Making A Difference in Wareham, MA

9/18/2015 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Upper Cape Cod & the Islands was called to clean a home that had a furnace malfunction and discovered hoarding conditions.

The best we can hope for in life is that we do what we love and love what we do. One of the things I love most about my job is that it offers me the opportunity…. each and every day….to step in and help a fellow human being in need. That was the case a few years ago when we received a call to clean up a puff back from a furnace…. a rather routine service.

The moment we stepped into the small home, we knew this was going to be a complicated job. The homeowner had done extensive traveling, and collected a significant number of figurines, memorabilia and books. Though she had downsized from a larger home to a smaller one, she had not downsized the contents of her house. Furniture, books, and lots of small items filled her cottage, leaving just a narrow aisle to get from one room to another. Without judgment, I immediately recognized that our customer suffered from a condition called hoarding. Working with a family member, I suggested that since we had to clean all of these items, which had been affected by the soot from the puff back, that we neatly and respectfully box up any unnecessary things for daily living so that they could be stored in the attic. We reduced the contents in her living space by about 70 percent, allowing our client to hold on to her treasured possessions without letting them interfere with the quality of living in her home.

During the clean up, we noticed the basement was riddled with mold—another health hazard to our customer. I immediately called the insurance company told them the situation and got approved so that we could clean up another potential health hazard for this elderly woman. By the time we had finished the job, we had cleaned and organized our customer’s home so that it was a safe and healthy space for her to enjoy her life and the things that bring her joy. I feel so lucky to be in a position to do that for people and I consider it one of the many benefits of my job. I am sure that everyone, no matter what their career is, has a memory of when they left work at the end of the day feeling like they made a difference in someone's life. Please feel free to share your story—I would love to hear it!