Quote Originally Posted by bae View Post
Where I live, the authorities have very little authority over this sort of thing, and problems like this are generally addressed by concerned family members, friends, and community members.
I try not to care about them. By that I mean I am trying to emotionally divest from their hoarding problem. This is much harder for my sister, though I obviously struggle with it too. I think the health department could condemn the place. Irony of ironies: My dad used to work for the health department. When we were kids he put a "Condemned for Unsanitary Conditions" sign on the door that he got from work, half in jest. He thought maybe it would make my sister and I clean the place. He couldn't face that it was my mom's hoarding that made it impossible to clean the house. He would also get fed up sometimes and shout: "I am going to take a garbage bag and throw everything in this house away!" My mom would laugh behind his back and say: "Oh...like one garbage bag would do it..."

This was before he decided: "Can't beat'em; join'em!" He became a hoarder too, largely, I think, to adapt to living with my mom.

I also wonder if maybe I could just say: "Look mom & dad, this place is not sanitary. If you do not deal with this situation we (my sis and I) might have to contact the authorities because this is a health hazard to you both."