Homelessness, Ageing and Dying 37 CILLIAN Cillian went to England when he was 14 to escape his violent alcoholic father. He enjoyed his life there, returning home about 7 years later only to be diagnosed with TB. When he was released from the hospital Cillian returned to his family home where he stayed there for a while before moving to a bed sit. Cillian was not always clear about his life and did not want to discuss many aspects of his life. Cillian had four children two boys and two girls. Two of his sons are dead and he does not have contact with his daughters. Cillian has stayed in a variety of different types of accommodation. He has frequently had to move because of alcohol related issues. He has also had long spells of sleeping rough. His longest spell was for four years. He moved from Dublin 17 years ago to another city as the drug problem in the capital grew and he felt less safe. He was attacked by another resident in one facility and that made life more difficult. When he was fifty he was able to move into accommodation targeted at the over 50’s and believes that has made a real difference to his quality of life in terms of reducing his stress levels. He is happy to have a safe bed at night. Cillian has a variety of health problems including lung disease and liver damage. He also suffers from depression and is on high doses of medication. He attributes his depression to a difficult early family life. He is in regular contact with a brother. Cillian is not very mobile and cannot manage steps. He can read but as it is an effort he tends to spend more time watching television and listening to the radio. Cillian likes the fact that he is able to get communion in his current accommodation. Cillian has a poor sleep pattern and says that made the day long. He says he would be happy to die and has attempted suicide on a few occasions. He says that if he could get his hands on enough tablets he would take them. He described himself as a sad man, who has lived a hard life and that he would like to end it if he could. 3.4 Other Issues 3.4.1 Boredom89 Boredom occurs in many institutional settings. Its many and varied causes include a lack of companionship, feelings of helplessness, no opportunity to care for others, ill health, a lack of variety of activities, etc.). Research has indeed found that boredom for some individuals living in institutional settings may be as significant a challenge as physical and functional problems90. An earlier Joseph Rowntree study (1996) found high levels of isolation and boredom among the single homeless people living in hostels. It also found that boredom was an issue for some single people who were previously homeless living in permanent accommodation. It was not surprising therefore to find that boredom was an issue for all the interviewees living in hostel type accommodation. This was less of an issue for the interviewees who were able bodied and could get out and about. For those that had limited mobility this was the thing they struggled most with. Most watched television/video and DVD’s and listened to the radio but ‘as they commented’ ‘there is only so much of that you can do’. Some interviewees read extensively, others did not read at all either because their reading skills were poor or because they had misplaced their glasses some time before and had not got round to replacing them. Members of the Simon Involvement and Action Group were of the opinion that the issue of boredom was a more general one affecting many people who were homeless regardless of their age, but it was clearly exacerbated for individuals whose mobility was restricted. 89 The problems of aging and boredom are well known, especially for the frail elderly. It affects people regardless of where they live, in nursing homes or their own homes. It’s a struggle and a worry for many caregivers and as boredom can often translate into depression. 90 Slama CA, Bergman-Evans B. (200o) A troubling triangle. An exploration of loneliness, helplessness, and boredom of residents of a veterans home. Journal Psychosocial Nursing Mental Health Service Dec;38(12):36-43.
Homelessness, Ageing and Dying
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