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Does Alzheimer’s Dementia Cause Hoarding?

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Does Alzheimer’s dementia Cause Hoarding?

That’s what one of our readers asked recently. Their Dad has begun to save all sorts of things; plastic tubs, vegetable cans, and plain old nails. Cans and cans full of nails.

While I’m not certain what causes all of his hoarding, we have to remember that as the person with Alzheimer’s or dementia is losing short-term memory first. As this happens, their long term memory may become more vivid. During later stages of dementia, the person is not thinking as you or I would. Since the person with dementia is usually elderly, they may be  remembering the poverty of the Great Depression, or at least the admonition of their parents; “be frugal and conservative, pinch every penny you can.”

When Mom could still shop for her own groceries, she would stalk the soft drink aisle in Safeway for 10 minutes to find the fullest bottle of Pepsi. Often she’d move a bottle from shelf to basket only to put it back and pick another instead. She wanted the best bargain for her money. On the other hand, a distant relative raided her bank account for thousands of dollars and she never had a clue.

If you haven’t already read it, I have written an article about Mom’s hoarding Cottage Cheese cartons. Actually, she was hoarding without knowing she was hoarding.

If this behavior isn’t causing issues, I say let them do it. If it takes up too much space in the home or has become a health issue, find a reasonable compromise. For my Mom I designated one small cabinet in the kitchen for her own use. Occasionally she’d forget, but if I saw her heading for her bedroom with a newly saved “find,” all I had to do was remind her of her own private cabinet.

We agreed when it was full, she would throw a few things away…and she did. This little cabinet stored; McDonald’s cups, plates and straws. (All washed clean by Mom) egg crates, plastic grocery bags, and any other empty containers I hadn’t thrown away before she spied them. That was a challenge for sure.

I’ve often wondered if I had noticed this frugal hobby sooner in Mom’s dementia, I might have swayed her toward hoarding a single, small item. Something like toothpicks. But it was too late, Mom was already saving everything–

Always remember to: Pick Your Battles
Don’t allow a little hoarding to ruin your day. Compromise and find a solution that works.
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If you’ve found an answer for this common complaint–Leave a Comment Below! What works for you, may work for others…please share!

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Managing Alzheimer’s and Dementia Behaviors: Common Sense CaregivingMore infoDEMENTIA: Early Diagnosis & TreatmentsMore infoCaregiver Survival 101: Strategies to Manage Problematic BehaviorsMore infoDementia BehaviorsMore info

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Comments

  1. Initially, my mom, who lived alone in a senior apartment, would unplug EVERYTHING- her house phone TV, cable box, computer etc and I would have to go their everyday and get everything up and running again. Later, after diagnosis , when she lived with us , she would pack up my kitchen EVERY night. She was an military wife used to moving a lot

    Reply

    • Karen,
      What a sweet lady. I can just see her cleaning up, doing her regular chores. We remember so much of our younger years when we hit the Alzheimer’s Wall.

      I catch myself talking about so many things that my children don’t even remember.

      Thanks for all your patience with your Mom.

      Sandy

  2. My Mom hoards sweets in a drawer in her bedroom. I don’t see a problem with it, until I can’t get her to eat because she says she’s not hungry. Well I might not be hungry either if u had eaten 3 oatmeal cream pies and a bowl of ice cream, haha! I have heard that Alzheimer’s patients lose their sense of taste but they can taste sweet. Not sure if that’s true or not, but it worries me about her nutrition. I’m still holding down a full time job while caring for her basically on my own. All my sisters and my brothers live 4 hrs or more away from me, and Momma lives with me and my husband-he’s an on the road truck driver. I’m learning everything about Alzheimer’s as I go or by reading about it, which is sometimes difficult since it affects every person differently.

    Reply

    • LeAnn, it sounds like you’re doing great. Your Mom has the same bad habit that My Mom had. In the beginning, I thought she just loved cookies. But after she came to live with me and I made a few hot dinners that she had taught me to make, I found out she really loved home-made cooking. Mom had been alone for so long, with no memory of cooking–that she bought cookies on a regular basis.

      Now that sounds shameful, Mom thriving on cookies because she had forgotten how to cook. But that is essnetially what happened. I always took her shopping every week. (Before I realized she had Alzheimer’s that is.) Mom would buy pot pies and TV Dinners and lots of ready made dishes which seemed normal to me as she lived alone.

      Once Mom came to live with me and started asking about all my recipes (ones she had taught me), I finally realized what was going on. Then, I would cook a good meal and Mom would eat hardily. She still kept cookies around, but she ate regular cooked meals more than cookies.

      There are many ways they learn to cope when they’re alone. I think that is partially why it is so difficult to realize that they have Alzheimer’s at all.

      You’re doing great Leann, and Mom is too, I’m sure
      Sandy

    • Teepa Snow is an expert in the field of Dementia and offers so much information on-line, free of charge. Bless you!

  3. I live with two brothers that hord anything and everything. I feel like im in the twilight zone. Im here cause i hsve no chose. There friends I’ve know for 15 years. But never knew this till. I got here. My husband abandoned me in fl. He has bipolor disorder. Im really worred. Cause. There very forgetful. And do not feel safe. 3 fires happened here out of forgetfulness .before i got here. They have short term memory. And very filthy. I wonder if theres anyone i can call….Roseanna

    Reply

    • I’m so sorry you are in this position. If you are in the US, you might contact the Alzheimer’s Association help line at this number.
      24/7 Helpline: 1.800.272.3900.

      Otherwise, you may be able to find a phone number for ‘help with the elderly’ through a telephone operator in your area.

      I hope you are able to find help soon, our thoughts are with you.
      Sandy

  4. I don’t think at least hope not because many of us who don’t have dementia. Do some hoarding lol. I agree with the perdon who said pick ur battles. My friend collects clothes n shoes. Sometime when we r in the store she will make a scene n we just take it up to the counter n slip it aside n she doesn’t know any better.

    Reply

    • Hello Joann,
      Oh, I hear you on that one. I’ve done the same thing to Mom. She use to slip things in the basket and then when we got to the checkout she’d turn to me and say, “You don’t really need that.”

      I’d agree and set it on the counter. She’d already forgotten she’d picked it up.

      My mom passed away 6 years ago, but I have some fun memories. We had a good time together despite it all.

      All the best Joann,
      Sandy

  5. Totally agree Sandy! Dementia may very well cause hoarding & it certainly does make sense to pick your battles. My mom was always the person who cleaned up after my dad who was the packrat– but then early Alzheimer’s started setting in. Plastic & paper grocery bags, ziplock bags, decks of cards, clothes, newspapers, magazines, you-name-it — pretty soon she couldn’t throw out ANYTHING. Unfortunately for me, they lived 800 miles away & although we visited several times a year, I didn’t realize there was a problem other than aging. Eventually there were enough other signs that led us to pursuing a diagnosis. 4 years later when we received the diagnosis, I had the “wonderful” job of going thru everything in their house & packing them up to move them closer to me. Suffice it to say, the dumpsters were quite full when I was thru.

    Would I have been able to change anything even if I lived closer & noticed sooner? Probably not. But after 13 years of living with Alzheimer’s, we clearly learned the phrases ‘Compromise & Pick Your Battles’! Great advice!

    Reply

    • Sheri,
      Yep, that sounds so typical. So many things about Alzheimer’s take so long for us to notice. They are usually living on their own, they seem perfectly normal except for a little aging, their homes look perfectly fine. We don’t find out till much later that everything isn’t “really” fine. It was the same for me and my Mom.

      ~Sandy

  6. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head with the connection to the depression era. Most of our present day elderly came through that time period and have very vivid memories of having gone without many things, including necessities. I can’t confirm that Dad’s Alzheimer’s disease cause him to hoard but I can tell you he certainly collected “keen” stuff as he referred to his collection. We always attributed his “saving” ways to the depression days and I see this in a great many of our elderly; their “waste not want not” philosophy is alive and well. That said, when we started cleaning out my Dad’s work room we found quite a collection of “keen” stuff that we couldn’t imagine why it would have been saved. I wrote about one “keen” item in my book though as we discovered the cake topper from Mom and Dad’s wedding cake neatly wrapped in paper towel and snuggled safely in an old cookie tin. Quite a find for me. So, I agree with you, if it’s not hurting anyone or causing any kind of health or safety risk, let your loved one hoard. I really believe it provides a degree of peace and security for them as all around them is confusing. Lj

    Reply

    • Oh Lynda, What a find– Their Cake Topper. That would be super! I sew a lot and have a large box of scraps, too small for quilting and ready to be thrown out.

      My mom would sneak in my sewing room and fill trash bags from my bin and take them to her room. After she piled up a couple trash bags, I would sneak in and throw a couple away. It was a cycle that she never caught on to. She never missed the bags I tossed, but kept a constant pile of her own. I figured my fabric scraps were just making a detour before actually reaching the trash bin. It was fine for me.

      ~Sandy

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