Submitted by John Rowland
I just recorded the 18th name of a Drop-In Centre Client who has died in 2007. It is only May 24th and we are set to match the year 2004, when 19 of our clients died – over the entire year. We are back to where we were in the mid 1990’s and the rate of death we were experiencing amongst the population we serve prior to the expansion of the shelter system.
Why is this happening? The individual deaths have occurred for many different reasons so there is no pattern, or obvious cause. The average age of the individuals who died is 47 years, with the oldest being 62, and the youngest 18. I have no good explanation, other that to suggest that stress, and lack of hope is causing people to give up.
John Rowland is the Data System Coordinator at the Calgary Drop-In & Rehab Centre.
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