Dr. Umesh Jain is now exclusively responsible for TotallyADD.com and its content

Trying [How] to help a homeless man diagnosed with ADHD

Trying [How] to help a homeless man diagnosed with ADHD2019-01-01T14:50:29+00:00

The Forums Forums For The Non-ADD Other Trying [How] to help a homeless man diagnosed with ADHD

Viewing 0 posts

Tagged: 

Viewing 1 post (of 1 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #131903

    tallulahdahling
    Participant
    Post count: 1

    There’s a homeless man in the city neighborhood (Melbourne, Australia) where I live that I’ve been noticing for a few years. He’s never drunk nor does he seem to be on drugs. Every once in a while when he asked me for money, I’d give him a little something. And then we got so we’d have a little conversation once in a while. I found him to be intelligent, perceptive, and considerate, and when I discovered this his plight really got into my head. It kept bugging me.

    He finally told me that he’d been diagnosed with ADHD, and this is what has gotten in the way of him keeping a job.

    Recently when I couldn’t give him money he asked if we could just talk, because he’s so lonely and never gets to talk with anybody about interesting things. And we did, indeed, talk about interesting things. I enjoy our conversations. I *do* believe he has the ADHD he claims to have. He’s got a very active mind and asks interesting questions and can bounce from one topic to another with ease and speed.

    This is a man whose abilities and life are going to waste and who is in a pretty big hole right now, as he’s been homeless for quite a while. He’s been feeling especially desperate because he has recently turned 49 and he has been feeling that time is running out for him to get a decent and fulfilling life that he can be proud of.

    Now, every time I see him on the street, if I don’t have to be anywhere, I give him all the time he wants to talk about whatever he wants (he can’t spare a lot of time himself – he needs to get on with his panhandling in order to try to get enough money to get a cheap room for the night, a place that has a lock on the door, as he put it.)

    I’ve also been looking things up for him on the Internet, trying to find organisations and information to help him climb out of the homeless pit.

    He has no family anywhere, no one to help him out. He is painfully thin and seems to have recently become thinner and his lips are always very dry. I’m very worried about him.

    Has anyone here been homeless for a time because of ADD or ADHD? If so, can you offer any strategies, information, or anything else that might help? How did you find your way out of it?

    As far as information on local services, I live in Melbourne Australia. But any non-location specific tips of any kind are all welcome.

    • This topic was modified 5 years, 2 months ago by driddles.
    REPORT ABUSE
Viewing 1 post (of 1 total)