For those of us who have accepted the responsibility of biohazard clean-up, there inevitably comes a time when your team will be called to a grizzly trauma scene. Regardless if there was a crime committed, death from natural causes or suicide, the impact and weight of the experience can be profound.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, hoarding disorders occur in an estimated 2 to 6 percent of the population and often lead to substantial distress and problems functioning.
It’s interesting how many topics related to restoration work come back to the necessity of understanding our clients. When you have a hoarding job, for example, it’s key to gain that person’s trust as quickly as possible.
Restoration, in general, is not for the faint of heart. You can probably think of dozens of situations you’ve been in that would make the “average” person squirm. Snakes in a crawl space? Monster spiders in an attic? Sewage up to your shins? Hoards of trash and biohazardous waste? That list just scratches the surface.
Hoarding is now recognized by the medical community as a psychological disorder. While it has only recently been defined and studied as an illness (mostly in the last 20 years), it has been recognized as a problem for nearly a millennium.
Speakers represent some of the leading experts in healthcare infection control, environmental disinfection, the restoration industry and crime scene cleanup.
