Homelessness, Ageing and Dying 41 LIAM Liam became politically active in his teenage years and this led him to involvement in the republican movement. Liam was ultimately convicted of a number of crimes and spent some years in gaol. His release from gaol saw him moving to a new area and finding different work. Shortly after that he met and married his wife. They had a son and daughter together who are now in their twenties. The marriage eventually broke up, although Liam and his wife have remained in contact. The breakdown of his marriage saw Liam served with a court order to leave the family home; this in turn coincided with a stroke. So he found himself unwell and out of home. He ended up staying in hospitals with friends and in various hostels. When he was finally released from hospital to recuperate he stayed with his estranged wife until he was able to function independently. When he was well enough he began the process of trying to find a home for himself. It took him about 2-3 months to find his first home; he has moved on a number of occasions since then and now lives in a Simon apartment. When Liam was younger he used to be very fit so drink or drugs were never for him. He is less fit now and was recently diagnosed with a tumour and has gone on to have two brain haemorrhages. He now also has epilepsy as a result of the early stroke and occasionally gets seizures. Liam is an avid reader. He also spends time with his daughter trying to support her. She has attempted suicide and has self-harm tendencies. Liam says he has had to think about dying because of all the things that have happened to him over the last number of years. He knows death is going to happen but is trying to maintain himself in order to long finger it for as long as he can. Liam does not really believe in an afterlife but says he would not be surprised if there is a spiritual being. 3.4.4 Provision for older people in homeless services Over half of interviewees who were living independently were accessing day centre supports targeting older people, and were enjoying this interaction with their peers. Many of the houses/hostels interviewees lived in accommodation which appeared to have higher than average levels of older people and the interviewees were generally very happy about this. A small number of interviewees were living in hostel accommodation that was open to all. These interviewees frequently spoke about how they feared for their belongings and how noisy it could be at times.
Homelessness, Ageing and Dying
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