Seek Support In The Hispanic Community

It is well known that the United States is made up of several different cultures and the health care system delivers care to a very diverse population. However, depending on ones culture-receiving care may be a challenge at times. In this paper we are going to take a closer look at the culture of Hispanic Americans. The Hispanic population has grown to over 55 million residents with in the United States in 2015, with an estimated growth rate of 2.1% per year (Krogstad & Lopez, 2015). Making this minority group on of the fastest growing populations within the United States (DeNisco & Barker, 2016).

Growing up in a Hispanic household has shaped and built my values in life. At Appleton North High School, I am one out of the few Hispanic students. Knowing that my parents have migrated to America to give me a better future has motivated me to make it happen. Although, as a Mexican-American, I have felt out of place as a minority. However, with time I learned to accept my cultural differences. In fact, to this day, I thank my widowed father for the sacrifices and greater opportunities he has given me. My goal is to keep representing the few Hispanic students in college by working hard to achieve my career goals; not all Hispanics are fortunate enough to attend college. I also work to inspire young Hispanics to find their potential and follow

The Latino community, from immigrating to United States born Latinos are often known to be depressed. Depression is a medical illness that causes a constant feeling of sadness and lack of interest, it affects how the person feels, behaves and thinks. Many Latinos rely on their extended family, community, traditional healers, or churches for help during a health crisis. As a result, many Latinos with mental illnesses often go without professional mental treatment. But why is it that Latinos are so reluctant to receiving help? Sheila Dichoso states that, “there are only 29 Latino mental-health professionals for every 100,000 Latinos in the United States, compared to 173 non-Hispanic white providers

Due to a clinicians’ lack of understanding of Hispanic culture, feelings of alienation can result from the patient. Family and social structures are different in Hispanic culture, whereas “professional help may not be sought due to Hispanics considering substance abuse a family problem” (Reif, Horgan & Ritter, 2008). In Hispanic culture it is perceived that family issues remain in the family, thus outside help is frowned upon. When treating clients from this population, clinicians need to include the whole family in the treatment plan and to respect family

Many Latinos already provide their own type of informal kinship/foster care to those in their families and communities. In Latino culture, family is highly valued. Being an active part of the family structure is seen as an essential piece to an individual’s identity (Olsen & Skogrand, 2009). Family members typically provide support for each other when needed and stress the importance of close relationships in overcoming obstacles (Olsen & Skogrand, 2009). Latinos also place importance on connections with extended family and community

The purpose of chapter 11 in Lum (2011) is to discuss cultural competence work with Latino Americans. The growth of the Latino population in the United States has been greatly increasing. As of 2008, 15.1% of the United States population is Latino. Some concerns that elderly Latinos may face are: “family roles, health, caregiving, end of life issues, protective factors, and effective interventions” (p. 309). Many of the Central American Latino grandparents have not completed high school, which has left them unemployed. Social workers who serve this group, should become more aware of the historical discrimination that this population has faced.

Jorge is a 67 year old Hispanic male and is recently widowed. He was born and raised in Mexico City before immigrating to the United States when he was in his early twenties. He worked as a factory line assembler in Chicago, Illinois for his entire adult life and earned his citizenship through The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986. He is a practicing Catholic and attended Spanish speaking services regularly up until the recent loss of his wife. Jorge now lives alone, and depends on his Social Security Income (SSI) and Medicare to maintain affordable senior housing in an independent living facility. His grown children live out of state and provide some emotional and financial support. He was referred to our agency after a well-being check by a concerned neighbor.

The American Dream for everyone alike is to prosper and succeed in a land that individuals are determined to call their own. Almost every immigrant that has entered the United States has done so in hopes of finding a better life for themselves and for their families. For most Hispanic-Americans, the goal was the same. Hispanic-Americans come from a variety of different Spanish-speaking countries. Just as the wave of immigrants from Europe came to the United States of America in the late 1800's and early 1900's, Hispanics came from places like Mexico, South and Central America, and the Caribbean Islands. Although everyone came with the same goal in mind, to make sure their families would have a better life in a new environment, each subgroup within the Hispanic community faced different circumstances once they arrived in the United States and have different definitions of what it feels like to be an American.

Latinos have a strong culture, as well as a religious culture. Some believe many problems may be fixed with prayer as well as with traditional healers (Alegria et al. 2008a; Berenzon-Gorn 2006; Espin 1987 as cited in Lorenzo-Blanco, & Delva, 2012). They have a lot of faith in religious ceremonies and home remedies before seeking professional help. Latinos seek help with family members before anyone professional (Bermúdez, Kirkpatrick, Hecker, & Torres-Robles, 2010). Latinos most of the time have a big family size, and are always really close. Seeking help with family members, they believe will be more help if the family member has had a similar situation, and they believe their advice can help. Although Latinos don’t always seek professional help, they prefer family therapy (Szapocznik et al. 1989 as cited in Bermúdez, Kirkpatrick, Hecker, & Torres-Robles, 2010). Some prefer to work out their issue together as a family. Overall, when Latinos ask for help, they go to priests, psychiatrists, counselor, and therapists (Bermúdez, Kirkpatrick, Hecker, & Torres-Robles, 2010).

Latino culture sees mental illness as weakness (Abdullah & Brown, 2001). This becomes a barrier since Latinos fear the stigma associated with mental health treatment (Vega, Rodriguez and Ang, 2010). According to Dr balbaskdjfdks, “Latinos usually seek help when the problem has reached a head and feel they have no other choice.” (personal communication). She also reported that “Latinos face many barriers to seeking mental health services. They fear the stigma associated with going to a mental health provider. They lack the insurance to get treatment. They also lack the knowledge for seeking mental health treatment.” (personal communication) According to one study, the most commonly reported barriers were lack of awareness of available mental health services, lack of knowledge, and lack of awareness of location of services (Aguilar-Gaxiola, Zelexny, Garcia, Edmondson, Alejo-Garcia, & Vega, 2002). According to the same study 58% of participants did not know where to obtain mental health services. Research shows that a key factor in seeking treatment is knowledge of where to find it (Ortega and Alegria,

The fear of deportation puts an added burden on the caregiver, who may not be aware of the health care services available. In addition, research suggests that Latinas are less likely to seek outside help as there are few services that address the needs of Spanish speaking individuals. Most live in communities where health and social services are extremely limited (Land & Guada, 2011). Lack of immigration documentation prohibits qualification for mental and health benefits, which adds to additional stress to the caregiver (Dennenberg, 1997; Land, 1994).

The Sanchez family is a large family that is in need of social services. Each family member has their own needs that are influenced by their culture and environment. It’s important to understand a person or system, their environment, and how they interact; the following examines the

Due to this factor, many immigrant families seek services available in the U.S.The following articles addresses Immigration Policy and Federal Policy. It also addresses social services that are available to immigrant families and how social workers jobs are designed to help this individuals. Within the article, it addresses the different services needed by these individuals, such as mental health, health care, and living assistance.

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas have a reluctance to ask for support from friends and coworkers. An intermediate stepping stone may be setting up a social network site in which to give updates and allow friends and coworkers to offer support and services. This can also be accomplished through churches or other groups the Thomas’s were previously or actively involved with. Psychologically, it allows the Thomas’s to maintain their sense of self-reliance by providing information about their situation without expectations of support. This allows people to be supportive in a variety of capacities and at various levels.

Support groups have an overlapping element that includes a therapeutic effect (Wayne & Cohen 2001). For example, participants may help each other understand why an event