Diogenes (Squalor) Syndrome and Hoarding Tips and Information

Hey there Collectors! It's been about a month since I wrote my last blog, sorry about that! Even us organizers have to take time for ourselves. This month has been a tough one for my little Collector Care ... we have had 3 cases of hoarding with a thick frosting layer of squalor. Self care has been really important for us all, and sometimes that means not writing for a few weeks. But I am back, and chock full of ideas. Starting with this one, covering Diogenes Syndrome.

If you have a sensitive stomach, go to my previous blog it's all about Fall Fashion! If you are still here, you will learn about Diogenes Syndrome and 5 tips to help your family member who is suffering.

Diogenes syndrome definition: A rare condition where a person (usually an elderly person) fails to look after there personal cleanliness and hygiene. (rightdiagnoses.com)

The Broadway musical "Grey Gardens" -- headed for Tony nominations and a Hollywood movie -- highlights the fall of socialite Edie Bouvier Beale and her mother, Edith, who lived in a squalid 28-room mansion among scores of flea-infested cats and raccoons, and towers of dirty cans.

The syndrome was named for Diogenes, a Greek philosopher of the fourth century B.C., who advanced the principles of self-sufficiency and contentment unrelated to material possessions -- a misnomer -- given the nature of the disorder, which causes people to hoard animals and belongings. 

Hoarding occurs in about 1 to 2 percent of the population, according to Randy Frost, a psychology professor at Smith College who wrote "Buried Treasures," a self-help book for hoarders. About 10 percent of hoarders display the rarer Diogenes syndrome. 

Those who live with the syndrome manifest personality traits like reclusiveness, suspiciousness, obstinacy and other isolating tendencies. There are often precipitating events -- such as physical illness, deafness, blindness and bereavement -- that make the syndrome worse.

Research shows a relationship between the syndrome and anxiety and depression, and anecdotal studies suggest the disorder may be triggered by a significant emotional or relationship loss, said Frost. (Susan Donaldson James, ABC NEWS)

So beyond running from the sight and smell, what can you do to help your family member that is suffering? Here are five super honest tips from professionals who care. 

1. Hire a cleanup company that is licensed to handle biohazards. Have them clean and  disinfect the home from top to bottom. From the cobwebs draping the ceilings,  to the clumped feces on the floor it - it all has to be eliminated. Have them remove all soiled furniture, bedding, clothing, area rugs, etc. Anything contaminated needs to be bagged and tagged. Cover in plastic and dispose of properly. Start new.
2. Buy disposable adult undergarments. These can be found at any grocery or pharmacy. Order them online. Wrap in a plastic grocery bag and toss.
3. Plastic. Buy a plastic mattress cover, and plastic sheets. Toss when soiled. Put plastic tarps down securely under the bed, and sofa. This reduces to damage to the floor and structure, and makes it easier to clean or dispose of. Cut around the the edges of bed and dispose when soiled.  Make sure they are secure and covered with another rug so that your loved one does not slip. 
4. Buy a shower chair. Have your loved one sit down while showering if they cannot stand. Your loved one needs to bathe, and sometimes it's too hard physically. Make this as easy as possible.
5. Put a large garbage can in every room. It's hard for your loved one to dispose of their garbage so make it easy on them. At this point aesthetics are irrelevant. 

If you or your loved one can afford medical and psychiatric care,  assisted living, or around the clock care, those would be my first suggestions.  Above are all self help tips and tips for family members and loved ones for those suffering with Diogenes Syndrome. 

Collector Care Professional Organizers are equipped to handle any job, big or small. We put a lot of pride and effort into our work, and most importantly we CARE.

Do you need help cleaning up a squalid situation? Not sure where to go or who to call? Look no further!
Collector Care Professional Organizers
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Collector Care Interviews:Tony Leonardini Owner of Bay Area Bio Clean

Bay Area Bio Clean Blog

Tony Leonardini has been General Manager of Collector Care for quite some time now, and has decided to go into business for himself! We have always used Tony for our large jobs, especially the ones that can get gross.

Whether it is rat infested, squalor-ous, moldy, etc. We can count on Tony to get the area cleaned and disinfected. Tony pays amazing attention to detail, and takes a lot of pride in his work.
In addition to being efficient and trained, he is incredibly compassionate and caring. Our clients love working with him, and trust that he will get the job done.

I have never seen Tony flinch at a sight or smell, which has always impressed me. We smell some smells Collectors, this is really hard to pull off (there is a gag reflex involved)!!!
Most of us have seen an episode or two of "Dexter" and might have a convoluted idea about what a crime scene cleaner actually does. Keep reading to find out what a crime scene cleaner does and why you would ever want to hire one.

Rachel: What does a crime scene cleaner, or extreme cleaner do? What exactly are you cleaning?

Tony: A crime scene cleanup technician is a trained professional who cleans Biological hazardous waste. This can include suicide, homicide, blood, and other trauma related bodily fluids. An Extreme Cleaner is a person who cleans up situations that require Personal Protective Equipment or PPE. These situations are commonly animal hoarding, hoarding cleanup, mold, rotten food, human and animal/rodent feces and urine. 

This is a rat infested garage cleanup.

Rat feces and urine cleanup

Rachel: Why would a professional organizer hire a crime scene cleaner?  

Tony: Most Professional Organizers contact me when they encounter hoarding situations where the amount of property is beyond them, or just the types of property is too gross or foul. Often these types of homes have rotten food, rodent urine, gross filth, and squalor conditions.

Thanks to Bay Area Bio Clean these sharps were removed and disposed of!

Rachel: Why would anyone else hire a crime scene cleaner?

Tony: Sometimes tragedy strikes and we are left to deal with the messes. Whether suicide, decomposition, blood, vomit, squatter in a home, deceased pet, or any other trauma scene cleanup a Crime Scene Cleaner is the right person to call. 

Rachel: Tony thank you for letting us know about your new business, and hazmat up brother!

Collectors, thank you for stopping by our Collector Care blog on crime scene cleaning! If you need to hire Tony Leonardini please call him at 925-596-8894 or visit his website at www.bayareabioclean.com.

Rachel Seavey, Professional Organizer (and blogger) For Collector Care

Collector Care specializes in hoarding disorder, chronic disorganization and professional organizing. We  love what we do, and  provide realistic expectations and timelines. Please visit our website at

www.collectorcare.com  or call 925-548-7750

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Collector Care Chronicals: Extreme Cleaning and Hoarding Cleanup

Here at Collector Care no job is too big or small! What happens when squalor or squatters take over a foreclosed or abandoned home? We come in and clean up, that's what happens! I love hearing real estate agents and home owners gasp at the makeover of  the home after one of our deep cleans.

When we arrived to the location of our job we rang the bell but no one answered. I knocked softly, and then harder. Tony gave three hard "police" knocks. "Collector Care, we are here to organize your home this morning" I shouted in my high pitch voice. Shuffle shuffle shuffle we heard some noise behind the door. A small round shadow peeked through the crack of the door "Just a minute!" she shouted "I need to get dressed!" From the crack of the door 50 fruit flies escaped, and we could smell it was a level 5 hoard. We put on our hazmats suits and finished our coffee (not in that order). 15 minutes later she came back to the door, flung it open, and retreated to the back of the house. Taking that as our invitation, we entered the home. The smell of rotten food was overwhelming. It hit us right in the face like a baseball bat when we walked in. Barely getting the front door a foot open, we shimmied in sideways onto two feet of garbage in the foyer. I caught my balance on the side of the wall that was completely covered in black mold and spider webs. Phew, That was a close one, she had a full size broken mirror with glass on top of the hoard and I almost stepped down directly onto it. The commotion of us coming in caused three cats to scatter in all different directions, sending piles and piles of paperwork into avalanches throughout the front room. I think it was the front room, but I could not see any furniture. It was all covered in what looked like clothing, paperwork, food, garbage and human waste. Yes Collectors, when you are an extreme cleaner your nose can tell the difference between human waste and animal waste. I am a mom with pets also. Ok so, we still don't know where our client is but we have our bearings and it aint a pretty sight. "Good morning!" I shouted trying to figure out where she was (my clients love my high pitched voice by the way - especially first thing in the morning).

Our entire crew of six was now at the front door waiting for our instruction - and we needed to all come in and begin work. "In here!" I heard her grumble from the kitchen. You see, she was not excited to see us. Her landlord had told her that she had to clean her place up in 30 days or get out. She had lived there 20 years and the thought of moving elsewhere paralyzed her. She had two days left when she called us. There she was, in her robe, hair a mess, making herself toast in a squalor-ous (or at C2 we say "hoarderific" ) kitchen. My eyes scanned around and saw cockroaches, rat droppings, fruit flies and their droppings, silverfish, lots of pain killers, a ton (literally!) of unopened mail dating back to 1990, 4 trays of rotten strawberries (that's what I smelled!), and the rest kind of just blended in. The garbage heap was quite higher in the kitchen, at this point we were both about 3 feet up. I heard the crew coming in, and setting up in the front room. "The bathroom is broken. I am going to take a nap. Do what you have to do. Take everything but the cats." And there she went with a basket of strawberries in hand. I could see her go into her bedroom (she could not close the door on us due to the garbage) and lay down on top of a completely soiled mattress.  Within minutes I realized what she had meant about her bathroom. There were five gallon buckets throughout the home filled to the brim with human waste. By the end of the day we counted 15. There were cat boxes all over the place, with human waste inside of them. Some were overturned and soiling whatever was below and around it. Bedding and clothing were mixed in, jewelry, bags and bags of loose pocket change, food wrappers, rotten food and rats nests. Full size black widow families were in every corner of the ceiling, draping down there webs to the doorknobs of closets that had not been opened in years. Just another day at Collector Care. Determined to fix the situation we busted our tushies yall, and needless to say we pretty much flipped the place. Her inspection three days later passed, and the landlord personally called with extreme gratitude and amazement. Do you think your situation will shock us? Doubt it. We are non-judgemental, well trained and discreet. Our efficiency and attention to detail is what I pride our company on, as well as being sensitive to all of our clients needs. Call us. We are here to help.

Collector Care Professional Organizers & Extreme Cleaners
Serving Northern California, and anywhere else in the world.
www.collectorcare.com 925-548-7750 rachel@collectorcare.com
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Collector Care Collaborates With Extreme Cleaner Tony Leonardini

Welcome Tony!

Tony Leonardini has recently joined Collector Care. He is our General Manager and Estimator for our Northern California branch and definitely deserves a spot on our blog.

He is my right hand man when it comes to anything having to do with Collector Care. 

He builds custom garage and closet solutions for our clients. He  is a skilled plumber and handyman, and has brought sinks and toilets to use after many years. His dedication to our company is apparent and I could not think of anyone else that I would rather work with on a daily basis. 

Besides his charm and good looks - Tony has a heart of gold and it shows. He honestly wants to help.
Without further ado, I bring to you - Tony Leonardini! 

Rachel: Tony you have quite the extensive background in this field, what made you decide to expand into organizing?

Tony: I decided to enter this field to share my former experiences with peers and clients. I want to teach what I have learned as well as learn what others may be able to teach me.
 

Rachel: Why did you decide to collaborate with Collector Care?

Tony: I really like the Holistic approach that Collector Care and its employees take with their clients. I knew that I would be a perfect fit for the company.

Rachel: Who do you favor in this field? Why?

Tony: Honestly I favor all the Organizers and extreme cleaners in the field that genuinely like helping people in need. However, to answer your question directly, Cory Chalmers is high on the list, as is Dr. Michael Tompkins.

Rachel: Who is your ideal client?

Tony: My ideal clients are people who are overwhelmed in life either by physical or emotional clutter.
 

Rachel: When you aren't clearing large estates or cleaning up squalor, what do you do for fun? (Those two are pretty hard to top on the fun factor)

Tony: I enjoy spending my free time with my daughter. I love camping, fishing, and just about anything outdoors. I also like to watch movies and go for motorcycle rides.
Rachel: Thank you for letting me put you on the spot Tony! I am glad you stopped by our Collector Care blog and I hope you become a regular on here. 

To learn more about Tony Leonardini and Collector care please visit our website www.collectorcare.com or call 925-596-8894 and reach Tony directly!