NR 443 Week 5 DQ 1 Vulnerable Populations. A Graded. Chamberlain College Of Nursing.As nurses, we all know what we should do to maintain a healthy
... [Show More] lifestyle, but often knowledge does not
translate into actual behavior. Vulnerable populations may face additional individual and/or societal
barriers to being healthy. What are those barriers? What can nurses do to overcome some of the barriers
that you identified?
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(an instructor response)
Collapse Mark as Unread Vulnerable Populations Instructor Hamilton Email this Author
2/18/2015 8:53:15 PM
Hello Class!
Public health nurses have a duty to educate and offer the services available. Sometimes that is a tough
road as many of the individuals seeking services have certain goals in mind and those may not be the
same goals the nurse has for them.....there is an old adage: "You can lead a horse to water, but can't
make it drink." This means that you can offer services, but you cannot force people to utilize them. Do
you agree or disagree with this perspective? Please explain and share examples if you have them. See
you in the thread!~Dr Hamilton
Class: You may begin posting in this TD on Sunday, March 29, 2015 for credit.
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Collapse Mark as Read RE: Vulnerable Populations Jessica Parker Email this Author
3/30/2015 8:01:12 PM
Instructor Hamilton & Class:
I agree that you can offer the services but cannot force people to utilize the service. An example of
someone from a vulnerable population would be a substance abuser (CCN, 2015). We can offer services
for cessation & counseling, but if they are not willing and not (mentally) ready to accept the help, they
will probably fail. We can always continue to educate the patient (& the family). Sometimes, family has
already attempted to help the patient, but it may take someone from the outside (the healthcare
provider/nurse) to convince the patient. Many times we do not want to hear something from family but
will be more accepting of a professional's recommendation.
Chamberlain College of Nursing. (2015). NR-443 Week 5: Frontier Nursing Service [Online lesson].
Downers Grove, IL: DeVry Education Group.
Nies, M. A., & McEwen, M. (2011). Community/Public health nursing: Promoting the health of
populations (5th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Saunders/Elsevier.
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(an instructor response)
Collapse Mark as Read RE: Vulnerable Populations Instructor Hamilton Email this Author
3/31/2015 6:23:48 AM
Jessica your post reminded me of the television reality show "Intervention" although edited for TV I am
sure the intent is still the same, the person is offered a free rehabilitation offer and either accepts or
does not. One episode involved a heroin addict who refused and part of the family healing was to not
give him a place to stay, food to eat, and money. He was an adult who needed to figure out how to help
himself. The family was enabling him and the counselor was spot on when he stated "enabling is
rewarding bad behavior". The program is not only for the addict but the family as well. Thanks for the
topic.~Dr Hamilton
Class: Thoughts about this statement?
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Collapse Mark as Read RE: Vulnerable Populations Michelle King Email this Author
3/31/2015 10:43:29 PM
Dr. Hamilton,
It is important to set limits and have boundaries, especially within a family. As nurses it is our role to
educate families about addiction, which can be a family affair.
However, addiction is under the broad umbrella of mental illness. Is it then enabling to provide food and
shelter to a homeless person who is addicted? I think not.
In the past, there were strict requirements that housing services were provided to the addicted or
alcoholic only when they were sober, even to the extent of giving them a cot for a night to get out of the
cold. Now, new studies are evaluating that approach, arguing that by providing housing, we then have
stability and access to begin addressing other issues, such as addiction, calling such housing "wethouses"
(Vengerowsky, 2011).
I adopted a 14 year old boy who was addicted. There was a lot of tough love, but I never turned him out
into the streets or turned my back on him. He is 30 now, a Catholic who attends mass daily, married for
four years, a home-owner and holding a great job earning more than me. He has always been a
wonderful person, and I love him dearly. At times, well meaning people told me, "put him out of your
home", but I never did. He was in and out jail and rehab for a few years, but my home was always his
home, and always will be. Sometimes the term enabling can be a cop out, allowing parents or society to
turn our backs on a tough situation that we helped create. If we only give to the deserving, who are we
really helping?
Resources
Vengerowsky, K. (2011) "Homeless addicts get help without getting clean, sober." Accessed online on
March 31, 2015 at
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-03-31-wethouses31_ST_N.htm
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Collapse Mark as Read RE: Vulnerable Populations Erica Meyerhofer Email this Author
4/1/2015 2:45:10 PM
Michelle, Class, and Professor -
What a great story Michelle hats off to you did you have other young children in your home at the time
when you adopted him?
Wisconsin is under some new requirements and your post reminded me of the changes effective today
April 1st. I think they are good changes but some will argue. Wisconsin has a food share program that
offers food to those in need. As of today those between the ages of 18-49 without children will have to
work for their benefits. They will be required to either work at least 80 hours each month, or take part
in a work program Wisconsin can offer. If they fail to meet the requirements they will only receive three
months of food share benefits in three year period. Local food pantry's are worried they will begin to run
out of food because those who don't want to work the 80 hours will depend on food pantry's for their
food and take away to families in need that may use food pantries when the food provided by the food
share program runs out. Wisconsin's unemployment rate is 4.8% (Division Work Force Wisconsin) which
is lower than the long term average of 5.8% so I'm not sure where all these people are going to find work
even though it is only 80 hours per month.
Erica
References:
http://fox6now.com/2015/03/16/changes-coming-to-foodshare-program-adults-with-no-children-willbe-required-to-work-for-benefits/
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(an instructor response)
Collapse Mark as Read RE: Vulnerable Populations Instructor Hamilton Email this Author
4/1/2015 6:17:42 PM
Thanks for the follow-up Erica, this is not unusual as the welfare to work initiative in Illinois began several
years ago. This required a certain number of work hours or enrollment in college courses to receive the
link benefits of food, child care, and cash. The hours of work depended if the client was married or not
married, the number of adults in the household, and other criteria. I will say though with the minimum
wage most were working to pay child care so they were not witnessing this as a benefit those who were
going to college eventually saw a benefit once graduating and finding employment paying more than
minimum...when financial aid checks or Pell Grants came in thought this was reportable income to DHS
and Link benefits were affected/decreased/or cut as a result so people felt penalized....there has to be
incentive to help people out of situations, there is no secret Illinois system is broken...we have a new
governor so I suppose we will have to wait and see how he moves forward to improve Illinois fiscal
budget....my fingers are definitely crossed :)
~Dr Hamilton
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Collapse Mark as Read RE: Vulnerable Populations Michelle King Email this Author
4/2/2015 8:15:01 AM
Erica, [Show Less]