Animal Hoarding Conference July 28, 2010- Pennsylvania

Hoarding Task Force

Symposium Wednesday July 28th, 2010
This ground-breaking symposium, hosted at Bucks County Community College Newtown campus from 10a.m. to 3p.m., brings together the leading academic and intervention experts in the fascinating field of animal hoarding, and an audience of first responder agencies (public safety, fire, building codes), health department, Children and Youth Services, Mental Health, Area Agency on Aging, humane society, veterinary, County Animal Response Team, and others. This will be profoundly informative, provocative, and is designed to explore collaborative interagency resource-development for earlier and more successful interventions and outcomes for the people and animals who suffer through this disorder.

Seminar Goals
Gary Patronek and Jane Nathanson will work with attendees to eliminate stereotypes and increase the baseline level of awareness of this behavior among those involved in caring for animals, public agencies, and those involved in health and safety, emergency response, municipal authorities, public health and the legal system. It is the goal for these various groups to then come together collaboratively and develop an effective team response to, treat, and prevent the effects of animal hoarding on all involved. Learn more about the issue of hoarding.

Who should attend?
Veterinarians, Vet Techs, social workers, mental health workers, emergency responders, municipal officials and anyone who deals with animals who have been the victims of hoarding, individuals struggling to overcome their animal hoarding disorder, those who must negotiate the system to deliver services to homes where hoarding occurs or who must protect those who can be victimized by a hoarders actions (neighbors, family, etc). Register now.

Agenda

Wednesday July 28^th, 2010 at Bucks County Community College Newtown Campus

10:00a.m.	Introduction
10:30a.m.	Animal Hoarding Overview	Dr. Gary Patronek
11:30a.m.	Interventions; what constitutes unsafe/uninhabitable? Housing code checklist	Jane Nathanson
12:45a.m.	Lunch; case scenarios
1:45p.m.	An Intervention Illustrated, laws	Anne Irwin
2:15p.m.	Developing more resources: panel discussion	Anne Irwin, Jane Nathanson, Dr. Gary Patronek

Link to additional information & registration

Animal Hoarding: Slipping Into the Darkness of Comorbid Animal and Self-Neglect

Author: Jane N. Nathanson ^a

Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, Volume 21, Issue 4 October 2009 , pages 307 - 324

Abstract Substantial research and literature indicate how people and companion animals form relationships that are, for the most part, mutually beneficial. Yet there are highly dysfunctional human-animal relationships that do occur, meriting attention and remediation. One of the most perplexing and problematic human-animal relationships is encountered in cases of animal hoarding—a deviant behavior associated with extremely deleterious conditions of comorbid animal and self-neglect. Adult Protective Services workers often encounter theoretical and methodological dilemmas with these complex cases. To intervene most effectively, it becomes critical to elucidate some of the developmental factors of animal hoarding behavior and its correlation with self-neglecting behaviors in general. This article presents an in-depth diagnostic perspective as derived from the author's research and clinical experience. An analysis of the complex dynamics of the relationship between animal hoarders and their pets is presented in conjunction with accepted theories of self-neglect. With enhanced knowledge and understanding of animal hoarding, human service professionals will be better prepared to respond to these clients, evoke greater rapport and cooperation, and engage in the interdisciplinary efforts that are essential for optimal resolution..." More a Private Practice, Boston, Massachusetts, USA