What is the definition of children and youth in disadvantaged conditions?
-Children who are maltreated by physical, sexual, emotional abuse, or neglect are considered vulnerable. Regardless of their social class, race, gender, or age, children are vulnerable to maltreatment.
What are the 4 categories of maltreatment/abuse ?
- Physical abuse: any physical harm to the child by the use of physical force.
- Sexual abuse: exploiting a child for sexual purpose. These acts include: fondling, intercourse, incest, sodomy, prostitution and pornography.
- Emotional and Psychological abuse: the use of emotional behaviors to decrease a child’s self-esteem and self-image.
- Neglect: the failure to provide for the needs of the child. This includes: basic needs, emotional needs and physical being needs.
What individual factors can lead to suspicions of abuse?
signs of physical abuse, physical symptoms related to emotional distress, social isolation, presence of behavioral and developmental challenges, decrease in role performance in family, job or school, fear of intimacy, substance abuse, mental health concerns (depression, anxiety, low self-esteem).
What community factors can be indicators of family violence?
Increased crime rate, High levels of unemployment, lack of community support and resources, lack of community cohesiveness
What familial factors can be indicators of potential abuse?
Economic stressors, ineffective communication, lack of family cohesiveness, family conflict, homelessness, lack of social supports.
What are the three pieces of nursing process for the CHN working with vulnerable clients?
Goals, Interventions and Outcomes
How can a CHN work to help vulnerable populations to set goals?
- set reasonable goals, based on the first collected data focusing on reducing the health disparities of the client.
- Work towards setting attainable goals with the client. Introduce the client to SMART goals and work together towards setting some. Empower the client to set their own goals.
- Set family centers, culturally sensitive goals that will meet the needs of the client.
How can a CHN use interventions to help vulnerable populations?
- set up outreach to help increase access to health services for vulnerable populations.
- Eliminate the “hassle factor” for the planned interventions. Vulnerable populations are sensitive to waits, complications and confusion. As the CHN you need to identify potential barriers and create easy solutions for the clients.
- Work with the client to ensure that they view the interventions as culturally safe.
- Focus on client-teaching of health promotion and disease prevention.
- Help clients learn the proper channels when they are unable to make it to an appointment. Clients are often viewed as negligent or dismissive when they do not show up to appointments. Teaching the steps of notifying health care providers or social service professionals will demonstrate accountability on behalf of the client.
How can a CHN work with vulnerable populations for improved health outcomes?
- It is often difficult for clients to return for follow up care. Help them develop strategies for evaluating their own outcomes. (Teaching signs and symptoms of infection, therefore, the client knows when to seek medical attention on their own terms)
- Remember to evaluate the outcomes of the goals that the client has set. If the goals were not met, help devise a strategies plan to accomplish the goals in the near future.
What are primary preventative services for vulnerable populations?
Affordable housing, housing subsidies, effective job training, multi-system case management, birth control services, safer-sex education, needle-exchange, parent education and counselling services.
What are mental health primary preventative services for vulnerable populations?
Stress reduction techniques, network development for health care services, health education programs.
What are secondary preventative services for vulnerable populations?
These activities are aimed at reducing the prevalence or pathological nature of a condition. This involves early diagnosis, prompt treatment, and limitation of disability.
What are tertiary preventative services for vulnerable populations?
hese efforts attempt to restore and enhance functioning and reduce disabilities. I.e. mental health services, emergency shelters, needle exchange, drug and alcohol treatment
What is the Harm Reduction Model?
The Harm reduction model is a health care approach to address substance-abuse problems by reducing the harm associated with drugs without requiring that all drug use ceases. The model recognizes that: addiction is a health problem, psychoactive drugs can be abused, accurate information can help people make responsible decisions about drug use, people who have substance abuse problems can be helped.
What factors effect the 14% of children which experience a mental health disorder?
crowded living conditions, violence, parental separation or alienation, lack of consistent care givers and routine
How can a CHN use prevention strategy teaching with vulnerable populations?
Help the client develop an increased sense of responsibility for their own success, help them identify their talents, motivate them to dedicate their lives to helping society, provide realistic appraisals and feedback, increase cooperative strategies rather than aggressive or competitive strategies.
What is involved in case managment for CHNs?
- Case management includes linking clients to services offered directly in their community. These services include: community health nursing, teaching, counselling, screening and immunizing.
- Linking health services in successful by making appropriate referrals and following up with the clients to ensure the needs are met.
- Ensure health information is written out accurately in chronological order, including health assessments and other relevant data.
What 8 things are important for using case management with vulnerable populations
a. Know available services and resources.
b. Find out what missing; look for creative solutions
c. Use your clinical skills.
d. Develop long-term relationships with the families you serve.
e. Strengthen the family’s coping and survival skills and resourcefulness.
f. Be the road map that guides the family to services and help them get the services.
g. Communicate with the family and the agencies that can help them.
h. Work to change the environment and the policies that affect your clients.
