Understanding Space Challengers

Understanding challenges in the home, it’s about the everyday struggles that build up in our spaces and make life feel heavier than it needs to.

Clutter?

every day accumulation of items that make space untidy, but doesn’t stop the space from being used.

Disorganisation

Difficulty keeping track of items, schedules, or routines: the space may look messy but is not unsafe.

Chronic disorganisation

long term difficulty with organising, letting go and maintaining spaces, linked to trauma or other conditions but not necessarily at the level of hoarding disorder.

Collecting

Deliberate and organised accumulation of items where the collection is purposeful and usually displayed.

Excessive acquiring

Buying, collecting or picking up more items than one can reasonably use or store. this might mean frequent buying, collecting, or picking up things for free. the main issue here is the constant inflow of items, not necessarily the distress about letting go.

What is Squalor ?

Squalor describes the state of a living environment that shows signs of neglect, with little evidence of upkeep, and may include issues like pests, mould, or other factors that make the space unsafe.

It is considered an environmental and social concern, often spoken about in social work, public health, and aged care because of the health and safety risks it can create.

While it can overlap with hoarding, the two are not the same: some people live in squalor without hoarding, and others hoard without living in squalor.

Hoarding - what it is

Hoarding refers to the ongoing difficulty of discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of their actual value. It is recognised in the DSM-5 as a mental health condition and is defined by a strong need to save items, distress at the thought of letting them go, and the accumulation of belongings that make spaces hard to use.

Hoarding is considered a psychological concern that can affect daily life, relationships, and safety.

Diogenes Syndrome (senile squalor syndrome)

Usually in older adults, marked by extreme self-neglect, social withdrawal, and living in severe squalor, may overlap with hoarding but is broader.