Helping My Adopted Aunt Who Is a Hoarder - 11-3-17

I've watched those Hoarders TV shows, but I never thought I'd get to experience what those who come to help on TV experience first hand....Today I helped my elderly adopted aunt "Shelley" organize a couple rooms in a very cluttered apartment. She has hoarded so much stuff that having any "life" at all has been impossible and she has told me for the past 3 1/2 years that she is working on getting her place organized, but nothing ever changed.

I decided that it was time to take action a couple of days ago and arrived this morning with plastic storage containers and trash bags.

It was just like the TV shows...she yelled and screamed and cursed and kept grabbing things and hiding them as I sorted and tried so hard to make things nice for her. Some things went to charity and some things were thrown away.

Finally, at the end of the day, she calmed down when she saw how much better things looked. Here are some photos of the end product. There is still so much more to do. She hid an awful lot of stuff in her bedroom and I did not get to finish in the living room and kitchen, but now there may be room for a couple chairs or a small couch.

I think hoarding is a very sad thing and I hope that "Shelley" will not clutter up her place again...but...I sort of doubt it.