Self neglect
There are different types of adult abuse, some of which are also criminal offences. See below for more information about adult abuse, however please also note that evidence of one indicator should not be taken on its own as proof that abuse is happening. The list of indicators is not exhaustive, there are other indicators that do not appear here, and individuals may be subject to more than one type of abuse at the same time.
Types of self-neglect
- Lack of self-care to an extent that it threatens personal health and safety
- Neglecting to care for one’s personal hygiene, health or surroundings
- Inability to avoid self-harm
- Failure to seek help or access services to meet health and social care needs
- Inability or unwillingness to manage one’s personal affairs
Indicators of self-neglect
- Very poor personal hygiene
- Unkempt appearance
- Lack of essential food, clothing or shelter
- Malnutrition and/or dehydration
- Living in squalid or unsanitary conditions
- Neglecting household maintenance
- Hoarding
- Collecting a large number of animals in inappropriate conditions
- Non-compliance with health or care services
- Inability or unwillingness to take medication or treat illness or injury
Real life example of self neglect
A famous UK example of self neglect was Mr Edmund Trebus, a Polish war veteran who shot to fame on the BBC series ‘A Life of Grime’ because of his hoarding. Mr Trebus had spent years cramming his five-bedroom villa and garden in north London, with old fridges, rotting clothes, window panes, boxes of broken biscuits, items he had scavenged from local tips - and far, far worse; his home had no running water, working lavatory or electricity.
After complaints from the neighbours about the filthiness of his property, and specifically about the number of rats living there, the council obtained a court order to have the property cleared. But Mr Trebus refused to comply and a long-running feud developed. He refused to acknowledge the rows of dead rats which suggested that his living arrangements presented a serious risk to health.
After a titanic battle of wills, the council eventually succeeded in clearing Mr Trebus's garden of 515 cubic yards of rubbish; it took six men 30 days using five large trucks and 11 skips, and cost more than £30,000. A few years later, however, the television cameras returned for a Life of Grime Special, to find that not only had Mr Trebus filled his garden up again but large cracks in his house suggested it was on the verge of collapse.
In 2001 he was finally persuaded to move into a residential care home, where he was obliged to spend the final year of his life in clean, comfortable surroundings.