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Case Studies

 

“Obsessive Compulsive Disorder leading to Hazards of Health and Home”
 

“Elaine” is a 90-year-old woman who had lived alone for over 15 years in her trendy two story town home in an upscale Chicago neighborhood.  She was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder that manifested as a need for her to keep, or “hoard,” all of her garbage.   Her need to keep trash was so intense that she actually collected and hoarded the trash from her neighbors when they set it out.  Over time, her home literally filled up with rubbish.   In addition to creating a tremendous odor, the home became very attractive to rodents, which moved in, in very large numbers.

CareNhome was hired by Elaine’s Trust, as they owned the property.  The city had condemned the home and Elaine was still in residence.   The bank personnel were unable to persuade Elaine to allow them access to the home, as Elaine was distrustful overall and had historically allowed no one to come in to her residence.

After gaining her trust and confidence, Life Care Innovations' (CareNhome's sister company) social workers convinced Elaine to move to a temporary facility where her medical and mental health needs could be appropriately attended to. CareNhome went to work restoring this home to provide a safe and healthy environment for Elaine to return.

 
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The entire home was furnished with beautiful oak flooring, though it had become “invisible” underneath the piles of accumulated garbage.

       This close-up of the floor just inside the front door shows the heavy staining in the flooring as a result of being exposed to the collected garbage over many years time.  The decaying trash had begun to erode the flooring.      

 
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In some areas of the main floor and the basement, the accumulated trash was over 3 feet deep.  Much of the home’s living space was inaccessible without so much as a path through some rooms.  To move in and out of her second floor bedroom, and to access her kitchen, Elaine had to climb over teetering piles. 

This is a “before” view of the piles on the living room floor with a glimpse of the stairs leading to the upstairs.

 
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This “after” picture shows the flooring, restored to its full beauty, and the stairs, now in clean and usable condition.
The CNH contractor did an incredible job in refinishing these old, beautiful oak floors.  In the areas where the flooring was too heavily damaged, from too many years of leaking garbage, the damaged boards were replaced and carefully matched to the surrounding existing wood.

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This is a “before” picture of the living room with the upright piano in the background. This picture shows the depth of the trash, which is higher than the keyboard.  Unfortunately, after the trash was removed and the piano was accessed, it was discovered that rats had nested inside of it.
Many of the grocery bags in this photo were found to have store receipts dating back more than 10 years, as well as wrappers from food that it seems the rodents had gotten into.

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This is an “after” photograph of the same area.  The walls were cleaned, repaired, and painted, in addition to the flooring being restored.
005 This close-up “before” photograph of the stairs shows how hazardous this environment was to live in.  Ninety year-old Elaine climbed this dangerous pile of trash on the stairs to get to and from her bedroom and bathroom on the second floor.  
007 Here is the “after” photograph of the stairway, restored by CNH to its original condition.  
003 This photo is the “before” of the bathroom at the top of the stairs.  
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Here is the “after” photograph of the bathroom, showing the new vanity, flooring, and toilet.

 
002 This photo is of the hallway leading into the two bedrooms at the top of the stairs.  Sadly, there is no visible path to allow safe passage into the bedrooms.  .  
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This is an “after” photo of the same hallway.

 
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After seeing the dangerous bare wires hanging from the kitchen ceiling, the city of Chicago ordered all the utilities to be shut off until the electrical was brought up to code.  While CNH was trying to get bids on the job, two electrical contractors took one look at the condition of the setting and refused to even bid on the job, but CNH staff persevered.  Despite the summer heat and lack of air conditioning, persistence and dedication paid off and the electrical project was completed.

  
013 This “before” view of the kitchen shows the trash piled up higher than the level of the counters.  It took almost a week of emptying trash before the CNH associates were able to open the louvered door, which led to the basement.  
014 This is another “before” view of the kitchen counter and sink.   
015 Here is the kitchen “after”, with new cabinets, countertop, sink, and flooring.  
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CNH staff also attended to the neglected area outside of the home, removing trash, rubble, and weeds, in addition to  planting new shrubs along the walkway.  When Elaine returned to her home, the restoration of her home and removal of the uninvited four-legged visitors allowed for an environment where she could now safely live.

  

CareNhome, Inc.
1S450 Summit Avenue, Suite 375 • Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
Phone (630) 932-4032 • Fax (630) 953-2155