CleanAbilities Australia specialise in providing in-home cleaning support to individuals whose homes are significantly out of balance, often described as living in hoarded or squalor environments. For those we support, capacity is the primary issue.

Throughout our lives, our capacity changes, as we try to develop intellectual, physical, life, and social capacity. While we never stop trying to develop capacity, the challenges of life can limit our abilities, from managing a complex family to battling our own personal anxieties, or simply our aging process. We all face challenges in building, managing, and developing our capacity, and our ability to manage it fluctuates.

Unfortunately, the people we support often feel shame, embarrassment, extreme anxiety, and self-imposed isolation as a result of their fluctuating capacity. The magnitude of change in capacity varies due to a person’s openness to receiving support, the volume and frequency of support delivered, and day-to-day fluctuations. We start by building trust with our clients and developing a plan that is agreed upon and communicated to manage their anxiety levels. Often, loved ones, support, and case officers under or overestimate how a person’s anxiety is impacted by their home environment, and a plan needs to be fluid and adjustable.

As providers, we understand that we have good days and bad, and we continually strive to improve our processes. We specialize in hoarding and squalor, and each person we support has unique anxiety levels, capacity management issues, and individual and environmental factors. Combining these factors into remediation is challenging, when social engagement and having external parties enter their home can create more anxiety. We monitor and manage these anxiety levels to ensure everyone remains happy, and services can be delivered without trauma.

To understand capacity appropriately, we need to document, understand, and review periods of high anxiety, particularly for those who struggle with capacity and present a hoarded or squalor environment. This should assist individuals, planners, coordinators, administrators, system managers, the government, and the general health system. Providing an evidence-based report is a service we offer, and we hope it is used to enhance a person’s life due to the feedback loop it creates and possibly a better understanding and viability of the system.

We believe that at the end of every large project, a report is produced to provide records for future use. If another service is required, having notes on why another service is required and how that service may engage in a better-informed manner with your participant can be extremely beneficial.

Our service specialises in providing in-home cleaning support to those whose homes are significantly out of balance. We understand the challenges associated with managing capacity and anxiety levels, particularly in hoarding and squalor environments. By documenting periods of high anxiety, we hope to provide evidence-based reports that can assist individuals, planners, coordinators, administrators, system managers, the government, and the health system.