The Facts: Hoarding and Older Adults in Canada
Hoarding often gets dismissed as “just clutter,” but when it appears in the lives of older adults it can be a serious health, safety and housing issue.
Key statistics and findings
Key statistics and findings
According to a Canadian overview, hoarding behaviours are estimated to affect 2-6% of the general population.
Research in Canada indicates that hoarding behaviour may be up to three times more prevalent in older adults than in younger populations.
In the report Sage Seniors Association (in Edmonton) and its partners produced, they found a clear link between hoarding behaviour and increased housing insecurity for older adults: unsafe living conditions, financial strain, risk of tenancy loss.
The disorder is often progressive and chronic. A Canadian fact sheet notes that the difficulty discarding items, accumulation and impaired use of living space are core features.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults with a pre-existing hoarding disorder reported worsening symptoms: more than 40 % experienced symptom escalation; 57 % reported loneliness; 46 % did not seek help. Why seniors are particularly vulnerable
Physical mobility may be reduced; cognitive changes (e.g., memory, executive function) may make decision-making harder, so the accumulation over decades can become hazardous.
Seniors may live alone, be socially isolated, or have lost a spouse or companion; all of which reduces natural oversight or informal help.
Housing affordability and the condition of housing matter: low income, older housing stock, risk of fire, fall hazards become more acute when clutter builds up.
Many interventions only occur at crisis point (eviction threatened, building code violations), rather than early. The Sage report found that many older adults only sought help when eviction was imminent.
What this Means
Busy professionals working with seniors, property management, caregivers - these findings underscore that hoarding is not simply “messy home” but a complex mix of mental health, aging, housing stability, safety, and dignity. Seniors deserve to live their best life on their terms; hoarding behaviour, left unaddressed, can undermine that.
Practical Tools: How to Respond, Help, Support
Below are tools and frameworks you can build into your service offering, your referral network, or conversations with family/property management — to help seniors living with hoarding behaviours in a dignified, effective way.
Tool 1: Understand the behaviour
Use clear language: Define hoarding disorder as persistent difficulty discarding items + accumulation that congests living spaces + significant impairment in functioning.
Help all parties (senior, family, property manager) understand that the clutter is a symptom, not simply willful laziness or hoarding as a lifestyle.
Recognize the comorbidities: depression, anxiety, cognitive changes, mobility issues. These need parallel attention.
Tool 2: Early detection & assessment
Conduct a respectful walkthrough (with consent) of the living space: look for blocked exits, unable to use rooms for their purpose, fire hazards, sanitation issues. These are flags.
Use available assessment tools: for example, the “Clutter Image Rating Scale”, or hoarding-risk checklists.
Ask the right questions: “Are you able to walk safely through your home? Can the bedroom be used for sleeping? Are there things you’d like to change but don’t know how?”
Map out risk vs readiness: Find out if the senior is aware of the impact of clutter, willing to engage, vs only acting when crisis hits.
The key is to frame these services as wellness and comfort, not indulgence. Seniors appreciate care when it feels respectful and purposeful.
Tool 3: Create a respectful, incremental plan (not a one-off “clean-out”)
Avoid large forced clean-outs without support: research shows one-time “sweeps” that ignore the underlying disorder often lead to relapse.
Use a harm-reduction approach: first priorities might be clearing safe pathways, removing immediate fire hazards, addressing sanitation, then gradually working with belongings.
Engage the senior as partner: letting them choose what to keep/discard fosters dignity and control. Toolkit emphasises client-centred process.
Build a team: property management + senior + mental health / social services + cleaning/organizing professionals if needed. Collaboration works better.
Tool 4: Messaging & communication strategies
With the senior: Focus on what they can gain (greater mobility, safer home, more visits from friends, peace of mind) rather than only what they’ll lose.
With property managers / landlords: Frame it as mitigating risk (fire, liability, tenant safety) while supporting the tenant’s rights and dignity.
With family/friends: Emphasize empathy, not judgment. Encourage involvement as a support network rather than a “rescue”. Avoid blaming.
For all stakeholders: Clarify roles, set small goals, celebrate progress (even small wins matter).
Tool 5: Long-term supports & maintenance
After initial decluttering, ensure there is follow-through: mentoring, periodic checks, peer support groups, organizers, mental-health check-ins.
Encourage membership in peer groups or support services: research shows isolation worsens the condition.
Promote “maintenance mode”: Scheduled mini-declutters, keeping pathways clear, disposing of mail/paper weekly, regular check-ins.
Build a “relapse plan”: Because hoarding disorder is chronic, be ready for potential setbacks. Acknowledge it and act early.
Tool 6: Environmental & property-management considerations
For property management firms: develop a policy for hoarding-risk tenants (clear pathways, fire-safety audits, tenant support).
Partner with local services (fire dept., social housing, senior services) to build a referral pathway. The Canadian research suggests these partnerships are key.
Build insurance/clean-out cost awareness: Clutter can lead to pest infestations, increased repair/move-out costs, and liability for landlords. These realities reinforce the business case for early intervention.