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Kent and Medway SAB

Hoarding Awareness Week 2024

NHAAW 2024

The Kent and Medway Safeguarding Adults Board are supporting the National Hoarding Awareness Week 2024.

Hoarding is a recognised mental health diagnosis. It is the excessive collection and retention of any material to the point that living space is sufficiently cluttered to preclude activities for what they are designed for. Hoarding may be characterised by:

  • a persistent difficulty in discarding or parting with possessions because of a perceived need to save them,
  • an intense emotional attachment to objects that may not be regarded as having the same value to others,
  • distress at the thought of getting rid of the items.

Hoarding is sometimes associated with self-neglect, which is “an extreme lack of selfcare” and “may be a result of other issues such as addictions”. It can include:

  • Lack of selfcare to an extent that it threatens personal health and safety,
  • Neglecting to care for one’s personal hygiene, health, nutrition or environment,
  • Inability to avoid harm as a result of self-neglect,
  • Failure to seek help, support or access services to meet health and social care needs,
  • Refusal of services that would mitigate risk of harm,
  • Unwillingness to manage one’s personal affairs.

Why awareness matters

Promoting a better understanding of hoarding disorder can lead to more compassion and less stigma. For instance, knowing how post-trauma and complex trauma affect people can help us to better understand the difficulties that hoarders encounter. This knowledge can also shed light on why some people may resist getting help from support services and how to enhance communication with them.

You can help to share the key messages to members of the public on how to recognise abuse and report concerns by following these four steps:

    1. Visit the KMSAB awareness raising resources website page to download the KMSAB Media Pack and share where you can.
    2. Share Social Media messages using the KMSAB Hoarding awareness week social media content plan
    3. Host events, big or small! 
    4. Let us know of your valued contributions by completing the agency activity form.

Do you know how to report adult safeguarding concerns relating to hoarding and/or self-neglect?

Adult safeguarding is about keeping people safe and protecting them from abuse and neglect, including self-neglect and hoarding, wherever possible. Safeguarding enquiries should be made where:

  • a person is 18 years or over;
  • a person has needs for care and support;
  • is experiencing, or at risk of, abuse or neglect; and
  • as a result of their care and support needs, is unable to protect him or herself against abuse or neglect, or the risk of it.

Abuse and neglect can take many forms and can happen anywhere. More information on what adult safeguarding is and the types of abuse can be found on the 'what is adult safeguarding?' page.

To report concerns of abuse and neglect, including self-neglect, visit the KMSAB ‘report abuse’ page.

For more information on hoarding and self-neglect, please see the ‘useful links and resources’ below.

Useful links and resources