I have a client from Hammond, Indiana who was featured on an episode of A&E Hoarders this past fall. His name is Alan. I was not part of the filming for this episode; A&E awarded Mind Over Matter Organizing with the post-filming budget for organizing support. I worked with Al and the Lake County Health Department for several days over the past two weeks with little to no success. Al's case is tragic and most likely irreparable.
Whether you watch the show or not, whether you like the show or not, Hoarders has brought tremendous public awareness to a very serious and prevalent disorder. It has also helped people to question why they hold onto the "stuff" they have. But I have to admit that I'm not a regular watcher. I rarely feel like coming home from work and watching what I've been doing all day. Tonight I will watch because of my experience with Al.
People often ask me WHY I do what I do, or HOW I can do this type of work at all. It's a complex answer, and most often I find myself referencing the 2008 movie Sunshine Cleaning. Screenwriter Megan Holley, shared her insight about the research on bio-hazard clean-up that she did for the film...
"What strikes people on an immediate surface level is just the grossness of it: cleaning up gore. But what I found in doing my research was this idea of service: reverence and respect for the family members and what they're going through. Part of the ritual of cleaning up is emotional care of the people that are left behind. What often seems like a burden has its own rewards."
I couldn't have said it better myself.
Sometimes I can't beleieve the situations that people put themselves in and sometimes I have to look away when they are documenting a house. I didn't know hoarding could actually be a mental disease and for me it's gotten to the point that I'm so afraid of being like the people profiled on the show, I make sure to throw away everything. I first heard about this show when I was at work and since I work and subscribe to DISH Network I watch this show and any other show on A&E using the TV Everywhere function in the DISH Remote Access app. The app is free and it let's you watch live or pre-recorded shows from your DVR on your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or any Android supported device. I love it and I am always recommending that people come to DISH Network and I am inviting anyone who comes across this post to explore DISH Network and experience a value unseen by any other TV provider!
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