Hoarders Need Compassion, Not Lectures From PMPs

One of the things I love about being associated with the pest control industry is observing how many great companies and individuals really are passionate about “protecting people’s health and property.” In many instances this oft-used term includes not just protecting people’s physical health, but nurturing their mental health. I’ve heard countless stories about how service technicians have calmed homeowner fears about pest issues, or have been available as a “sympathetic ear” to talk with customers about life’s issues — big and small. I’ve learned of service professionals who have become friends with their customers and, in some cases, almost like family members.

These types of customer interactions got me to thinking about hoarders. The link between hoarders and pest issues is undeniable. A recent research project by the Boston Housing Authority (BHA) and the Northeastern IPM Center further confirmed this link. BHA led a team of researchers to look closer at levels of clutter and incidences of pest infestations. After reviewing nearly 9,000 inspection forms and control reports and surveying 1,619 units, they found that among the five percent of residents with hoarding issues, pest visits were more than doubled. It goes without saying that treating a house where a hoarder lives is an extreme challenge. Excessive clutter makes gaining access difficult, provides harborage for pests and can limit traditional control success. In extreme cases, hoarders may be living with biohazard risks (that also could potentially put PMPs at risk). Because of these obstacles I certainly understand why pest control companies might simply walk away from these accounts. That’s not what this column is about; PCT will explore the technical challenges of working in a hoarder environment in a feature that will appear later this year. What I’m curious about is how PCOs who service an account where a hoarder lives can most effectively communicate with them? I posed this question to Dr. Robin Zasio, founder and director of the Anxiety Treatment Center of Sacramento and one of the psychologists who regularly appeared on the reality TV show “Hoarders.”

Based on past experiences working with hoarders, Zasio said pest issues — bed bugs, cockroaches and rodents, for example — can sometimes actually be a trigger for hoarders to get things in order and start cleaning their homes. The flip side, however, is that some hoarders are so attached to their possessions, even problematic items like a bed bug-infested mattress, that they are willing to forego that knowledge. “That really speaks to how powerful the hoarding disorder is — the chemical nature of it. People will put themselves and others in danger because of this horrible anxiety they have over getting rid of their stuff,” she said.

Still, opportunities to help a hoarder and successfully treat these challenging accounts exist, and a PMP’s best chance to succeed when working with a hoarder, Zasio said, is to approach the situation “appropriately, gently, kindly and as a mental health condition.” She recommends that PMPs “start with the bare bones” and explain why an item (such as a mattress) needs to be removed, or why a pesticide application will be less effective if a pest has competing food sources.

Conversely, don’t make them feel threatened or use language that is judgmental, said Zasio, who provided the following hypothetical encounter to illustrate the correct (i.e., non-judgmental) way a pest management professional should approach a hoarder: “Hey Jane, I noticed that you have a lot of stuff. It’s possible that one of the reasons you might be struggling with bed bugs is that they are finding homes. This is kind of the perfect storm for that. I’m wondering if you would consider removing or relocating some of your stuff.”

One advantage a pest management professional has when dealing with a hoarder is that they are non-threatening, Zasio said. “He’s not a therapist, he’s not a health department official or a police officer or code enforcement. He may be that guy that opens the door to that person getting help. He can say, ‘I want to help do everything I can to rid your home of the pests, but these are my concerns…I know that there are people out there that can come to your home to help you if you are interested.’”

Should the hoarder be receptive to this message, Zasio said PMPs can find them help by accessing the website for the International OCD Foundation (https://iocdf.org). Included within that site is a database locator in which Zip codes can be entered to find a hoarding/anxiety expert in a particular area. “How great does that make a pest control guy look — that he really went out of his way to help a customer,” Zasio said.

The author is Internet editor of PCT and can be contacted at bharbison@gie.net.