42 Simon Communities of Ireland KEVIN Kevin was born in Edinburgh but returned to Ireland when he was 10. He left school at 14 and worked for a few years before joining the army. He got married when he was 21 and went on to have several children and now grandchildren. He travelled extensively in the army. He left the army before he was eligible for a pension because of the death of his wife. After his wife’s death Kevin sold the family home and began to drink very heavily. He went on to live with another woman for about four years until the money from the sale of the house ran out. With no place to live and no money he started sleeping rough. He slept rough for about nine years. This upset his sister and daughter, but they stuck by him, washed his clothes and tried to help him. Kevin eventually got fed up of sleeping rough and presented to a local hostel, where he was told he would have to be sober. He later returned sober to the hostel and got to stay and so began his journey away from sleeping rough. Kevin eventually got a Council house where he now lives. Kevin’s health has suffered because of his drinking and rough sleeping. He has had four strokes and at least three heart attacks to date. He also has problems with his stomach, and his blood pressure. Things can also get in on top of Kevin and he has had what he describes ‘fits of depression’. The last of which led him to take an overdose. He is as a consequence no longer trusted with his medication and his nephew now helps him with this. Kevin attends Simon services for the company, a change of scenery and a hot meal. He says it gets him out. Kevin prays daily and especially at night, he says prayers help him a lot. He thinks about dying often but tries not to worry about it. He said if he was dying he would like to go to the place he goes to for respite but that he would ideally like a couple more years to see his niece and granddaughter get married. 3.5 In summary The interviewees were all users of Simon services. They came from a variety of locations and lived in a variety of accommodation types. Interviewees who lived in communal accommodation which catered for all age groups found their accommodation noisy and more challenging than those who lived in communal accommodation which catered for higher than average levels of older people. – Ten interviewees had been married, while a number had been involved in long term relationships. – Ten had children and some also had grandchildren. Only five had contact with their children. – Nine interviewees’ first experience of homelessness occurred in their early fifties. For some it was the death of a partner or the breakdown of long term relationship (closely followed by a court order requiring them to vacate the family home) that had provided the trigger for their first period of homelessness, often linked to alcohol abuse and ill health. In contrast about a third of the interviewees had periods of homelessness throughout their adult life. Seven interviewees had spent long periods of time sleeping rough. – More than ten interviewees were living with serious physical and mental health conditions. Others had more serious life threatening conditions while four interviewees were unable to get around unaided. At least four interviewees had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and had regular injections to help manage the condition. Interviewees also reported having had nervous breakdowns and having to deal with depression on an on-going basis. Quite a few interviewees had been hospitalised as a result of these conditions with a number of unsuccessful suicide attempts. Most interviewees were on a variety of medication for a range of physical and mental health conditions. – Fourteen interviewees had engaged in problematic alcohol use. – Fourteen interviewees (even those living in hostels and particularly those living in rural areas) reported feeling isolated with limited opportunities for meaningful activities.
Homelessness, Ageing and Dying
To see the actual publication please follow the link above