She pays taxes. Home is not hers. She won’t fix. She doesn’t want people in house because she hoards stuff. Valuable to her. Some antiques mixed in the stuff. I tell her to at least sell them! She uses a walker to get around a small area. She can’t climb steps to go shower. I want her to go in a nursing home. She was in one for 23 days and hated it. Thought therapy was a waste of time. She wants to remain independent in an unsafe living space. She has been determined by professionals “to be of sound mind.” I live in another state. I worry about her. She’s 82 and does nothing all day. Doesn’t take suggestions like going to senior center to get out the house. Doesn’t qualify for Medicaid. Is she really of sound mind? Also, her pet is a nasty bird with probably another 50 years to live. The bird food keeps her mice happy and producing. It’s all unreal!
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The bird will outlast her! My cousin had a bird. He had to move and he couldn’t bring the bird so he moved it into my Uncle’s place. The bird was used to flying free during the day. He chewed up all the baseboards. My uncle lived in a busy part of the city and the bird mimicked the sirens from police and fire trucks all the time. He mimicked the telephone ringing. Thank God my uncle was going deaf or that damn bird would have driven him nuts!
Later my Uncle had to move into a veterans home where he died, so my cousin ended up selling the bird back to the woman he bought it from.
Mother will not even allow me to take out her overflowing "incontinence pads" to the trash. Her house reeks so bad. Hoarders DO NOT TRUST.
And each week she wins something at bingo that cannot be tossed and she also gets multiple packages from mail order companies. Nothing ever leaves that apartment.
I'd keep watch on the bird. It's my understanding that they need certain diets and beak trimming.
I might get a consult with an Elder Law attorney in her jurisdiction, so you know what the law is and what the options will be moving forward.
As for the hoarding, some people feel safer when there are tons of stuff around them. It's like being in a cocoon.
As for the mice, my gosh the smell from the [ahem] tiny turds can be overwhelming. The turds are a highway sign system that the mice follow for finding food and water.
Since Mom is of sound mind, the only thing you can do is wait for a serious medical situation where 911 is called, thus Mom goes from the hospital to rehab to a nursing home, with no stopping for home.
Or if the house is like one sees on TV regarding hoarders, you can call the County/city and ask them to do a check on the property.