CCB MEDIA PHOTO
Denise Egan Stack is a member of the Cape Cod Hoarding Task Force.
FALMOUTH – The Cape Cod Hoarding Task Force is trying to get the word out about how Cape Codders can help themselves or family members who are dealing with hoarding issues.
The task force’s mission is to raise awareness of compulsive hoarding and to provide education and support for those affected by hoarding through accessible tools, referrals and resources. The task force seeks to develop a coordinated response among community agencies to the problem of hoarding in a sensitive and responsible fashion.
A session called “Buried in Treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring,” is a community forum being held in two communities on the Cape on Thursday, February 26 for service providers and the general public.
The sessions will cover the impact of the media and the stigma on those needing help, the latest developments in research and development of recovery tools, the effectiveness of peer-to-peer support groups, interventions that work and those that don’t and stories of success and hope.
The first session is being held from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Truro Council on Aging at 7 Standish Way in North Truro.
The second session is being held from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Hermann Foundation Conference Room at Falmouth Public Library at 300 Main Street in Falmouth.
During the events, attendees will find out how to join a Buried in Treasures self-help group in the area.
Support groups meet weekly on the Cape.
The next Buried in Treasures Support Group meets Tuesday, March 4 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Elder Services of Cape Cod & the Islands on Route 134 in South Dennis.
Among the members of the task force is Denise Egan Stack, a licensed mental health counselor who has been treating people with OCD and related disorders, including hoarding, for over 15 years. She is president of the International OCD Foundation and OCD Massachusetts and recently helped launch the Cognitive Behavioral Institute in Falmouth. She is the mental health consultant for the Cape Cod Hoarding Task Force and is the chairwoman of the development subcommittee.
Listen below as Denise Egan Stack discusses hoarding and the work of the Cape Cod Hoarding Task Force:
