For elderly lone inhabitants of homes, falls can be very dangerous, even lethal.
A house filled to the utter brim with junk from hoarding is like a minefield made of garbage. All it takes is one slip on damp newspapers or a foot caught on a pile of trash to suffer a terrible fall.
Victim Rescued From Home by Church Friend
This fate befell Mr Chin, a man in his 70s living alone in a heavily cluttered two-room Jalan Kukoh HDB flat.
According to volunteer Irene Woon in a Shin Min Daily News interview, the man took a hard tumble in his junk-filled kitchen and was unable to stand up.
Fortunately, the story does not end with his obituary listed in this article and condolences being handed out. Alive but unable to get up, Mr Chin dialled his churchgoer friend, Terry, for help.
An absolute legend, Mr Terry immediately rushed over to Mr Chin’s flat, calling the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) on the way.
When he arrived, he found the door locked tight. Mr Chin could not make it over to unlock the door.
Mr Terry then noticed an open window. Thinking quickly, he passed a hook through it and snagged the house keys from within. He proceeded to unlock the front door with them, allowing the SCDF personnel easy access inside.
Mr Chin is currently recovering in the hospital.
Helping Joy Charity Clears Clutter in HDB Flat
Not content with merely being an incredible person, Mr Terry returned once more to Mr Chin’s HDB flat in an attempt to clean up the clutter.
However, he soon realised the immensity of the hoarded junk was too much for himself to settle. Clothing, shoes, boxes, bottles, and bags littered the floor to such an extent that there was barely space to step.
Mr Terry then dialled for Helping Joy, a non-profit organisation specialising in decluttering the homes of hoarders.
It was a mountainous task to tackle. There was barely a surface in Mr Chin’s HDB unit not covered by all manner of useless clutter like papers, food packets, and Crocs.
They might even be better off throwing the entire house into a dumpster and building a new one from scratch.
On 30 June, 25 hardworking volunteers from Helping Joy toiled in Mr Chin’s flat for six hours. They cleared about six to seven large bins worth of garbage, according to Ms Woon.
The photos of the aftermath practically showed an entirely different HDB flat.
This one was much more hygienic and livable, not to mention safer for Mr Chin once he gets discharged.
Reasons Behind Hoarding Complex
But why exactly do people hoard? Can’t they just not pile up seven large bins worth of garbage in their home?
Well, the issue is a lot more complex. A post by Habitat for Humanity Singapore pointed out that numerous cases were linked to mental health issues. Others had their hoarding behaviours triggered by major emotional periods in their life.
In many cases, the homeowners have a hard time agreeing to part with the items due to these underlying psychological reasons beyond their control.
The build-up of clutter not only causes hygiene issues, they’re a genuine safety hazard. A Telok Blangah HDB fire in 2021 was fueled by the junk piled up at a lift landing. Eight residents suffered injuries and 100 had to be evacuated.
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