Yesterday 04:52

Mixymaxymoxy · Yesterday 04:35

Still not clear what your role in this is. You don’t have POA and in any case he apparently has capacity so you are not able to intervene in the decision to discharge. Are you offering to help clear the board? Or are you waiting to object to him being allowed home with the stuff all moved upstairs and him washing in a downstairs sink? Or him falling again?

What’s your relationship to the elderly person? Can you influence them at all - to wear a pendant, to not cancel carers? Do you visit them or do any care for them?

Sorry posted and it won’t let me edit typos.

Are you offering to help clear the hoard? Or are you wanting to object to him being allowed home with the stuff all moved upstairs and him washing in a downstairs sink? Or are you worried about / trying to prevent him falling again?

What’s your relationship to the elderly person? Can you influence them at all - to wear a pendant, to not cancel carers? Do you visit them or do any hand on care for them, bring them shopping etc? Do they need personal care ie help to wash, dress, eat and drink, take meds, go to the toilet etc?

thestraycathouse · Yesterday 06:12

The fire brigade can come out and do an assesment. If I remember for my relative they fitted more smoke alarms. I recently flagged their hoard with GP and Council. GP called me, they were concerned flagged it with fire brigade I think. relative kicked off and ultimately gp is powerless unless they engage and want to clear it (which they don’t) never did hear back from council although they already have a support worker who seems to think that taking two small bags to charity shop as week contributed a significant effort to clearing it. However at the same time they are still buying at the same time they are emptying and probably at a faster rate.

They had one fall - managed to get themselves up but this is my concern that they won’t next time, they have no alarm.

Passwordsaremynemesis · Yesterday 06:19

My dad was a hoarder, there isn’t much you can do really. He was also in shared ownership, his flat was packed with newspapers too. After he died it took a huge effort to clear it out, and all the papers were binned. We tried to sort it when he was alive, but he wouldn’t let us make much of a dent, even though he said he wanted a tidy place. It’s heartbreaking. If you clear the stuff without their permission I can predict it won’t go well. Good luck.

ElderlyPIL · Yesterday 07:15

Thank you for all the replies. It’s my husband’s step father, I’ve known him since I was in my late teens, so over 30 years. I don’t visit as much as I probably should, so was not aware how bad it had become (always been a hoarder but it’s got worse).

He has an adult child, but they have their own issues and are not able to coordinate with all the different organisations, so I’ve been raising the concerns. There is no one else.

This is his 2nd fall but it was more serious as he was down for 48hrs. I hate to think what it would have been like had this happened in winter, as like I said he doesn’t heat the home. Fire brigade visited after his first fall and fitted smoke alarms. They were due to visit again, but can’t do that until he is home. Last time he self discharged and once home decided he didn’t need carers.

Police are now involved as there is potential financial abuse by non family member that I have seen. They’ve raised a non crime investigation and an adult protection investigation. I involved council social services who decided to arrange the property clearance, but I also engaged the HA/landlord, as I wasn’t happy the plan to just move things upstairs was safe.

He doesn’t know we have raised any concerns, he thinks this is just what happens because of his situation. We don’t want him to know in case he pulls away from family, making him more vulnerable.

We want him to return home, but have no idea if all the organisations will just let him continue to live like this. From what everyone has said, they will, so there is no point me really pushing for any safer discharge. He goes home, carers come in, but that won’t prevent him being financially taken advantage of, or falling down the stairs in the hours carers are not about. Such a messy situation.

OP posts:
Bitsostuff · Yesterday 07:17

curious79 · 22/09/2026 21:51

There will be absolutely no change to the hoarding and he will get rid of absolutely nothing. I say that with complete conviction as a daughter and granddaughter of hoarders.

I’m with the person above who suggests going in there and getting rid of as many newspapers as possible while they’re not around

You get that's illegal right? As well as being a massive breach of trust.

thedevilinablackdress · Yesterday 08:20

Bitsostuff · Yesterday 07:17

You get that's illegal right? As well as being a massive breach of trust.

I'm afraid I did something like this in a desperate panic to make my relative's home safe for discharge after a terrible accident at home. I did discuss it with them in hospital but I doubt if they remember much of that. I'm mostly forgiven.

fashionqueen0123 · Yesterday 09:04

Can your husband go and clear stuff then?

Moving it upstairs is pointless and sounds like no room anyway. And even if it was upstairs - if he can’t get up the stairs he wouldn’t know it was up there anyway… So just bin it.

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