Hi, my name is Drummer!

Drummer

I am receiving standard rate mobility allowance and daily living component. I am applying to my local council for help with a hoarding problem. I need to get decluttered. I cannot access my kitchen to cook. I have no choice but to eat at cafes or purchase sandwiches. The council will not take this into consideration. Any suggestions?

Ails

Hi @Drummer and welcome to the Community.  It is nice to meet you and thank you for sharing with us.  I am sorry to hear of your present situation.  Have you tried contacting your local Social Services to see if they can help and speak to the council on your behalf?  Also your GP maybe able to help if you go to see them.  Do you receive any support from anyone?  I'm sorry, but I haven't had any experience of hoarding so unable to suggest much, but other members may have some solutions and if so, will post.  

I hope the council is able to help you anyway and please keep in touch and let us know how you are getting on.  We are here to support you on the forum so please chat to us anytime.  All the best. 

thespiceman

Hello @Drummer   Pleased to meet you , thank you for joining and sharing.

I am one of the team of Community Champions .  We guide, advise and support members of our Community.

Please if I can suggest if you think need help to remove clutter.

Please are you receiving any support from Mental Health ?

If the Council will not help you then consider looking at other support to help you.

You have a problem the difficulty is to remove stuff it is becoming a struggle to keep and retain, mentally.

If you can do this bit is evidently becoming a problem any therapy or counselling will hoping that will help. CBT  sometimes is a good idea to use.

https://www.richmondfellowship.org.uk.

https://www.mind.org.uk.

https://www.rethink.org

All offer floating support and guidance, advice and well being on health welfare, benefits and anything else.

One point may be of use is to get boxes from supermarkets. If this a struggle to get rid of sentimental or things you need, I use big plastic boxes.

AMAZON on line to store items have no room for. you could do that then there is an access to your Kitchen, to cook.

You could buy a Slow cooker if the cluttering is extensive and the emotional attachment is strong.

Plug in it no cooking, raw Meat add sauce and ready prepared veggies.

Please take care.

@thespiceman

Drummer

Hi Ails, thank you for your suggestion. I do have a social worker but she says it is not her responsibility to get involved with the council? I do wonder what a social worker's job description is all about?

Drummer

Hi Spiceman, thank you for your suggestion but I cannot see the worktops in the kitchen because of the clutter I cant even see the kettle! let alone a slow cooker! thanks for your suggestion. If the situation was not quite so dire that would have been a good way of resolving the problem thank you.

Ails

Hi @Drummer, I am sorry to hear about the social worker.  Yes, I did think a social worker may be able to get involved too.

However, I see that you have now been given excellent advice and information from my friend, @thespiceman, who has great knowledge and experience of mental health so I would encourage you to maybe look into the links and tips he has provided for you as I'm sure they will help.  Please stay in touch and let us know how you get on.  All the best. 

Drummer

Hi Ails thank you for your advice. I have been in touch with Mind to no avail I am sorry to say! I will try the other alternatives tomorrow. The problem I am having is that social services are not acknowledging that mental health is a disability when in my case it clearly is because I am a hoarder! social services are only interested in physical impairment but I have that also spinal surgery and a right hip replacement that's why I get PIP! Thanks for trying

thespiceman

Hello  @Drummer   Sorry to hear this .  Understand you have a problem here.

Social workers if not helping look at my links just given you.

Your entitled to support wellbeing whatever the issues are if nil responsive you need to think about options, choices to find other support.

I have and done with social workers so use Charities lots of them are good staff many like you and respect you besides totally different.

Very much so these are businesses so have a duty of care and concern towards to you, after any visit consultation do ask views opinions.

Any complaints are issues consultations with you and resolved will often ask you to fill in a form for quality purposes.

Have we done this right are very good to assist in any thing like this.

Also worth every time consulting charities , been mentally ill over thirty years.

In that time had one Social Worker more interested in a cup of tea .

Used Council Services once contract 12 weeks then eight then six worked with one of the listed Charities.

I used, ended up not getting any support supposed to work with my support nil responded.

So got rid and as I do went with one of the listed charities for three year contract.

Understand there is help out there you can do this.

I do advise members of our Community on mental health as my long experience and health history knowledge expertise.

Happy to recommend all three.

RETHINK might help here as they are advocates representatives on your behalf any problems with Doctors, Councils NHS services 

Good staff team and understanding.

Might not be in all areas but please check out links remember your in control of your own health and well being.

Please ask me anything any questions happy to help.

Please take care.

@thespiceman

Ails

You are very welcome @Drummer.  I'm sorry to hear that Mind and social services haven't been very helpful.  Yes, try the other links to see how you get on.  Good luck with them and let us know how things go.

I am sorry to hear of your physical health struggles too.  I have also had a hip replacement so I know how troublesome that can be at times.  If you need any further help/support then just let us know.  All the best. 

Drummer

Hi thanks spiceman I have been trying to get help for 5 years with my hoarding problem I have had the constant knockback from social services! I haven't received much substantial help from Mind but I will try your other suggestions tomorrow thanks very much for your help. I am really struggling now I am on my own with no family or friends for backup

Drummer

Hi Ails thank you for your help as I just explained to spiceman I have had this struggle for 5 years along with my physical impairments of spinal surgery and right hip replacement and still not well i.e. having to receive steroid injections every 6 months into my spine for pain relief im now finding it real struggle to cope I have no family or friends I have to do all of this on my own and the services do not make it easy I think they think the more difficult they make to get what one needs one will give up!!!!!

Drummer

Ails thank you for your help. My hip replacement has been great no problems at all. Its my spine that is causing the problem. My spine was fused at L4/5 in 2014. On 1st December 2019 I had chronic sciatica an MRI showed L3 was inpringed on the nerve roots I could not walk totally housebound without help. I was admitted to Guys further steroid injections let out Christmas Eve and now the council are not willing to help with my hoarding? Im struggling to find an answer?

poppy123456

Hi and welcome.

 I see my dear friend @thespiceman has given you a lot of advice please have another look at all the links he's posted for you.

Maybe you could also clear a small amount at a time from your kitchen, maybe a little each week and fill the bin up outside. I realise it may take some time to do this but it will also help with your mental health because you will be achieving something yourself.

chiarieds

Hi @Drummer - Welcome to the community from me too. I think the great thing is you have realised there's a problem with your hoarding, & you have been seeking help, but no-one has seemed to be listening, unfortunately.

I've been trying to look online about hoarding, but whilst there are websites, I'm not sure if they are a practical help. However, they do stress that this is a mental health problem in it's own right.

thespiceman has a great understanding of mental health problems, so I'm very pleased you are going to look at the links he provided, looking at Richmond Fellowship & Rethink now.

I'll also post links to the websites I found 'just in case' the info might also prove of some use. See: https://www.helpforhoarders.co.uk/

https://www.hoardinguk.org/

Please do let us know how you get on as Ails says, as it will always be good to hear from you. We will all be here for you, giving as much support as we can. And small steps, as Poppy has mentioned, is also written about on the first website link above.

thespiceman

Hello @Drummer   Thanks for kind words what is important I think make a small resume of your problems write it down, need help with this.

If and when speaking to any Charity, sorry to hear not good with MIND thought be a lot more helpful.

We are here my friends @chiarieds    @Ails   @poppy123456      anytime just tag us any of us, just like have done with your name.

Have these organisations for a crisis speak to them see what they do say.

https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk.

Useful community and welfare support. Some branches have their own support and teams, groups for our Community.

Often worth finding out.

One or two  others .

https://www.redcross.org.uk.

https://www.turn2us.org.uk.

Again look at website lots of support services. 

Hope that helps.

Please any questions happy to help or answer.

Please take care.

@thespiceman

Adrian_Scope

Hi @Drummer. In addition to the suggestions above, it might be worth having a word with Hoarding Disorders UK.

Drummer

Hi Everyone its Drummer here. Oh my goodness what a run around I have had since I first joined this Community. I first of all want to thank everyone for their kind words. I must also add that I am an alcoholic and the amount of stress I have experienced in this last 2 weeks has turned be back to the bottle unfortunately, but im not going to give up hope!!!! Right firstly I have taken thespicemans recommendation and contacted Rethink the mental illness charity I have to say they have really been a great help. I had an interview with the council about getting help for my hoarding I have to tell you they do not have a clue!!!!!!!! they decided I have to pay £99.96 per week towards getting help WHAT I cannot afford that and I told them I have to eat out cause I cannot access my kitchen because of the hoarding, do you know what they didn't want to know????? I contacted my social worker and she is just as useless!!!!! Yesterday I was on the phone to Rethink for most of the morning in actual fact my mobile phone run out of charge!!!!!! anyway they told me I have to get in touch with Voiceability I did that and they say I have to be referred by my social worker. I tried that and she didn't want to know until I said I would make an official complaint if she didn't. She was put into a position that she had to cause I have a right to be referred if I don't have family or friends and I have a mental illness which in my case is OCD. I have rung Voiceability this morning and they have informed me I now have to wait a week for the referral to be acknowledged. OMG what a waiting game this is you honestly need to have the patience of a saint!!!! and the stamina to get what you know is rightfully yours albeit justice!!!!!! Ok thanks everyone for listening I will let you know the next chapter in this book of horrors!!!!! Drummer X

Drummer

Oh by the way I did contact Hoarding UK 2 years ago and they kept me dangling on a string for 18 months keep saying they would help me and in the end I received an email from Megan Karnes the principal saying they don't have the funding or the resources to help hoarders!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! go to my local Citizens Advice Bureau!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Honestly I have been fighting this problem for 4 years now and it doesn't get any better. I get really cross when you see on the telly about mental health and "there is help out there"!!!!!! you just need to ask!!!!!! Ive been asking for the past 4 years and I still haven't received any help. OK folks rant over, thanks for listening. X

janer1967

Thank you for updating us and I am sorry you are having such an ordeal. Could you maybe advertise on social media or somewhere asking for help to try sort out your clutter. You will no doubt have to pay but it may help you get straight. Lots of people want to earn few extra pounds doing this sort of work, maybe a room at a time starting with the kitchen so you can eat and drink