eKourier July 2016

FEATURES What Makes A Storage Hoarder Want To Store At Kennards?

A hoarding disorder is a persis- tent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions because of a perceived need to save them. A person with a hoarding disorder experiences distress at the thought of getting rid of the items. With this an excessive accumulation of items, regardless of actual value occurs. Hoarding disorders affects emotions, thoughts and the behaviour of people. Hoarding ranges from mild to severe forms. In some cases, it may have little or a lot of impact on our personal life which can seriously affect a person’s functioning on a daily basis. People with a hoarding disorder often don’t see it as a problem. In the homes of people who have hoarding disorder, the counter tops, sinks, stoves, desks, stairways and virtually all other surfaces are usually stacked with stuff. And when there’s no more room inside, the clutter may spread to the garage, vehicles and yard, and in the Kennards case, a storage unit or two or three or four etc. Clutter and difficulty discarding things are usually the first signs and symptoms of hoarding disorder, which often

surfaces during the teenage years. As the person grows older, he or she typically starts acquiring things for which there is no need or space. By middle age, symptoms are often severe and results in people needing space – storage space. As a Kennards Manager of storage space, it is important to recognize signs and symptoms of a hoarder. Eventually these hoarders may become delinquent because of the amount of excessive storage space required resulting in substantial storage rents. In the majority of cases we’ve all experi- enced a storage hoarder:

useless items, such as trash or napkins from a restaurant. • Moving items from one storage pile to another, without discarding anything. • Difficulty organizing items, sometimes losing important items in the clutter.

• Shame or embarrassment.

• Limited or no social interactions.

People with hoarding disorder typically save items because: • They believe these items will be needed or have value in the future. • The items have important emotional significance — serving as a reminder of happier times or representing beloved people or pets. • They feel safer when surrounded by the things they save. A hoarding disorder is different from collecting. People who have collections, such as stamps or model cars, deliber- ately search out specific items, categorize them and carefully display their collec- tions. Although collections can be large, they aren’t usually cluttered and they

• Persistent inability to part with any possession, regardless of its value.

• Excessive attachment to possessions, including discomfort letting others touch, borrow, view items or distress at the idea of letting an item go.

• Keeping stacks of newspapers, magazines or junk mail.

• Letting food or trash build up to unusually excessive, unsanitary levels especially in our storage units.

• Acquiring unneeded or seemingly

12 Kennards Kourier July 2016