Homeless Census Reflection Journal
I participated in the Homeless Census on Wednesday, January 27, 2016, which took place at a homeless shelter called the Mission at Kern County. I was assigned to interview homeless people at the mission. I interviewed eight people, and all of them were males between the ages of 37 to 64. Most of the people that I interviewed were homeless for several years (highest 22 years). Approximately half of them were born in the Bakersfield area. Also, most of them were on some sort of government assistance such as SSI, and all of them were currently unemployed. None of them were veterans. Every single one of them had a history of substance and/or alcohol abuse, and Meth was the most commonly abused substance. Also, …show more content…
Many homeless people are vulnerable physically, socially, mentally, and spiritually, so community health nurses (CHN) need to understand their personal values and beliefs before serving this population because everyday lives of CHN and the homeless are so different that both of these groups can become culturally strangers. So, it’s important that CHNs first develop a rapport, trusting, and nonjudgmental relationship with their homeless clients (Allender, Rector, & Warner, 2014). The CHNs should educate them about preventative measures such as immunization, exercise, and nutrition because that could help to prevent conditions such as diabetes, HTN, and STIs, which are prevalent among the homeless population (Allender, et al., 2014). Also, CHNs can help them by providing information about different services such as housing options, insurance, food services, and employment opportunities (Allender, et al., 2014). Moreover, CHNs should make referrals for employee assistance and educational programs to allow clients who are homeless to eliminate the factors contributing to their homelessness (Allender et al., 2014). Also, education about the importance of enrolling in the available addiction treatments can prevent the adverse consequences such as repeated homelessness, imprisonment, institutionalization, and lastly death (Allender et al., 2014). Homeless people can also benefit from the regular screening for communicable diseases and chronic diseases, and these screenings may possibly help to stop the progression of diseases (Allender et al., 2014). So, it’s important that CHNs arrange these regular screenings in their communities or educate their clients about where can go to these screenings. Also, it’s important that CHNs assess barriers that their homeless client might have that hinders them from acquiring proper health care such as lack of transportation, language barrier, lack of
I participated in the Homeless Census on Wednesday, January 27, 2016, which took place at a homeless shelter called the Mission at Kern County. I was assigned to interview homeless people at the mission. I interviewed eight people, and all of them were males between the ages of 37 to 64. Most of the people that I interviewed were homeless for several years (highest 22 years). Approximately half of them were born in the Bakersfield area. Also, most of them were on some sort of government assistance such as SSI, and all of them were currently unemployed. None of them were veterans. Every single one of them had a history of substance and/or alcohol abuse, and Meth was the most commonly abused substance. Also, …show more content…
Many homeless people are vulnerable physically, socially, mentally, and spiritually, so community health nurses (CHN) need to understand their personal values and beliefs before serving this population because everyday lives of CHN and the homeless are so different that both of these groups can become culturally strangers. So, it’s important that CHNs first develop a rapport, trusting, and nonjudgmental relationship with their homeless clients (Allender, Rector, & Warner, 2014). The CHNs should educate them about preventative measures such as immunization, exercise, and nutrition because that could help to prevent conditions such as diabetes, HTN, and STIs, which are prevalent among the homeless population (Allender, et al., 2014). Also, CHNs can help them by providing information about different services such as housing options, insurance, food services, and employment opportunities (Allender, et al., 2014). Moreover, CHNs should make referrals for employee assistance and educational programs to allow clients who are homeless to eliminate the factors contributing to their homelessness (Allender et al., 2014). Also, education about the importance of enrolling in the available addiction treatments can prevent the adverse consequences such as repeated homelessness, imprisonment, institutionalization, and lastly death (Allender et al., 2014). Homeless people can also benefit from the regular screening for communicable diseases and chronic diseases, and these screenings may possibly help to stop the progression of diseases (Allender et al., 2014). So, it’s important that CHNs arrange these regular screenings in their communities or educate their clients about where can go to these screenings. Also, it’s important that CHNs assess barriers that their homeless client might have that hinders them from acquiring proper health care such as lack of transportation, language barrier, lack of