Hoarding by elderly people

`Although hoarding has been studied in adults, little is known about proble ms of hoarding by elderly people. This study used a structured telephone in terview, with elder services providers to investigate hoarding behaviors ii i relation to functional impairment, cognitive deficits, and physical and p sychological conditions in 62 elderly clients. Most elderly hoarders were f emale unmarried and lived alone. Extensive clutter was associated with sign ificant impairment, interfering with basic hygiene, and posing a serious ph ysical threat for many, elderly clients. Clients were rarely insightful abo ut their collecting and often resisted change, rendering interventions gene rally ineffective. Never-married status was associated with more severe hoa rding and greater impairment and possibly with worse outcomes of interventi on efforts. Health and mental health implications of hoarding by elderly pe ople and implications for treatment are discussed.