A Downward Spiral: A Case Study in Homelessness - Free Paper Sample

Introduction

The events that led to the downward spiral into the homeless was losing his job. He was unsuccessful in finding another job. Discouraged, he ended up smoking and becoming an alcoholic. Since then, he was not able to pay rent. Thereby he was thrown out of the house. He became homeless and moved from one house to another being accommodate by his friends and family, and later the park became his home. Social requirements are needs that allow an individual to access basic necessities essential for survival (Doran et al., 2013). John's drinking problem increased in such a manner that no one wanted to continue staying with him. He lacked good relationships with others after his psychological and safety needs have been met by having a place to sleep and consuming alcohol. According to Maslow's social stage, people's interactions with others assist decrease emotional distresses such as anxiety and depression (Doran et al., 2013). Besides, John's depression would have been addressed by health care.

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Barriers

In accessing health care, John faced several barriers. To begin with, once he was rendered unemployed, he was unable to afford health insurance. According to Krausz (2013), the most common barriers to care for homeless people are the poor connection to the care system and problems associated with homelessness, such as lack of medical insurance. When he visited the emergency department, he was billed since he did not have insurance. Moreover, after being diagnosed with a sinus infection and prescribed antibiotics, he could not get the prescription filled due to a lack of money. His poor hygiene embarrassed him and did not want to see a health care provider. Also, the health care providers who treated John did not screen him for homelessness, making it difficult for him to access health care.

The emergency department was the first place John visited to look for care since he lacked the confidence to face primary caregivers due to his poor hygiene. Further, the perceived his conditions as urgent. According to a study by (coaster et al., 2017)), some reasons that make people including the homeless to choose to access urgent care and emergency services include: limited access to primary care, lack of confidence, perceived urgency of the condition by the patient, and the belief that their disease needed the facilities and resources offered by a specific health care provider. The emergency department can improve healthcare service by screen people such as John for homelessness instead of discharging them home.

Lack of Confidence

John would not make eye contact with the HCH team initially since he lacked confidence and felt embarrassed due to his poor hygiene. They do not like to be looked down at, and therefore they do not maintain eye contact with people above their level. According to Ford et al. (2014), most homeless people feel ignored and do not keep eye contact with other people. They feel invisible to other people. To build a lasting relationship with homeless people, one should notice them and avoid saying negative things. The staff must build trust with the individuals who have little or no reason to think the system cares for them (Ford, 2013). After building trust, ensure that they understand that your goal is to help them by creating a medical home to address their needs and look out for their best interests. As in John's case, once he had the HCH team's trust, he regularly visited the HCH clinic.

The elements of the HCH care that embody high-quality care for the homeless include providing food, medical care, shelter, and forging a lasting relationship with the homeless. Also, registering them and signing them up for health insurance through food benefits and Medicaid are elements of high-quality care for the homeless (Doran et al., 2013). Maggie ensured John felt like a real person by accepting him the way he respected him and being ready to assist him in improving his living standards. As such, Maggie made John feel comfortable at the hospital and did not discriminate against him or ignore him because he was homeless; she cares for him like she would for any other person.

Conclusion

In my personal experience, I once encountered a homeless person. He was shy and sitting on street pavements, looking hungry, tired, and seemed like he never got enough sleep last night. I gave him some money for food. All these time I felt sorry for him but acknowledge that as a society, these people do not need pity but help to live their life again and need to be empowered to stand on their own.

References

Coster, J. E., Turner, J. K., Bradbury, D., & Cantrell, A. (2017). Why do people choose emergency and urgent care services? A rapid review utilizing a systematic literature search and narrative synthesis. Academic Emergency Medicine, 24(9), 1137-1149.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/acem.13220

Doran, K. M., Vashi, A. A., Platis, S., Curry, L. A., Rowe, M., Gang, M., & Vaca, F. E. (2013). Navigating the boundaries of emergency department care: addressing the homeless's medical and social needs. American Journal of Public Health, 103(S2), S355-S360.
https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdfplus/10.2105/AJPH.2013.301540?casa_token=kfUwNDhaUiwAAAAA:fCQ0zEq2LL7yT9U8rdaYCamg8J_JKa9nI0jfz2Gywfsoz_t30ZrYPhZ0LpmQNhQ2jn0h92RWMEFB

Ford, P. J., Cramb, S., & Farah, C. S. (2014). Oral health impacts and quality of life in an urban homeless population. Australian Dental Journal, 59(2), 234-239.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/adj.12167

Krausz, R. M., Clarkson, A. F., Strehlau, V., Torchalla, I., Li, K., & Schuetz, C. G. (2013). Mental disorder, service use, and barriers to care among 500 homeless people in 3 different urban settings. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 48(8), 1235-1243.
http://med-fom-krauszresearch.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2015/12/Krausz-et-al.-2013-Mental-disorder-service-use-and-barriers-to-care-among-500-homeless-people-in-3-different-urban-settings.pdf