Eviction of Mrs Appleton (collector of dolls and memrabelia) and her three sons

speye.wordpress.com/2016/03/26/landlord-was-right-to-evict-87-year-old/

I didn't expect him to say this.

What a bastard.

My ex husband was a station officer in the fire service....he's a bastard too. But a good fireman.

I really fell for him wot, even wept when his death was announced

Aw! I would have loved to take round casseroles and blankets for him. Excuse my swearing just now. I still bitter.

Me too wot, still angry

An Englishman's home and all that (even if he was not English but if anyone lives in the UK surely the same rule applies).

Absolutely. Or deal with people in kinder way than they did.

There was a series of programmes a few years ago called The Hoarder Next Door, where s psychotherapist, Stelios (cannot remember his surname) worked with hoarders. In almost every case hoarding behaviour was linked to a previous trauma or loss. He could not help some, their behaviour was so entrenched.

I think the newspapers like to write these emotive stories on very superficial information but I tend to agree with those who say that there must have been a more humane solution than eviction. But there are times when every possible alternative solution has been investigated but the family have been uncooperative and refuse to understand the problem and the need to find a solution and in the end eviction is the only solution.

I once worked with someone who was at the end of the disciplinary road and as a final attempt to help him the company offered him voluntary redundancy, which would have meant a reference and a redundancy payment rather than dismissal, which would have meant neither. He refused to consider the voluntary redundancy offer because he said he had a job that he was still doing. In the end he was sacked. Some people will not be helped and the authority involved finally has to make a hard decision.

This is the case outline provided by Weaver Vale Housing Trust

file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Jess/My%20Documents/Downloads/AppletonCaseINFO-March-16PDFnew.pdf

It seems that they used the law. But that none of their work was directed by a professional psychologist nor a declutter who specialises in hoarding. They claim to have offered professional help but only at the point their own officers were being unsuccessful.

With hindsight they would have, in my view, done better to realise that this situation of 3 sons and a mother living in a hoard was very unusual and they would have done better to get specialist help from the start. Howevr their neighbourhood manager had given

The 2 books I have read that I find most helpful to understand the problems are:
Compulsive Hoarding & Acquiring: Therapists Guide by Gail Steketee, Randy O. Frost Pub Cambridge University Press and Digging Out: Help Your Loved One manage clutter, Hoarding and Compulsive Acquiring by Michael A Tompkins.

Also when I worked as a social worker with disabled people I did not just offer stuff I would say 'We need to try this, and then if you find it does not work we will need to think again.'

Both books emphasis the communication skills required and the second one describes them very clearly, and how to use them within a sequenced framework. I do not think Mrs. Appleton experienced this type of skilled work and feel that she was probably given options and that was it, more or less take it or leave it.

I think the outright possession order granted by the Judge under some recent Act will have breached the family's Human Rights, and was not what the recent act intended. (It would normally, I believe, be used on preventing drug addicts dealing from the property) So we can look forward to appeals to the supreme Court. Also Hoarding became a recognised mental illness in DSM V in about 2003 as people's brain metabolism when making decisions etc. about their possessions can be shown to be lighting up different pathways from those made by 'normal' decision makers.

Furthermore the Weaver Vale Neighbourhood Manager gave an opening address this conference:

Exploring the Role of Housing in Adult Safeguarding
Wednesday 15th July 2015
• Understanding the implications of DoLs and maintaining
residents’ freedom
• Examining the safeguarding responsibilities of all housing
providers
• Promoting the wellbeing of residents

At the moment if you are seen to have capacity to make a decision you are allowed to make an unwise decision which is what I think the Judge believes is happening. However a Hoarder has different brain chemistry so it will be very interesting to see how this sorry tale ends.

Hopefully not n the death of Mrs. Appleton as has happened to others named in this thread.

My sister is a hoarder. I don't see her because she lives hundreds of miles away and because she doesn't answer my letters or take my phone calls - she just doesn't like me. Her choice. We haven't met since our mother's funeral, fifteen years ago.

We are daughters of a mother who scrubbed and polished and nagged about tidiness. She never stopped. Our father locked his shed door so she couldn't get in to clean and tidy.

My nephew tells me the housing association goes into his mother's house house every few months and removes the mess - old newspapers and bits of rubbish, check on safety, have a bit of a clean up and generally make sure she is OK.

I would judge that to be a very sensible and compassionate housing association. It doesn't, however, heal the hole in our hearts - her two sons' and mine.

My friend has a problem coming up in the future. She has just helped her MIL move. One instance gives a clue as to how bad it's going to get. She has 116. summer skirts!!!

Seeing the programmes on TV about hoarders, they seem to box themselves into a tiny space whilst the clutter hovers above them, how would such a place be clean or comfortable for anyone, Cannot see why her sons couldn't have done something before it got to this stage.It is not rational behaviour on anyone's part, surely social services could have intervened before such draconian measures were taken.

EmilyH I would say again that in an ideal world it's good idea to offer support with this but local authorities just do not have the money to do that properly and are barely able to carry out their basic statutory duties.

Mrs Appleton has still not been enabled to return home. She has had a fall in the Travel Lodge but she has refused to go to hospital. This is not a proper life for an old lady who had always paid her rent and her house was clean.

There is a petition on her behalf:
butlincat.wordpress.com/2016/04/21/may-appleton-eviction-update-21-april-2016-the-legals-take-over/

Hope some of you will sign it.

May Appleton has died. See report. This is a dreadful end for an innocent old lady. Could happen to some of us on Gransnet.

Following on from the very sad news of May's death, I wanted to let you know that she will finally find peace when she is laid to rest after her funeral on Tuesday 5th July at 10am. at St John the Evangelist : Corner of Station Road & School Lane, Lostock Gralam, Cheshire, CW9 7PS. PLEASE COME TO THE CHURCH AND SHOW YOUR RESPECTS IF YOU CAN MAKE IT.

Last I heard, her sons were begging for access to their former home (they are still at the Travelodge) to get some suitable clothes to wear for the funeral. They are in a state of total despair. The metal shutters have still not been taken from the house and the doors still not been repaired despite Weaver Vale Housing being lambasted in court for the way they have behaved and demanding the rent-book be handed back. There will be another petition for them once May has been laid to rest. WATCH THIS SPACE

13 days ago
It is with EXTREME sadness that I have to tell you that May passed away. Her son has just informed me. The family were still living in TRAVELODGE, even though Weaver Vale had finally given into public and legal pressure and returned the tenancy to her they refused to fix the front and back doors to make the house safe after the police had destroyed them evicting her. The family couldn't return because of this.....So she never made it home. So sad right now but we will need to push and push t get her sons back in the house as I expect Weaver Vale will try all kinds of tricks to keep them out and homeless now May has gone. WE CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN. MAY WOULD WANT THEM HOME! Update soon.....

you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/give-may-appleton-back-her-home-of-61-years?bucket=share

It's a very sad ending for Mrs Appleton. Whilst deploring the way things were handled finally it does seem the sons should bear some responsibility for their mother. They had been informed over a period of time that things needed to change but did nothing.
There is no easy answer to these sort of problems, it's so difficult for all concerned.

Oh dear, that is very sad, not being able to die in the home she loved.


I do think her sons had a responsibility to help her in a kinder way than the LA did.
I hope my DS will be firm but kind with me if I ever need help like that.

I feel quite tearful about that poor old lady, MIL was a hoarder but her house was a private rental. We tried to help but she did get very upset if we threw anything out.

So sad, and I feel sorry for her sons

At last the NHS has recognised that treatment is needed. Sadly too late for Mrs. Appleton who faced a series of ultimatums that she and her sons were not able to fulfill with the result that she has now died probably prematurely.

www.nhs.uk/Conditions/hoarding/Pages/Introduction.aspx

I'm afraid that if my house was next door to hers, she would have moved a long time before that. When you look at the facts death was the only way out. Did they hold a garage sale or what.

Your compassion is only outweighed by lack of humanity Gononsuch

An unnecessary comment and I'm sure she would have been equally glad not to have you as a neighbour .

I agree gononsuch could have put it more tactfully but it would, indeed, have been pretty awful for the lady's neighbours. What were the sons thinking of?! Did they have no responsibility?

It was her home, she wasn't running a brothel , she wasn't hurting anyone,

Unfortunately I don't think Environmental Health at the council wouldn't agree!