Long-term community support key to preventing return to hoarding: Charities
Experts say patience, building trust and gradual decluttering can be crucial.
Mdm Lee Poh Chen’s home was previously filled with clutter and had a bed bug problem. (Photo: AMKSS Social Move)
New: You can now listen to articles.
This audio is generated by an AI tool.
Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
SINGAPORE: Clearing a severely cluttered home may take days, but preventing the clutter from returning can require sustained support and regular follow-ups, charities and experts said.
About 60 per cent of hoarding cases seen by three family service centres run by Montfort Care experience re-hoarding, the social service agency said.
Those working with people who hoard say lasting change requires more than just clearing possessions.
Experts say patience, building trust and gradual decluttering can be crucial.
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
OFFERING SUPPORT
For 88-year-old Mdm Lee Poh Chen, accepting help did not happen immediately.
Her home was previously filled with clutter and had a bed bug problem, according to Mr Michael Sim, founder of Ang Mo Kio Secondary School Social Move (AMKSS Social Move).
“We got the information from the MP and HDB. They (sought) help because a lot of people talked to her, but she refused to accept help,” said Mr Sim.
When the group became involved about nine months ago, volunteers first spent three days befriending her. She later agreed to accept their help.
The charity, which currently has around 600 volunteers, is part of a 28-organisation strong team set up in 2025 to tackle hoarding.
The New Environment Action Team (NEAT) comprises social service agencies, community groups and private organisations to coordinate efforts to manage such behaviour.
AMKSS Social Move is currently working on around 20 active hoarding cases, with at least another 30 on its waiting list.
Mr Sim, 59, said the charity sees up to 30 per cent more new requests for help year on year due to greater public awareness. Most come from family and friends seeking help for loved ones showing hoarding behaviour.
WHEN CLEARING A HOME IS NOT ENOUGH
One contributing factor to re-hoarding can be the way interventions are carried out, said Montfort Care assistant director Jeannie Teo.
“Oftentimes, we come in or stakeholders might come in with quite a forceful approach or really through a statutory kind of approach whereby the residents might feel resistant or even anxious about the decluttering process,” Ms Teo said.
Taking the time to understand the personal value a person attaches to their possessions is important, she said, before taking small steps to address the problem.
“We might look at very small or negotiated steps with the resident to help them to see, are there ways that we can clear one area of the house, bit by bit at a time.”
Dr Chris Tan Ze Jia, senior consultant at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), said clearing someone’s home overnight can create a profound sense of loss.
“The contrast is so stark that it can trigger a backlash; the very next day, they might suddenly hoard even more items to fill the void left by what was taken away,” he said.
Clinical psychologist Sarah Ann Lee from The Psychology Practice said the value people ascribe to objects can go beyond their practical or material worth.
For some, possessions can also provide a sense of permanence and security.
“When we think about people, people might possibly leave us or abandon us, but objects, they’re permanent,” she said.
“Let’s say we ascribe some sort of value to it, if I keep more items, I might feel more safe, I might have a future need for it.”
Ms Lee said keeping such objects may help people regulate difficult emotions like anxiety, grief and loss.
BUILDING TRUST
Building rapport can help residents become more open to decluttering, Ms Lee said.
“The home is a safe space for all of us and we probably would not let people just go into our house if we didn’t trust them,” she said.
People who hoard may already fear being negatively judged and may have strained relationships with family members, friends or neighbours.
Someone approaching them with the aim of clearing their possessions may cause them to become more defensive, she added.
Building rapport can start off with engaging them in conversations, trying to understand residents as individuals, learning about their lives and significant milestones.
“This might start to build trust because they do feel respected and seen as individuals, rather than, well, you’re only coming to me because you’re trying to get me to reduce this behaviour or totally get rid of it altogether,” she said.
She noted that agencies have begun taking a community-focused approach, bringing together people from different task forces and volunteers to better understand and address the behaviour.
The public, too, has a part to play. Ms Lee said greater understanding could help people avoid approaching those who hoard from a defensive or aggressive position.
“If we can understand it, if we can work together to try to relieve some of this stress that people have in their lives, perhaps we can then have a more concerted approach at helping them with this behaviour.”
AMKSS Social Move is also among those who have changed its approach over the years, after finding that simply clearing homes was not producing lasting results.
“Six years ago, we cleaned the house. It’s like as we always say, same thing, different year. Go back, same thing again, same house,” said Mr Sim.
At the time, about 50 per cent of the cases it handled would recur.
Weekly follow-ups and wider community involvement have since become a key part of its approach.
Now, the recurrence rate among cases it handles has fallen to less than 5 per cent, he said.
“Cleaning the house is simple, but follow up is more important,” said Mr Sim.
“It’s a tremendous improvement for us and I can see the elderly are smiling happily.”
Source: CNA/oc(ca)
Sign up for our newsletters
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
