AM New York cover story spotlights SeniorBridge's expertise with mental health patients including those with hoarding issues 

NEW YORK (September 27, 2010) - SeniorBridge was featured in a cover story about hoarding in AM New York, a leading free newspaper distributed throughout the city. In the article, SeniorBridge's Marci Cooper, MSW, LCSW, C-ASWCM, who also teaches a Hoarding Behaviors class at Rutgers University, is quoted about SeniorBridge's expertise with mental health patients and offers local perspectives about the condition. The article also features a SeniorBridge partner who assists in the clearing out of New York apartments, Caring Transitions. Excerpts from the article are below, followed by a link to the full story.

Excerpt:

It may sound like an episode of A&E's "Hoarders," but... apartment clearing specialists say New York is the ultimate hoarding breeding ground. "I believe reports on hoarding are way underreported" in the city, said Marcie Cooper of SeniorBridge, a Manhattan based service that assists people with varying mental disorders.

In dealing with a hoarder:

1. Never just throw a hoarder's belongings away. It's not just junk to them. Experts advise suggesting to hoarders that they donate their belongings, so they don't feel items of value are being tossed.
2. Don't throw the trash away in a place where the hoarder can access it - because they'll retrieve it.
3. Start discarding items that provoke the least anxiety to a hoarder. Find out how the hoarder prioritizes his or her items and work from the bottom up.

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