Historical Hoarding Training for Professional Organisers

On Friday 28th November 2014, 

history was made 

Around 10% of the Membership of The Association of Professional Declutterers & Organisers UK (apdo-uk) came together with fire officers for the UK's first ever Hoarding Awareness Training for Professional Organisers - a fun, warts and all day designed to help people decide whether they want to take on the types of challenges associated with helping people affected by hoarding.

The event was held at Surrey Fire & Rescue Service's HQ in Reigate, and was led by Heather Matuozzo of Clouds End CIC and Cherry Rudge of Rainbow Red, advisors to The Chief Fire Officers Association's (CFOA) Hoarding Working Group.

Heather gave a fascinating insight into Hoarding Disorder - which was classified as a mental illness in The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM5) published in May 2013 - and outlined typical traits of individuals with hoarding behaviours; the necessity to be a detective when assessing and working with them - in order to discover what the underlying reasons are for the hoarding - and ideas for motivating people to help them with decision-making.

  

Andy Honey of Clouds End CIC described examples of complex hoarding cases involving a multi-agency approach, and outlined options for inspiring people to disposal of unwanted items, whilst Cherry showed outlined processes, stakeholder complexities and possible risks involved when multiple agencies are involved. 

Professional organisers thinking of working with individuals with hoarding tendencies were left under no illusion about how overwhelming and time consuming it can sometimes be when working with them.  

Bryn Strudwick - Group Commander, Community Safety Manager of Surrey Fire & Rescue Service - outlined examples of fire safety dangers associated with hoarding, and what can be done to reduce the risks.  Shocking photos demonstrated where people hadn't appreciated the risks to them and their homes.  

Delegates were given a copy of Surrey Fire & Rescue Service's brand new Multi Agency DVD Staff Training Package, entitled Keeping YOU Safe from Fire Campaign.  The pack is designed to help agencies work with them to protect vulnerable people in Surrey living in the community from the risks fire.

Vasoulla Saviddou - who appeared on TV in Britain's Biggest Hoarders in 2012 - gave a fascinating insight into her personal experiences of having hoarding behaviours, and how it felt for her to have professional organisers helping her.

Heather commented: "Many thanks to Bryn Srudwick for organising a 'groundbreaking' and 'pioneering' training session - combining some natural partners for helping people with hoarding issues."

Final thought…

Never underestimate the power of your actions.

With one small gesture you can change a person’s life.

For better or for worse….

Delegate feedback

"The 'Working with Hoarders' training day today in Reigate was brilliant! Thank you both Cherry and Heather (and Andy and Vassoulla). I feel my understanding of my work is improved whether I eventually work with serious hoarding or not."

"Very insightful and I believe a must for everybody working with hoarders or contemplating to do so.  What a brilliant day!   Thanks so much." 

"The info day at Reigate was just great. So informative and interesting.  I'm so glad I managed to get there."   

"Thanks Heather and Cherry - found it very useful, not least as it really brought home what working with hoarders might involve."

Further hoarding awareness training for professional organisers planning on working with hoarders is planned, in association with Fire & Rescue Services across the UK.  

For information please contact Heather Matuozzo or Cherry Rudge.

A grand day out at the Hammersmith Hoarding event on 15th October 2014

It was all go on the apdo-uk stand at Wednesday’s Hoarding event at Hammersmith Town Hall (15th October 2014), where I was representing apdo-uk. People literally queued up to find out about the services of professional organisers!

apdo-uk’s stand was located immediately inside the main entrance to the hall, so it was impossible to miss us! A steady stream of guests started arriving from 9.30am, and my last consultation of the day finished at about 6.15pm (even though the event officially finished at 4pm!)!

It was good to meet probationary apdo-uk member Trio Wilson of Clear Space for Me who visited from Oxford, and I have to give a special thank you to fellow member Caroline Vienot of The Passionate Organiser for helping out on the stand and answering questions for a while when it got too busy – otherwise goodness knows what time I’d have got out of there!

Social Worker Fiona Harding of
Hammersmith & Fulham
Adult Social Care Team
with apdo-uk Member
Heather Matuozzo of Clouds End CIC

Whilst I didn’t get a chance to go round and see any of the stands, I’m told by Head of apdo-uk’s Hoarding Advisory Team Heather Matuozzo (of Clouds End CIC) that there were multiple agencies represented at the event, including social services, mental health (MIND), London Fire Brigade, the local Hoarding Support Group, Orbit Housing Services, clearance company Just Clear and a gentleman who was explaining about ways of selling unwanted items online.

Social Worker Fiona Harding of Hammersmith & Fulham Adult Social Care Team was there - she's co-author of an article entitled "Developing an Approach to Working with Hoarding: Space for Social Work" 

On the apdo-uk stand we had enquiries from all sorts of people including social workers, occupational therapists and community nurses from across all three Boroughs hosting the event (Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea, and City of Westminster), and we also heard some very interesting experiences about and from quite a number of hoarders!

People were keen to learn about the Clutter Image Rating Scale which was devised by pioneering psychologists Dr Gail Steketee and Dr Randy O. Frost in the USA as a way to measure the degree of clutter in the kitchen, living rooms and bedrooms of hoarders homes.  It has been adopted as a best practice gauge by agencies all over the world who support hoarders, including social services and Fire & Rescue Services.

There was also interest in how to take part in hoarding research being done by Professor Paul Salkovskis, Dr James Gregory and Dr. Claire Lomax at the University of Bath. 

Plus, of course, the usual “where/how do I start decluttering?!”

One particularly interesting and relevant conversation was about DBS checks (what used to be CRB checks) and whether it is compulsory for professional organisers to have one - which currently it isn’t. However, it was made clear to me that anyone working with hoarders and vulnerable adults should definitely consider getting DBS checked if they want to get work from councils. Certainly Heather makes it compulsory for anyone working for Clouds End CIC to have a DBS check; fortunately, she can arrange this service as Clouds End is a Social Enterprise company.

At lunchtime author James Wallman gave a short talk about his book “Stuffocation”, and Heather gave a very well received Clutter Clinic talk, which resulted in a stream of people coming straight to visit the apdo-uk stand afterwards – whatever you said, thank you Heather!

BEFORE

AFTER

In the absence of apdo-uk leaflets to give out, I had to use my own business cards - as you can see, quite a few were taken during the day!  

Hoarding Awareness Training for Professional Organisers in the UK - 28th Nov 2014

Are you a professional organiser who works with hoarders? 

Or have you thought of becoming a professional organiser and working with hoarders, but want some reassurance before giving it a go?

Then please join Cherry Rudge of Rainbow Red and Heather Matuozzo of Clouds End CIC on Friday 28th November 2014 for a special training day aimed at helping professional organisers understand and cope with some of the challenges we face when working with people affected by extreme clutter.  

Cherry and Heather represent The Association of Professional Declutterers & Organisers UK (apdo-uk) on the Chief Fire Officers Association’s (CFOA) Hoarding Working Group, which organised the first ever UK Hoarding Awareness Week in 2013.

CFOA's Hoarding Working Group is working to create integrated best practices amongst the UK Fire and Rescue Service, professional organisers and other agencies working with hoarders.

Surrey Fire & Rescue Service (who are also Members of CFOA’s Hoarding Working Group) have kindly agreed to host the day at their Reigate HQ, and are keen to raise awareness of the safety issues relating to hoarding; they will give an overview of how professional organisers, hoarders, the emergency services and other key stakeholders can work together to reduce the risk of fire or accident in a hoarder’s home. 

 

The day will cover a wide range of topics including:

• Identifying the traits of hoarders
• Hoarding disorder - mental illness & other health challenges
• Conducting interviews and assessments & report writing
• Using the Clutter Image Rating Scale
• A talk by representatives from Surrey Fire & Rescue Service’s Fire Investigation & Community Safety Management teams about:
• home fire safety visits, and follow-up actions taken if there is extreme clutter
• hoarding protocols
• A hoarder’s experience of working with professional organisers, support services (eg. social services), therapists, etc
• Social housing & Hoarding Taskforces
• Social Services, direct payments, etc
• Eviction and re-housing
• Practical challenges – getting rid of stuff, short-term storage, etc
• Hoarder support and self-help groups
• Safeguarding ourselves as professional organisers

There will be plenty of opportunities to ask questions and share knowledge and experiences – please help us make the day as interactive as possible; our aim is to end up with a network of professional friends and colleagues who follow common best practices when working with hoarders, and support each other through what can be challenging and draining experiences.

 

 Date:               Friday 28th November 2014

 

 Time:               Registration from 9.30am for a 10am start

                        Estimated finish time: 4pm

 

 Venue:             Surrey Fire & Rescue Service HQ, REIGATE, Surrey 

                        (A map will be sent to you once your booking is confirmed)

 

 Costs:              apdo-uk Members:             £70

                        Non-apdo-uk Members:     £100

 

Refreshments:    Tea, coffee & biscuits will be provided. 

                        Feel free to bring your own herbal/decaffeinated, drinks.

                        Please bring your own lunch as there is no canteen on site. 

                                                 

Spaces are limited to about 20, so book early to avoid disappointment. 

If you miss out this time, don't worry - we're going on tour with this training around the UK, so we'll hopefully be coming to a town near you soon - certainly before UK Hoarding Awareness Week 2015.  

To reserve your place or for more information, please contact Heather Matuozzo (Clouds End CIC) or Cherry Rudge (Rainbow Red).

                                     

We look forward to seeing you on November 28th for what promises to be an exciting, honest and revealing warts-and-all day of camaraderie 

and FUN!

Mental health services save lives - please sign the petition by mental health charity MIND

Did you know that in any year, one in four of us will experience a mental health problem?

I follow the mental health charity MIND on Facebook and Twitter, because the subject of mental health is something that is very close to my heart.

As the daughter of a hoarder, I've experienced first-hand the practical and psychological impact of having a controlling parent and living with too much stuff. 

And as a professional declutterer and organiser, I increasingly hear stories from apdo-uk colleagues about how they're being paid by mental health services to help hoarder clients in their communities tackle difficulties with excessive clutter.

In a recent Facebook posting, MIND stated that "the Government promised to value mental health and physical health equally - but mental health services continue to suffer greater cuts. At the same time, the demand for these services is rising." 

So I've just signed MIND's petition to the UK Government, to request that funding for mental health services be maintained and not cut.

Here is what I wrote when I signed the petition - in honour of the counsellors I've had on my personal development journey, and all those who could benefit the same way if only the funding for mental health services was available to all.... 

++++++

I’m signing petition this as someone who has both experienced mental health problems first-hand, and had clients who have relied heavily on mental health services.

I’m the Acting President of The Association of Professional Declutterers & Organisers UK (apdo-uk), a not-for-profit unincorporated Membership association which aims to bring order to life for anyone affected by too much stuff. 

apdo-uk’s Members offer non-judgemental advice and support to help people make decisions and create safe, practical solutions in sensitive situations, either in the home or in a business environment.

Since hoarding was classified as a mental health disorder in the DSM-5 in 2013, an increasing number of mental health services and local authorities have approached our members to help hoarders in their communities. 

Mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression and OCD are common amongst our clients - many of whom are also children of hoarders, and/or over -controlling families.  They often see being able to control the stuff they buy or bring into their homes as a way of finally being in control of their lives – despite the fact that it can often become out of control and become a danger to their health and wellbeing.

In the past, some local authorities have attempted to tidy up and clean homes by bringing in extreme cleaners;  sadly this usually does more harm than good, traumatising hoarders who could have been helped by understanding specialists capable of re-educating them to take control of their clutter, and their lives.

Hoarding has become such a big problem in the UK that it’s now on the Chief Fire Officer’s Association’s (CFOA) list of top eight priorities, which is why they’re organising the first ever UK Hoarding Awareness Week (26^th May – 1^st June 2014).

With financial assistance from mental health services to pay for the services of professional organisers, evictions, injuries and deaths due to hoarding could become be a thing of the past.

So I urge the Government to make sure mental health services get their fair share of funding; because without financial support from mental health services, some of the most vulnerable members of our communities could conceivably continue to live in dangerous - even squalid - homes, and be a danger to themselves and others too.

+++++

POST SIGNING UPDATE:  Dates for UK Hoarding Awareness Week 2014 have been changed to 19-25th May

If you care about mental health please take a look at the petition - because one day it could be you who needs their help.... http://chn.ge/1oNi0tP

Thank you.

Decluttering can't kill you - or can it?!

I consider myself extremely fortunate not to suffer with allergies, unlike several of my friends and friends of friends – some of whom dread going out to a restaurant as they can never be sure whether they’ll be served something which could potentially kill them! 

So on Friday 1^st June I went with one of them - a food allergy consultant - to the first day of The Allergy & Free From Show in London, to help her promote her new business - Food Allergy Aware.  It's a training company which aims to educate and assist the catering industry to become food allergy aware, and support those affected by food allergies.

The other main reasons for attending the Allergy Show were to:

• Attend workshops to learn some tips on things to look out for and precautions to take when decluttering and organising for people with allergies and Asthma.
• Make contact with charities which offer allergy and asthma training and support - with a view to signing them up as apdo-uk charity partners in the future (I'm the Marketing & PR Officer for The Association of Professional Declutterers & Organisers UK - apdo-uk).

Peanuts
The first thing I discovered was that many airlines no longer serve peanuts as snacks on board their aircraft, as some people are so allergic to them that they only have to be in the same room to be affected! 

So whenever I take a snack to a client in future, I'll ensure it doesn't contain peanuts - just in case they were susceptible to peanut allergy.

 

Sue Kropf, an Asthma Nurse Specialist from the Asthma UK charity gave an excellent talk explaining about Asthma, which made me realise how aware of the risks that professional organisers have to be when working with Asthma sufferers, and the course of action to take in the event of an asthma attack, which could easily be triggered by things being moved around and disbursing dust into the air. 

 

The Asthma UK website has an excellent A-Z of Triggers which I urge all professional organisers to look at.

  

Also at the show I had a lovely chat on the UK Health Radio stand with the charming Robert Lumme, an architect and ‘Building Biologist’ from Germany-based company Baufritz.  He’d given an interesting talk about the extraordinary lengths they go to in order to design and build homes which effectively shield you from environmental triggers that affect your health - including things like anti-glare tv screens which help reduce the risk of migraines.

On the FABED stand I met some absolutely amazing and inspirational women, whose children suffer with a tragic and debilitating Gastro-Intestinal disorder called Eosinophilic (ee-oh-sin-o-fil-ick); it has no known cure. 

Whilst I came away from the show with a full tummy, a goody bag full of leaflets and contact details for apdo-uk to follow up with possible charity partners, I also came away profoundly affected by how incredibly vulnerable some people can be to having an allergic reaction from what most of us take for granted - the most important and fundamental things in our lives - what we eat or drink and the air we breathe.  I will never take them for granted ever again.

 

Rubber Latex Allergy

The week after the show I mentioned my visit to my dentist, and how I was going to write this article for my professional organising colleagues.  He told me about a couple of very sad cases he’d heard about recently where dental patients have died (not at his practice I hasten to add!) because of undiagnosed allergies to things like ingredients in mouth washes. 

He also asked if we ever wear gloves when we’re working – which occasionally some of us do – and that I MUST write about the possible risk of wearing rubber latex gloves in the presence of people who may have an allergy to latex.  So I looked it up on the very helpful Allergy UK website. 

Apparently around 6% of the UK population are allergic to natural rubber latex protein, and that approximately 10% of health personnel who are occupationally exposed to rubber gloves and other rubber articles, have been found to suffer symptoms on contact.

It seems that some people who are sensitive to latex don’t even need to wear or touch latex to be affected by it, and the effects can be immediate and serious - severe itching and nettle rash (hives) usually within minutes of contact, which may progress to sneezing, wheezing, dizziness and/or light headedness and collapse.

I will endeavour to be vigilant and take extra care when visiting clients, especially if I come across things like inhalers or spacers, or if the client is wearing allergy alert jewellery or come across an EpiPen (the injection method used by people when they go into anaphylactic shock.

So I will try and keep using things like rubber bands and washing up gloves to a minimum, and use non-latex gloves whenever possible if the need to wear protective gloves arises. 

To find out more about latex allergies, visit the Latex Allergy Support Group website.

First Aid training

As a result of attending the Show, I’m now even more acutely aware how much responsibility I have to my clients to make a difference to their lives.
So I'm planning on attending a First Aid training course (the last one I did was over 10 years ago), so that I’m better placed to be able to help my clients and anyone else who may be affected by allergies and other medical conditions. 

My clients usually find that decluttering and organising their stuff is a life changing experience - let's hope it's never life threatening.

Rainbow Red mentioned in House Beautiful decluttering supplement - Feb 2013

Several hints and tips from Cherry Rudge of Rainbow Red recently appeared in the 32-page decluttering supplement of February 2013's House Beautiful magazine.

The wonderful freelance journalist Jayne Dowle (who writes mainly for House Beautiful, The Times and The Yorkshire Post) also featured hints and tips from several other Members of The Association of Professional Declutterers & Organisers UK (apdo-uk) in the article.

Cherry Rudge interviewed on Brooklands Radio's Fabulous Women Show - 15th January 2013

I was thrilled to be interviewed recently on one of my local radio stations in Weybridge, Surrey.

The delightful Celia Jones and Nicky Rudd - presenters of the Fabulous Women Show - wanted to know about how I became a professional organiser, asked me to share some of my experiences, and give a few top decluttering and  organising tips for Fabulous Women.

I also outlined various options of where to dispose of unwanted items, and gave examples of some of the funnier things I've come across since I became a professional organiser - when did you ever find a pair of false teeth under the soap?!  And did you know that some rugby clubs (eg. Esher RFC) often want donations of old towels to wipe their balls with?!

Listen in here (scroll down to the Life section - 15th January 2012): 

I also gave details of how to find a professional organiser throughout the UK - via The Association of Professional Declutterers & Organisers website - www.apdo-uk.co.uk. 

The other guest was the amazing Mandy Hickson, who talked about how she made the transition from being a former RAF jet pilot to becoming a motivational and keynote speaker.

Decluttering workshop - Horizon Group, Fetcham

Presenters Lynda Wylie & Cherry Rudge

Several centimeters of snow fell this morning throughout Surrey, which meant the beautiful scene at St Mary’s Church in Fetcham, Surrey - was like something straight out of a Christmas card. 

So we were totally amazed that any of the lovely ladies from the Horizon Women’s Group turned up at all for today's decluttering workshop!


Lynda Wylie (Tidy Rooms) and Cherry Rudge (Rainbow Red) shared practical techniques to enable the Members to declutter and organise the valuable space in their homes.  


Attendees were encouraged to create an Action Plan, to help them focus on things like their vision for their space, their decluttering goals and zoning.

The workshop also touched on making space for spirituality, and how it’s important to take time to step back and plan your life – and your space - around your personal priorities, including - if you are religious - making space for God.

Decluttering is a very emotive subject, and there was much discussion amongst the group about their personal experiences and challenges they’d faced whilst decluttering.

The Horizon Women’s Group meets fortnightly in St Mary’s church hall, and looks at a range of topics and issues relating to women’s lives. 

There is a free crèche for pre-school children, so you can be an adult for a while and have some fun!  Meetings start at 10am for coffee and homemade cake, 10:15 informal discussion and finish by 11:15.  You don’t have to be a member of a church to join.

To find out more about the Horizon Group, either just turn up on the day, or call Julie on 01372 375000 or email her on juliedavid@stmarysfetcham.org.uk.

Future decluttering workshops by Rainbow Red:

Date:                               Saturday 18^th May 2013

Time:                               2pm – 5pm

Venue:                             The Harlequin Theatre, Redhill, Surrey

Sponsored by:                   Surrey Libraries

Booking details:                 To be confirmed

Workshops can be tailored to the requirements of individual groups or clubs.  For more information or to book a workshop or talk, please contact Cherry Rudge:

Email:                             cherry@rainbowred.co.uk

Phone:                            07931 303310

Website:                         www.rainbowred.co.uk

Decluttering Workshop - 20th October - Leatherhead Institute

On Saturday 20th October, Lynda Wylie of Tidy Rooms and Cherry Rudge of Rainbow Red gave a hugely successful decluttering workshop in Leatherhead. 
 

The event was hosted by local environmental campaigning Groups from the Transition Network(Ashtead and Bookham) - plus Leatherhead Residents' Association. 

A packed house of around 80 people learned useful hints tips about on how to declutter their homes, upcycling, repurposing, recycling, and other environmentally friendly ways to get rid of unwanted items.

Guest speaker Barbara Unsworth - Manager of the QEF Charity Shop in Shepperton - explained about the wide variety of things that the shops can recycle if they can't be sold in the shop.

Everyone took home a Useful Information Sheet which Cherry and Lynda created, and which is now available on the Transition Ashtead Website.

Delicious refreshments were served, and proceeds from the afternoon were donated to Leatherhead-based group the Friends of Teazle Wood.

Lynda and Cherry are Members of The Association of Professional Decluttererers & Organisers UK (apdo-uk), whose Members are required to abide by a strict Code of Conduct.  Cherry is also apdo-uk's Marketing Officer. 

 

Further decluttering workshops are planned in the North West Surrey and South West London area - to make an enquiry or a booking please contact Cherry on 07931 303310.

 

To find a professional declutterer near you, check out the apdo-uk website, or call 020 8123 4591(leave a message and someone will call you back).