Daily Functioning in Low-Income Older Adults With Hoarding Disorder

Hoarding disproportionately affects older adults and has been linked with functional and cognitive impairment. However, existing work investigating is limited by methodological issues (e.g., absence of diagnostic interviewing) and little attention to low-income individuals or older adults. The present study sought to address these limitations in a large sample of low-income older adults diagnosed with hoarding disorder.

We administered measures of functional disability, hoarding severity, and cognitive functioning to 169 low-income older adults with hoarding disorder.

We observed high rates of clinically significant functional impairment (49%) and mild cognitive impairment (31%). Greater hoarding severity was significantly associated with functional impairment across several domains of functioning.

Our findings replicate those of previous studies demonstrating the association between hoarding and functional disability in older adults. Results highlight the high prevalence of cognitive impairment within this population and the need for multiple assessments when assessing functional disability in older adults with hoarding.