Preview

Vulnerable Population and Self Awareness Paper

Best Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1627 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Vulnerable Population and Self Awareness Paper
Running head: VULNERABLE POPULATION AND SELF

Vulnerable Population and Self-Awareness Paper: Substance Abuse
Lesley Pyron
University of Phoenix

Vulnerable Population and Self-Awareness Paper Effective healthcare is dependent on understanding vulnerable individuals and populations with respect to biases and prejudices of healthcare providers. According to de Chesnay (2008), “Vulnerability is a general concept meaning susceptibility, and its specific connotation in terms of healthcare is at risk for health problems” (p. 3). Anyone can be vulnerable at different times in his or her life under specific circumstances. According to de Chesnay (2008), “Vulnerable populations are those at risk for poor physical, psychological, or social health. Anyone can be vulnerable at any given point in time as a result of life circumstances or response to illness or events” (p. 3). In order to render good healthcare, healthcare providers need to be aware of their own vulnerability. This paper will discuss the homeless as a vulnerable population; the demographics of the homeless; a personal awareness of the homeless including attitudes, biases, and stereotypes prior to studying homelessness; the impact of research on personal attitudes after gathering knowledge about the homeless; and how the knowledge might affect the delivery of healthcare to the homeless.
Homeless Demographics In the United States, statistics show an increase in the number of homeless people. The National Coalition for the Homeless (2008) stated: A person is considered homeless who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence; and... has a primary night time residency that is: (A) a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations... (B) an institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized, or (C) a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation



References: de Chesnay, M. (2008). Caring for the vulnerable: Perspectives in nursing theory. Retrieved August 27, 2008, from University of Phoenix, Week One, rEsource. NUR 440 Web site. Hill, R.P. (2008). Disadvantaged consumers: An ethical approach to consumption by the poor. Journal of Business Ethics, 80 (1), 77-83. Retrieved August 28, 2008,  from ProQuest database. LAHSC: Los Angeles Homeless Services Coalition. (2008). United States homeless statistics. Retrieved August 27, 2008, from http://lahsc.org/wordpress/educate/statistics/united-states-homeless-statistics MacReady, N. (2008). House calls for homeless people in the USA. The Lancet, 371 (1), 1827-28. Retrieved August 28, 2008, from ProQuest database. National Coalition for the Homeless. (2008). Who is homeless. Retrieved August 27, 2008, from http://www.nationalhomeless.org/publications/facts/who.html Talukdar, A., Roy, K., Saha, I., Mitra, J., & Detels, R. (2008). Risk behaviors of homeless men in India: A potential bridge population for HIV infection. AIDS Behavior, 12 (1), 613-22. Retrieved August 28, 2008, from ProQuest database. Wikipedia. (2008). Knowledge. Retrieved August 28, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Home Again San Diego website. (2013). San Diego statistics – Ending chronic homelessness in San Diego. Retrieved on March 2, 2013 from http://homeagainsd.org/our-homeless/san-diego-statistics…

    • 2593 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Summary: Vagrancy Law

    • 1003 Words
    • 5 Pages

    UC Berkeley Law School explains how San Francisco, and 58 other cities in California, have been implementing laws that are against homelessness. In this case, a minimum of one vagrancy law has been passed among each of the 59 California cities, with a sum of 500 collectively. Hence, California’s homeless rate has increased and in contemporary society it composes 22 percent of the United States’ total. What is ironic about California is that arrest rates for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct have continued to decrease throughout the 21st century, whereas arrest rates for homelessness have increased by 77 percent. Chris Roberts concludes how homeless rates are increasing in California such as 5 percent in a single year from 2012 to 2013, whereas the nation’s collective homeless rate has decreased by 4 percent (2015). Lastly, there has been a 20 percent increase in homeless rates of children in California, which is crucial because it is one of the most vulnerable demographics.…

    • 1003 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Homeless people are a part of a vulnerable population who face a very real risk of developing health issues at a rate higher than the rest of the population due to certain disadvantages and co-morbidities. The homeless population is often exposed to the harsh elements of the weather and lack access to basic necessities such as food, shelter, clothing, and medication. Housing in shelters and transitional homes are not constant and reliable, leaving the homeless population no choice but to spend their days and nights out in the streets. A vulnerable population is defined as those who are at a higher risk than others of developing health issues due to their social status, personal finances, lack of access to resources, or personal characteristics such as age,…

    • 2022 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In order to determine who exactly is homeless we need to use critical thinking skills to do so. The government seems to think that this is the definition of homeless: An individual who lacks a fix, regular, and adequate…

    • 1209 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    “With respect of gender, the majority of the single homeless individuals are men (67.5%)” (Clark, 2015, p. 556). According to Clark homeless women are those who are abused or domestic violence, and 50% of homeless veterans are under 51 years of age and approximately 40% African Americans following Hispanic population. Most of the homeless people are present with some kind of diseases. “More often than causing homelessness, however, health care system factors make it more difficult for poor and homeless individuals to obtain health care and to prevent or resolve health problems” (Clark, 2015, p. 567).…

    • 1297 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    “On any given night, there are over 600,000 homeless people in the U.S.” (Quigley, 2014). Most find themselves sleeping in homeless shelters, short-term transitional housing or someplace uninhabitable. While there are many circumstances that can create homelessness, the major causes are high poverty rates, racial disparities, single parenting, domestic violence, lack of affordable housing, mental illness, and other traumatic experiences. In cases where the homeless person is single, lack of affordable housing, poverty, and unemployment were the leading causes. In cases where families are homeless, substance abuse, lack of affordable housing and mental illness were the top cause. In this research paper, I will try to unveil the factors that…

    • 1406 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Homelessness is on the rise. In 1998 an estimate of between 500,000 and 600,000 people were homeless. By 1999 over 700,000 were estimated on a given night and up to two million people who experienced it during a year.…

    • 888 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Homelessness in America

    • 4391 Words
    • 18 Pages

    Defining the homeless has always been a tricking process considering the fact that being homeless results in situations that various across each individual. Trying to define someone who is homeless raises more questions than it does at answering the initial question. Examples of these questions are how long does it require a person to be without housing to consider them homeless? Do people living in shelters or dangerous and unsanitary public housing considered homeless? Most researchers on the subject have narrowed down the definition of a homeless person to that of someone who has spent at least some time in homeless shelters or living on the streets or other irregular settings (Ambrosino).…

    • 4391 Words
    • 18 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Best Essays

    Essay On Homeless Veterans

    • 3778 Words
    • 16 Pages

    Homelessness has always existed in the United States, but only in recent years has the issue become a more prevalent and noticeable phenomenon. Homeless veterans began to come to the attention of the public at the same time. News accounts chronicled the plight of veterans who had served their country but were living (and dying) on the streets. The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates about 250,000 veterans are homeless on any given night. (2012, pg. 4)…

    • 3778 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Homeless Social Change

    • 505 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, (2016), reported the current estimate of the homeless population at 549,928 to Congress November of 2016, after the completion of a point in time survey conducted one night at the end of January 2016 across the nation to include the sheltered and unsheltered homeless population. Of the 549,928 reported, 68% were residing in emergency shelters. The homeless population according to the report is comprised of veterans, families, unaccompanied youth 18-24 years, unaccompanied children under age 18 and single individuals. At some point and time, social workers will encounter this population regardless of their discipline and it is important to understand the issue, the person's perspective, and the needs and resources available to assist (Social Work Policy Institute, 2010). Social workers operate from the position of social change and understanding the many dimensions of homeless will assist social workers in the fight to end homelessness. There are many perspectives and misconceptions on the issue surrounding the homeless population. Society plays in integral role on the issue of homelessness and resources and actions taken to prevent the increasing numbers. As social workers, we have the ability to guide how homeless individuals and families see themselves and how society sees…

    • 505 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Homelessness in America

    • 460 Words
    • 2 Pages

    John M. Quigley, Steven Raphael, Eugene Smolensky. (Feb., 2001), Homeless in America, Homeless in California. The Review of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 83, No. 1 pp. 37-51 Retrieved August 20, 2010, from The MIT Press.…

    • 460 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Homelessness in America

    • 1049 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Phelan, Moore, & Struening, 1994). In the last twenty years the rate of homelessness has…

    • 1049 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Homelessness is a growing social injustice in the United States. The degradation that these people face every day is terrifying. It is a crisis that we too often ignore, hoping it will restore itself. That assumption delivers a widespread lack of understanding about the facts that lead to homelessness. Homelessness exists as a problem that we should acknowledge and treat.…

    • 809 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Youth Homelessness

    • 856 Words
    • 4 Pages

    My selected social issue for this report is Youth Homelessness. The reason why I have chosen this is because, not only do I want to learn and understand more about the struggle and surviving on the streets, but also because I believe in fundamental rights for all human being. A sense of belonging, mastery, independence and generosity is the root of life to live full of potential. Being homeless takes these benefit away. This essay will focus on the risk factors, impacts and strategies applied when working with young homeless people.…

    • 856 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Homeless in Amercia

    • 3595 Words
    • 15 Pages

    Many people call or write the National Coalition for the Homeless to ask about the number of homeless people in the United States. There is no easy answer to this question and, [Remove comma (unless it introduces a nonrestrictive phrase)] [Remove comma after "and" (the comma goes before it if this is a series or a nonrestrictive phrase)] in fact, the question itself is misleading. In most cases, homelessness is a temporary circumstance-not a permanent condition. A more appropriate measure of the magnitude of homelessness is the number of people who experience homelessness over time, not the number of “homeless people” (NCH, 2009) [The citation for a direct quote needs the page number] .…

    • 3595 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Good Essays