A woman, said to be an 82-year-old British resident of Torrevieja, was found dead in her home, where she could have been for at least two weeks.
The woman, named locally as Josephine, lived on Avenida Alfred Nobel, and was said to be suffering from Diogenes Syndrome, also called compulsive hoarding disorder, is defined as a behavioural disorder that usually affects elderly people who live alone.
Neighbours had most recently complained about the situation in August, as the conditions in which she was living in were causing problems not only for them but raising concerns of her wellbeing.
Social Services from Torrevieja town hall had intensified visits last year, after the case was first brought to their attention in 2015. Although the main support for Josephine, sick and with serious mobility problems, in the last two months of her life has been the assistance of the Cruz Roja, which periodically delivered food.
The Guardia Civil were alerted after neighbours became increasingly concerned and noted a bad smell coming from the property. They ultimately found her lifeless body in the property, in a state of decomposition, and initial investigations suggest she may had died two weeks ago.
The Health Department of the Torrevieja Council indicated that the woman had received help, with stays in hostels and in a residence. The department also says that it monitors a dozen more serious cases of Diogenes Syndrome in the town, which shows that it is a major problem in the municipality, also focused on elderly people and with personal situations.
The property will now need thorough cleaning, although Torrevieja abandoned a contract for the cleaning of unhealthy homes when offers were not submitted. In this case, since 2015, the association of owners had sent at least a dozen letters to demand that the Council act urgently, given the “serious hygienic-sanitary situation” presented by the plot, the enormous accumulation of waste with the consequent danger of fire and the need to attend to an elderly person, who was barely autonomous to function on a day-to-day basis.
The Council explained that they are usually single people who lack a family support network, people who often reject the help offered to them without leaving room for action to social services that sometimes cannot get past the door despite to the evidence. In many cases, they are also foreign citizens and to enter, the signed permission of the person concerned or a court order is necessary.
