Homeless in Calgary 5: Shaking

A while after I first became homeless, I started experiencing involuntary shaking of my hands and arms. It became so severe at times that I would just have a few seconds to lower a cup of coffee to the ground, to prevent me from splashing it over me and the floor. A quick test by a doctor revealed that it was not Parkinson's Disease. When I suddenly had an episode of shaking in her office, and bent down to put my cup on the floor, an employment counsellor told me what it was. At first, I didn't believe her, but the explanation fit what I was experiencing.

I have permanent physical conditions including a visual-motor handicap. I was sent by one agency that assists handicapped persons, to a specialist for testing and it confirmed that I was permanently handicapped. That handicap qualified me to become a client of an employment counselling agency for disabled persons in Calgary. When I identified aids that I required, they did not help me obtain them. Other requests were refused because it was "not within their mandate". I was subsequently abused by the agency. Apparently, "abuse" and "discrimination" are within their mandate.

The shaking episodes still continue. I have difficulty picking up drinks or meals without spilling them, and cannot easily pick up small items of food from my plate. I also cannot easily thread a needle to do my own sewing.

For a long while, I wondered what the long-term impact of the cause that the employment counsellor had told me would be. I now know, for I recently aquired multiple physical ailments which I did not have before, and they are getting worse (even life-threatening). While physicians may not agree, I believe that there is a direct correlation between the long-term chronic persistence of the cause, and my current state of health.

Homelessness does have a long-term impact on a person's health, both physically and mentally. I believe that with early intervention, the effects can be reversed, as with other illnesses and disease.

Written by Anonymous45