County Durham Community Foundation, Grant Funded Project, Darlington,
Co Durham
The client was referred to us by the Primary Healthcare Team in Darlington. The gentleman was an army veteran who was suffering from diabetes, fibromyalgia and depression. Initially when we visited the home we were of the opinion that this would be more of a waste removal project than decluttering and therefore not something we would consider. However, after having a conversation with the client we agreed to give further consideration and investigate other ways to support him. It was evident he was in poor health and not looking after himself at all. He said he had got to the point where he didn’t want to go on living the way he was.
After conversations with the local council, veteran organisations and the British Legion, it became evident that there was no other support available. The TOP team then discussed whether this was a job that we felt capable of undertaking, considering the amount of waste that was in the home. After some to-ing and fro-ing, it was agreed that we should at least try to provide some help, even if we could only remove the rubbish from the kitchen area. We then contacted our funders to ask if some of the funds allocated for van hire could in fact be used for a skip and fortunately, this was approved.
Discussions with a skip hire firm concluded that special permits would be required from the council in order to place a skip on the roadside (as there was no external drive access to the property) and the cost would be over £300 in total. Feeling dismayed but not beaten, we then discussed the situation with a local waste removal firm who confirmed that if the rubbish could be bagged up, they would collect it from the rear garden at a cost of £3 per black bag. We then asked the local council the cost of them collecting rubbish bags and were told it would be £6 per bag. We therefore concluded that the private hire company would be more cost effective and we would ensure there were no more than 100 bags to collect. We would also need specialist PPE and tools to ensure the team could operate safely.
We then made a call to the client who was very pleased and relieved that we had come up with a solution and a date for rubbish clearance was agreed.
On 24th March 2023, four staff members attended the property for 6 hours. Two worked in the kitchen and two in the living room. The only job for that day was to shovel up rubbish from the floor and worktop areas and bag up ready for collection. However, the kitchen only took three hours to clear which meant the team could concentrate on cleaning the worktops and floors and undertaking some decluttering of the kitchen cupboards. The living room, being twice the size, took five hours just to clear the rubbish from the floor and furniture. During the process, the client moved between rooms to ensure that we were only bagging up rubbish. From this one day, we had 84 bags for collection.
On accessing the kitchen cupboards, it was clear that the client had no systems in place for storing food or equipment. The fridge and freezer were both full of food but switched off. He asked us not to touch those areas. The washing machine was full of clothing that had been there for some time and needed to be discarded due to mould. The sink area was full of dirty pots which clearly had been there some time as the rubbish had been piled on top of them. The sink area was scraped and scrubbed and the waste outlet was unblocked as best it could be.
All of the rubbish removed was related to food and food packaging, fizzy drink bottles and empty cans of energy drinks. There were bags of food that had been purchased from Sainsbury’s and left to rot - mouldy bread and rotting salads. This was all bagged up ready for collection. There was a plethora of Sainsbury’s bags for life (we stopped counting at 200). These were all removed and are currently being used for donating goods to charities.
At the end of the first day, the client was very pleased with the work we had done and desperately wanted us to continue and so a further two x two hour visits were agreed.
The second visit on 2nd April was again with four staff. Three working upstairs and one (with a medical background) working with the client downstairs to sort through a huge amount of tablets, many of which were out of date. During the process of sorting the drugs, the subject of counselling was discussed and the client agreed this was something he would discuss with his Doctor. At this stage the client was clearly still not looking after himself, his skin looked sore and he explained he had a psoriasis flare up.
The upstairs of the property was hoarded, mainly with personal hygiene products as well as cleaning products. We removed a huge amount of deodorants and shower gels which we were able to pass on to a homeless charity for distribution. The remaining items were all categorised and put into storage containers that were already available in the room. The client asked us to take two storage units downstairs so that he could create a bookcase for his large collection of cookery books. His intention was to move his bed into the larger bedroom, once the floor area had been cleared.
Unfortunately, the upstairs floor area was also covered in rubbish - again mainly food packaging and fizzy drink bottles and so that was all bagged up (17 bags in total) and made available for collection by the waste removals team. The bathroom and toilet, which were very unpleasant, were given a basic clean and a new toilet seat fitted. It was noted that there was no hot water in the property and the owner explained the boiler had not worked for many years. Alarmingly, he was running an extension lead into the bathroom where he had a kettle to boil water so that he could wash and shave.
When we arrived for the final two hours on 22nd April, we were pleasantly surprised by the change in the client. He’d had a hair cut, he was wearing clean clothes and his skin was making a recovery. He said he felt like he had a new lease of life. His father had visited and agreed to help him to buy a new boiler, they had done some gardening together and he said he felt generally uplifted and was very pleased with how we were supporting him. Previously, he had felt as though nobody could help him, so this uplift was good to see.
Three of us attended, two working in the living room and one creating a new pantry area in the hall cupboard to store food, which was once again being kept in bags on the kitchen floor. We discussed systems with the client and he was keen to learn but old habits die hard and we are certain he will need some top-up assistance in the coming months. He was reluctant to declutter any of his belongings but after some persuasion, he did part with quite a few cookery books which were donated to the Lions Club to raise money for their charities. The remaining books were stored more efficiently which meant he could access them easily if he wanted to. He also let go of some large holdall bags which were donated to charity.
Although for now this was our last visit, we explained we were available by phone if he needed any guidance in the future, especially around disposing of goods and storage. We also agreed to a catch-up call just to make sure he was on track. The client hugged each of us to say thank you for how we had helped him and promised he would keep on top of everything.
Charities Supported
Far Place, Lions Club, Nite Light.
It is important to note that as a result of this declutter, many other people are being supported by Nite Light who were able to take all of the personal hygiene items and distribute them to those living in poverty or who are homeless in the Middlesbrough and Stockton areas. Far Place and Lions Club will sell the donated items to raise money for their charities.
Number of hours - 10hrs spread over 3 visits
Photographs
Our client was more than happy for us to take before and after photos and videos. We have shared some of the videos on social media to explain the amazing transformation that has taken place and we hope that this will encourage others to begin their journeys.
The following are before and after pictures of the kitchen and living room:
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