What is it with elderly people refusing to throw things out?

Question

My grandpa keeps EVERYTHING. Little scraps of paper, cancelled checks from 1998, catalogs from 2002, expired coupons,and everything in between. Sometimes, I cant even sit anywhere in his living room because there are papers everywhere, on every piece of furniture.

Answer 1

Could be a range of reasons. Might be due to experiences through his life that taught him to be thrifty eg. living through hard times and war times. Maybe he has a bit of an obsession with hoarding things, or something else too. Sounds like it is not hurting anyone, but if visitors have nowhere to sit and he wants to keep all these papers, and he is okay with it, maybe you could help him by getting him a few storage boxes or something like that to file them in. Have you ever asked him why he keeps all these papers, that you are curious? (If that would not offend him). Maybe he will tell you. Good luck.

Answer 2

I think maybe you should offer to help him get organized. You may have to do this in his presance because he will not know where anything is and this will cause bigger issues and he might get distraught! It is his home and you need to respect that he can keep it the way he chooses! We just help clean out a womans cupboards and she had 3 - 30 gallon bags full of Meals on wheels styrofoam containers and 2 bags of disposable gas staion soda cups! Not to mention all the other hoopla! Ewwwwwwwwww I think sometimes as people get older, they feel they have already lost so much they want to hang onto whatever they can! And, maybe they are just thrifty people! You could ask your grandpa if you could sort his expired coupons and newpapers etc for him. Also let him know of the fire danger. Just be gentle and not controlling. They dont like that! Be a helper not a hindrance!

Answer 3

Almost everyone not just the elderly, intend to not let things go due to things they may find interesting and may go over again, or may seemed important and for just incase situations but this does go overboard and becomes a habit. Another cause is do to being attached to things and its hard to let go. Thats ok but some are not well organized and others take it the wrong way and/or don't have the capasity they once had to place them were they need them.

Answer 4

Well older people like to keep things maybe because it reminds them of something, like a old memory that they always want to keep in mind. Don't worry my grandma does the same thing it gets annoying but just understand they are old and sometimes cant do things all by their self. If it would make it easier tell him you will help him out by going and getting plastic containers and sort everything out and put everything in the plastic containers. When you are done sorting everything out and putting it in the plastic containers find and empty closet to store the containers in. Good luck!

Answer 5

some people are hoarders...

and sometimes i think when a person grew up poor, or in the depression era, they don't waste or throw out anything.

my ex boyfriend is a "hoarder"... he will take anything that's free and keeps everything!! and he's not that old..! i hated his house and garage because it was a mish-mosh of junk and useless "stuff"......

so, i say live and let live... and maybe you can get a good giggle from observing the way others live, too! sometimes i find it rather humorous...

take care.

Answer 6

It's not just the elderly.

I'm 19 and a self proclaimed pack rat. I have stuff from kindergarden. It's awful. I'm trying so hard to get rid of things >.<

Answer 7

if ur grandpa is old enough to have lived through the depression then he probably thinks something terrible like that will happen again and he doesn't want to take any chances

Answer 8

That is your grandfather, not elderly people as a whole. We keep things as we get older for sentimental value.

Answer 9

because when they were going through the depression and other tough times in our history, they needed to save everything to recycle into other uses. old habits die hard!!