Hello Rockford listeners!

I will be a guest on a special edition of "Call Kira About Aging" broadcast in the Rockford, Illinois area today, Monday, March 26, 2012.  The show will be on (Midwest time) between 5-6 pm (3-4 pm California time). WNTA, 100.5 FM/1330 AM. http://www.nta.fm/ You can listen "live" in the area or stream online.

Be sure to catch Kira's show each day this week on WNTA. You can also listen to her archived shows from KSRO 1350 AM (a wealth of information about seniors and aging) at http://www.callkira.com/.

Our main topics will be Compulsive Hoarding and Chronic Disorganization.

Here are some great resources for more information and help on these topics.

How to find a local professional organizer with special training:
You can do a zip-code search for organizers in your area at this link (do a wider search of 75 miles or greater in less populated areas):

http://www.challengingdisorganization.org/content/find-icd-organizer-or-related-professional

Websites I recommend:
  Institute for Challenging Disorganization (formerly National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization), http://www.challengingdisorganization.org/

The ICD explores, develops and communicates information, organizing techniques and solutions to professional organizers, related professionals and the public. Referrals to professional organizers with training and experience with chronic disorganization and compulsive hoarding. Free information sheets on chronic disorganization, clutter, compulsive hoarding and the ICD Clutter-Hoarding Scale, (http://www.challengingdisorganization.org/content/clutter-8212-hoarding-scale)

Mental Health Association of San Francisco, www.mha-sf.org

Great wealth of services, information and an annual Hoarding Conference open to professionals and the public.

The OCD Foundation Hoarding Website, www.ocfoundation.info/hoarding

Provides information and assistance. It covers the definition of hoarding, professional articles on multiple aspects of hoarding, a Research Digest for hoarding related scientific papers, self help and support group articles, a hoarding/compulsive buying screening test, and useful information about this medical disorder.

Children of Hoarders, www.childrenofhoarders.com

Site with information, resources and links for children of hoarders, family and friends. Very comprehensive. Lists therapists, organizers, hoarding task forces by state and local area.

Squalor Survivors, www.squalorsurvivors.com

Created by a former “messie” with resources, information, and support for those living in squalor and friends and family.

Books I recommend:

Buried in Treasures, Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving and Hoarding, Tolin, Frost and Steketee

Written by three researchers currently working with hoarders to find answers. Written to the person with hoarding issues, a self-help type format with many sidebars written to friends and family. Step-by-step approach with exercises in each chapter.

Digging Out, Helping Your Loved One Manage Clutter, Hoarding and Compulsive Acquiring, Tompkins & Hartl

This book is written to the loved one of a hoarder utilizing “harm reduction” techniques to “help your loved one live more comfortably and safely, salvage your damaged relationship, and restore your peace of mind.” Emphasizes a “team” approach with the hoarder, family, therapist and appropriate agencies. Planning worksheets.

Overcoming Compulsive Hoarding, Neziroglu, Bubrick and Yaryura-Tobias

Self-help strategies for the hoarder. Step-by-step approach with exercises in each chapter an individual can use to clear clutter and change thoughts and habits (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy). 

Messie No More, Sandra Felton

One of several books written by Felton, herself a former “messie.” She also runs the Messies Anonymous website.

Online Self-help:

The Flylady, www.Flylady.net                                          

Clutterers Anonymous, www.clutterersanonymous.net

Messies Anonymous, www.messies.com                             

Clutterless Recovery Groups, Inc., www.clutterless.org

My favorite music to clean by, "The Mad Maggies":
The Mad Maggies, http://themadmaggies.com/band.html


My favorite piano music to focus on a project, Rob Costlow:
Rob Costlow, http://www.robcostlow.com/

Wow! (Bow-wow!) Save a Little Space in the Kitchen

If you are short on floor space, but already have an island in your kitchen, you may be able to convert it to a dog bed! In my kitchen,  and since we have small dogs right now, we could simply take the door off one cabinet and create this space. We did something like this in the laundry room for the cat. We took off a cabinet door and shoved in her litter box, which gave us some floor space back. I had a curtain on a tension rod on it for privacy but it kept falling down. We kept the door, so when we go to sell the house (after thoroughly cleaning the cabinet of course) we can put the door back on.

I was unable to find the original posting of this...it may be a custom job and not available commercially. Yet.

And here is another one. This one you can read more about on the HGTV site.

And here's another idea...why not take one of those bottom drawers and make it hold the food and water bowls? If you have your dog on a feeding schedule, you can just pull it out for meals and then put it away when done. I'm constantly kicking and spilling my dogs' water bowls!

The Watch That Saves My Life Every Day

I love, love, LOVE this watch!! I recommend it to any and all of my clients who have issues with time management, ADD or being easily distracted.

I do believe it has saved my house from burning down countless times, as well as helps me parent my easily distracted kid.

The reason this watch is so different from any other watch is the "Countdown Timer" feature. (A feature that is, alas, not on the men's version of this watch!)

The countdown timer works simply: just press the upper right button once and it will set an alarm to go off in one minute. Press it twice and it will go off in three minutes. Press it thrice (LOVE saying thrice!), and it will go off in 5 minutes. You can press it up to seven times in a row to get an alarm up to 30 minutes in the future. (You can also set one alarm each day for a certain time: say you need to take a pill at noon each day.)

This little feature saves me from burning down the house when I leave the stove to go get the mail. I set my watch for one or three minutes, and if I get distracted by a neighbor, weeds or simply a squirrel (SQUIRREL!!) it starts beeping on cue and I remember to go back inside. I don't even have to look at the watch–I simply press the button and count how many times I press it.

It helps me parent because when I am being implored to let someone stay at the park "Just a few more minutes!" I can set my watch to 3 or 5 minutes and when it goes off, well, that's it. Can't argue with a watch like you can with your mom! (Well, OK you can argue, but it's a wee bit easier to say, OK, time's up!"

I know it's not the most stylish of watches. It harkens to 1978 very loudly. (Which was when, by the way, I bought a different digital watch with a seconds timer so I could time the prints and film I was developing in the darkroom. Oh, yeah, that dates me....)

The silver is a bit dressier and is the one I graduated to after I first bought the black plastic one. The gold one just looks a little too brassy for me, but it might work for someone. I wear mine every day and the finish does not seem to tarnish or wear off. They are also "Water Resistant."

All can be found cheaply online at Amazon (around $15) and I've seen them every so often at K-Mart or CVS for up to $25.00. Even the top price is well worth it in my estimation.

Casio Women's LA11WB-1 Daily Alarm Digital Watch

I receive no compensation from Casio or any other entity for my recommendation for this watch, nor do I sell this watch. Occasionally I give this watch to a client!

Hoarding on TV

A recent episode of "House" entitled "The Dig" featured a storyline of a patient living in a hoarding situation. They treated the topic fairly respectfully with some characters disgusted and others fascinated and empathetic. The most empathetic character, of course, was the one to find the most important clue to the patient's illness.

Other recent fictional shows I have seen that have featured a hoarding theme...


Raising Hope     
"Dream Hoarders" Cute, funny, sensitive. Baby Hope crawls into the hoarded garden shed and they can't get her out. It brings out the secret of one family member who is collecting stuff but not doing anything with it.

CSI    
"CSI: Hoarding Can Kill" Dramatic, fairly sensitive.

Bones     
"The Beginning in the End" Dramatic. Dr. Sweets uses the phrase "Level V Hoarder" which is a reference to the Clutter Hoarding Scale, created by the ICD (Institute for Challenging Disorganization, formerly the NSGCD, National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization). An apartment has been hoarded to the point that the floor falls through to the apartment below. Yes, there are some bones involved.

South Park
"Insheeption" Oy. This one I can't recommend to anyone under 18, but it is a funny take on the current psychology on hoarding. I'll just have to say I guess it's a good sign that it's being parodied in a tacky cartoon, meaning it's more mainstream than it used to be. A kid is accused of hoarding his locker (what kid hasn't?), a counselor is oblivious to his own hoarding situation right in his office and a sheep "herder" is accused of being a "sheep hoarder." I have to tell you, a client of mine (a self-described "hoarder") told me about this episode and this person thought it was hilarious. Caution if you decide to watch it. I would rate it R as well as extremely tacky. Yes, I laughed.

2 Broke Girls
"And Hoarder Culture" I haven't seen this episode, but you can read a NASMM (National Association of Move Managers) blog post about it here. Again, hoarding is making its way into "mainstream" and maybe overall that's a good thing. But we also have to realize it's a serious problem that affects people (those who hoard, those who love them, children who have no choice to leave) mentally, emotionally and physically. And bad shows like this get the rest of us blogging about the REAL problem and issues and we get MORE exposure, right?

Free Shredding at Staples in March!

Don't kill yourself shredding all that paper!

Staples office supply store is offering to shred your documents (up to 5 lbs per person) for free in March!

Get thee to your files and start sorting and purging right now and take that stuff on down to be shredded.


Tip: Bring your bathroom scale into your office to figure out when you have 5 pounds of paper. If your scale is not sensitive enough for just 5 pounds, weigh yourself first, then weigh yourself holding the box of papers.

Find out a little more here at the Staples site: http://www.staples.com/sbd/cre/programs/copyandprint/savings_central.html?cid=PS:GS:CP:CP:B:28:10605:%2Bshredding_%2Bstaples

I am not affiliated with Staples nor do I receive any compensation from them.