Capella FPX 4015 Assessment 4
Student Name
Capella University
NURS-FPX4015 Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, and Physical Assessment: A Holistic Approach to Patient-Centered Care
Prof. Name
Date
Caring for Special Populations Teaching Presentation
Hello everyone. I hope you all are doing well. My name is ______. This presentation will explore the unique healthcare challenges homeless individuals face and highlight strategies for providing culturally competent nursing care to improve health outcomes for this vulnerable population.
Slide 2:Introduction to the Special Population Group
Homelessness is the lack of a stable, safe, and adequate nighttime residence. The human experience of homelessness manifests through multiple possible expressions. A person falls into unsheltered homelessness when they resides in areas that serve no human dwelling purpose (streets, parks, and abandoned buildings). Unsheltered individuals immerse themselves in emergency shelters and transitional housing (Richards & Kuhn, 2022). Long-term homelessness characterizes chronic homelessness when people repeatedly experience homelessness as it relates to their disability status or severe health conditions. Historically, people who lack stable homes because they cannot afford their housing fear eviction or live in overcrowded dwellings and struggle with housing insecurity. The living circumstances of such individuals exist in unstable conditions, which create conditions that can result in homelessness.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 2023 Annual Homeless Assessment Report In January 2020, over 580,000 people in the U.S. were homeless, with 61% staying in shelters and the rest living in unsafe places like streets and abandoned buildings. Homelessness has been rising for four consecutive years, with a significant increase in unsheltered homelessness, especially in California. Certain groups, including families with children, unaccompanied minors, veterans, and people of color, were disproportionately affected (Sleet & Francescutti, 2021).
Homeless people deal with major health differences since they remain at higher risk for persistent diseases, mental disorders, and substance dependency. Still, their ability to obtain caring medical services remains limited. The combination of destitute housing with the additional obstacles of healthcare system distrust and logistical barriers together threaten homeless individuals to contract infectious illnesses. Homeless individuals experience about 30 years less lifespan than the wider population (Bedmar et al., 2022). The healthcare challenges of these individuals can be resolved by nurses who practice compassionate and culture-conscious care that addresses trauma.
Slide 3: Cultural Values and Beliefs Relevant to Healthcare
Homeless individuals consistently put their basic survival needs, like food, shelter, and safety, in front of medical care because this leads to postponed medical treatments for both acute conditions and long-term health problems. Medical settings create distrust among homeless individuals who bring past negative experiences and discrimination together with feelings of being unwelcome in healthcare environments. The misbeliefs about healthcare providers stem from the assumption that these providers lack an understanding of homeless struggles along with failure to show appropriate dignity and respect to patients (Miller et al., 2024).
The population faces multiple obstacles when trying to gain access to healthcare services. Stigma, together with social discrimination, drives typical patients away from medical treatment facilities, yet traumatic encounters with healthcare personnel produce fear and opposition towards medical institutions. Financial obstacles, transportation challenges, and official certification requirements like identification and insurance stop numerous homeless people from getting proper medical treatment when needed (Thorndike et al., 2022).
Studies about homelessness need to account for diverse subpopulation needs since different portions of the homeless experience different obstacles to healthcare access. Children in homeless families encounter pediatric healthcare barriers alongside unstable educational systems. At the same time, veterans commonly deal with mental health and substance use crises, and LGBTQ+ youth frequently become homeless owing to rejection, which increases their exposure to attack and abuse (Sleet & Francescutti, 2021). The healthcare needs of various homeless groups become accessible through nurses’ multicultural understanding of their specific life circumstances.
Slide 4: Healthcare Disparities Faced by Homeless Individuals
Homeless persons experience major healthcare inequality issues mainly because they have minimal access to basic healthcare and disease prevention services. Homeless individuals usually lack healthcare providers, which forces them to delay treatment until medical emergencies become necessary. Circumstances surrounding access to preventive screenings, the unavailability of vaccinations, and chronic disease management practices render untreated conditions with more dangerous complications (Miller et al., 2024). Homelessness causes extreme instability, which affects patients’ abilities to follow medical instructions, their attendance at follow-up visits, and adherence to medication requirements, leading to inferior health results.
Homeless people automatically face increased risks of developing chronic illnesses, mental health disorders, and infectious diseases despite restricted medical service access. People who are homeless usually develop diabetes together with hypertension and respiratory diseases because they face tough environments, poor nutrition, and minimal medical supervision. A study tells Up to 80% of homeless individuals struggle with mental health or substance use, with nearly half at high suicide risk (Bedmar et al., 2022).
Depression and PTSD, along with schizophrenia, exist frequently among homeless individuals without access to psychiatric treatment because of obstacles to psychiatric care services. Substance use disorders persist at a high rate, yet treatment centers for addiction, together with harm reduction programs, are understaffed and scarce. Unhygienic living environments make people more susceptible to catching tuberculosis, hepatitis, and HIV infections. The healthcare challenges homeless individuals face worsen because of health insurance gaps, the need for identification, and the absence of suitable transportation (Bensken et al., 2021).
Slide 5: Social Determinants of Health and Homelessness
Homelessness is shaped by a complex interplay of social determinants that significantly impact health outcomes. Addressing these factors is essential to improving the well-being of individuals experiencing homelessness. By addressing these social determinants, policymakers, healthcare providers, and social workers can create more effective interventions to reduce homelessness and improve health outcomes for this vulnerable population.
- Economic Factors: The combination of unemployment, poverty, and the shortage of inexpensive housing leads to homelessness. Job stability remains out of reach for many people because they frequently lack work opportunities or educational credentials, and disabilities prevent them from finding suitable employment, which makes housing affordability impossible (Thorndike et al., 2022). The combination of increasing rental costs and non-growing wages creates unacceptable housing insecurity, which leads families to emergency shelters and open-living situations. Health conditions tend to deteriorate when people lack financial stability, making healthcare services harder to reach (Bensken et al., 2021).
- Environmental Factors: Homeless people face extra health risks because they must endure harsh weather situations where temperatures become dangerously cold, and temperatures become dangerously hot while also enduring heavy rainfall. Inadequate health standards of life in homeless camps and shelters enable disease spread, including tuberculosis and hepatitis infections (Sleet & Francescutti, 2021). The combination of inaccessible clean water, poor hygiene facilities, and limited food sources weakens immune systems, thus making individuals susceptible to chronic diseases and illnesses.
Capella FPX 4015 Assessment 4
- Psychosocial Factors: Homeless individuals commonly experience trauma from domestic violence, childhood abuse, and military-related PTSD, and these traumatic experiences lead to their unstable living conditions (Richards & Kuhn, 2022). Limited psychiatric care exists for the numerous homeless individuals who face depression, schizophrenia, and anxiety disorders. Homeless individuals who use substances for coping often experience more complicated recovery and face barriers to successful integration into stable living. At the same time, this habit promotes a repeated pattern between homelessness and negative health conditions (Miller et al., 2024).
- Policy-Related Barriers: The scarcity of housing options, together with extended waiting times for affordable housing programs, stops numerous homeless people from obtaining stable homes (Sleet & Francescutti, 2021). Housing assistance remains inaccessible because of demanding qualification requirements, an insufficient program budget, and administrative delays when providing services. Homeless individuals face increased distress and traumatic experiences because laws that punish public sleeping interfere with their ability to end homelessness and obtain health care alongside vital social support services (Thorndike et al., 2022).
Slide 6: Strategies for Culturally Competent Nursing Care
Successful healthcare service delivery to homeless people depends on staff who demonstrate cultural competence and master trauma-sensitive practices. The following are some of the important strategies to be considered:
- Nurses must establish trauma-informed relationships and rapport while providing care to homeless individuals because most of them have encountered traumatic experiences (Barry et al., 2023). Getting treated in healthcare becomes more likely when patients receive trauma-informed care and experience trust-building experiences. Homeless individuals experience judgment-free delivery of patient-centered healthcare in treatment settings because stigma commonly exists.
- Nurses should deliver their care to homeless individuals with emotional understanding, respecting their circumstances while avoiding any negative evaluation.
- Healthcare professionals should adopt harm reduction strategies to manage substance use disorders by offering clean equipment and distributing naloxone and medication-assisted therapy to improve patient health outcomes while reducing overdose dangers.
- Before medical assistance, food, hygiene items, and shelter referral services should start. Such basic needs care approaches help develop trust and ensure stable patient health.
- Mobile clinic services and street outreach initiatives allow medical professionals to provide healthcare surgeries directly to homeless people through roaming healthcare units and field teams that assist with urgent medical needs (Kaufman et al., 2024).
Slide 7: Communication Strategies for Effective Care
Effective communication is key to engaging homeless individuals in healthcare.
- Many homeless individuals may have low health literacy or cognitive impairments. Using straightforward, jargon-free language ensures understanding.
- Past experiences with violence, abuse, or institutional mistreatment can make interactions challenging. Nurses should approach conversations sensitively and avoid triggering language or actions (Barry et al., 2023).
- Showing genuine concern and advocating for patients’ needs can help build rapport and encourage participation in their care (Crane et al., 2023).
- Providing visual aids, verbal explanations, and hands-on demonstrations can improve comprehension and empower individuals to take charge of their health.
Slide 8: Case Study: Culturally Competent Nursing in Action
We have already discussed the potential causes for not accessing healthcare services, like stigma, experiences, and other barriers. It is important to acknowledge the needs of homeless people. The research assessed homeless individuals’ views about healthcare services delivered through Case Study Sites (CSSs) relative to the healthcare they received at their normal General Practitioner (GP) practices (Crane et al., 2023). Specialized CSS models such as Mobile Teams and Specialist GPs obtained substantially higher evaluations regarding accessibility combined with standard of care and patient trust than Usual Care GPs.
Homeless individuals highly valued CSS staff members’ professional respect and judgment-free behavior when receiving care. According to some patients reporting at Usual Care GP facilities, people in GP settings found their experience dismissive or stigmatized. Staff attitudes and accessibility alongside holistic support were vital elements, with professionals requiring flexibility in their patient-centered services. My narrative also supports a trauma-informed, nonjudgmental approach to building trust and providing long-term healthcare and social services.
Slide 9: Resources for Homeless Healthcare Support
The following resources are essential to address the healthcare concerns related to homelessness. Healthcare services, together with crucial services, present an absolute necessity to those who lack housing. Firstly, the National Health Care for the Homeless Council (NHCHC) provides medical and clinical resources, training, and advocacy for better healthcare services for vulnerable communities (NHCHC, n.d.). Secondly, medical care entry points within shelters and community health clinics are vital for community members as they provide preventive services, wound care, and chronic disease management. Further, mental health programs alongside substance abuse services deliver counseling and medication-assisted treatment under Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) programs together with peer supporter services to treat patients with dual disorders.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) operates a project called the Grants for the Benefit of Homeless Individuals (GBHI) program. GBHI funding supports community organizations that supply integrated treatment to people who experience homelessness and have co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders (SAMHSA, 2023). Another example is The Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP), which demonstrates excellence through its operation of MAT, which combines buprenorphine or methadone with mental health support services for opioid use disorder patients. Lastly, the government’s Medicaid and Housing First programs provide healthcare services and homelessness solutions that serve as essential foundations to achieve long-lasting health benefits (Jacob et al., 2021).
Slide 10: The Role of Nurses in Advocacy and Policy Change
Nurses’ advocacy for affordable housing and healthcare policies ensures that government legislation focuses on fulfilling the needs of homeless individuals. Through advocacy efforts, nurses drive healthcare instructions that concentrate on reaching underserved groups and minimizing harm while creating accessible service delivery models (McWilliams et al., 2022). Nurses who partner with social workers and community organizations help patients access essential resources that cover food, shelter, and mental health services. Through their clinical experience, nurses champion policy measures that fight homelessness and health inequality to enhance care access, reduce prejudice, provide lasting homeless solutions, and neutralize healthcare disparities.
Slide 11: Conclusion
Homeless people encounter substantial healthcare disadvantages because they face challenges in economic security as well as environmental struggles combined with institutional obstacles. Nurses must lead the effort to resolve these difficulties by giving trauma-sensitive care with cultural competency while prioritizing patient trust, healthcare accessibility, and harm reduction techniques. Healthcare professionals can enhance care delivery and better health results for this at-risk population through a combined approach of outreach programs, mobile clinics, and supportive services. A full solution to homelessness demands integrated methods of healthcare support, government policy improvement, and social services that target lasting change. Thank you for your time and attention to this important issue.
References
Barry, A., Hoffman, E., Charleston, E. M., DeMario, M., Stewart, J., Mohiuddin, M. I., Mihelicova, M., & Brown, M. (2023). Trauma‐informed interactions within a trauma‐informed homeless service provider: Staff and client perspectives. Journal of Community Psychology, 52(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.23102
Bedmar, M. A., Veny, M. B., Lelong, B. A., Mut, F. S., Pou, J., Moyano, L. C., Toro, M. G., & Yáñez, A. M. (2022). Health and access to healthcare in homeless people: Protocol for a mixed-methods study. Medicine, 101(7). https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000028816
Bensken, W. P., Krieger, N. I., Berg, K. A., Einstadter, D., Dalton, J. E., & Perzynski, A. T. (2021). Health status and chronic disease burden of the homeless population: an analysis of two decades of multi-institutional electronic medical records. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 32(3), 1619–1634. https://doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2021.0153
Crane, M., Joly, L., Daly, B. J., Gage, H., Manthorpe, J., Gaia Cetrano, Ford, C., & Williams, P. (2023, October). Perspectives of Case Study Sites: case study participants and people experiencing homelessness but not accessing the sites. National Institute for Health and Care Research. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK596155/
Jacob, V., Chattopadhyay, S. K., Dorcoo, S. A., Peng, Y., Hahn, R. A., Finnie, R., Cobb, J., Cuellar, A. E., Emmons, K. M., & Remington, P. L. (2021). Permanent supportive housing with housing first: Findings from a community guide systematic economic review. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 62(3). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2021.08.009
Capella FPX 4015 Assessment 4
Kaufman, R. A., Mallick, M., Louis, J. T., Williams, M., & Oriol, N. (2024). The role of street medicine and mobile clinics for persons experiencing homelessness: A scoping review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(6), 760–760. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21060760
McWilliams, L., Paisi, M., Middleton, S., Shawe, J., Thornton, A., Larkin, M., Taylor, J., & Currie, J. (2022). Scoping review: Scope of practice of nurse‐led services and access to care for people experiencing homelessness. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 78(11), 3587–3606. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15387
Miller, J.-P., Hutton, J., Doherty, C., Vallesi, S., Currie, J., Rushworth, K., Larkin, M., Scott, M., Morrow, J., & Wood, L. (2024). A scoping review examining patient experience and what matters to people experiencing homelessness when seeking healthcare. BMC Health Services Research, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-10971-8
NHCHC. (n.d.). Quality. Access. Justice. Community. Nhchc.org. https://nhchc.org/
Richards, J., & Kuhn, R. (2022). Unsheltered homelessness and health: A literature review. AJPM Focus, 2(1), 100043. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.focus.2022.100043
SAMHSA. (2023). FY 2023 Grants for the benefit of homeless individuals. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/grants/pdf/fy-23-gbhi-nofo.pdf
Sleet, D. A., & Francescutti, L. H. (2021). Homelessness and public health: A focus on strategies and solutions. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(21). National Library of Medicine. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111660
Thorndike, A. L., Yetman, H. E., Thorndike, A. N., Jeffrys, M., & Rowe, M. (2022). Unmet health needs and barriers to health care among people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco’s Mission District: A qualitative study. BMC Public Health, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13499-w