Vulnerable Population Case Study

The United States of America is the place known to many as the land of the free, home of the brave, and the place to start a better life. With any place that has good qualities, some have not so good qualities. The homeless population in the United States is at a staggering high, and many individuals are suffering because many lack employment/financial resources, housing resources, support from family and friends, and others negligence; such as natural disasters or fires. Homeless individuals may have no other choice than to live on the streets, trains, and alley ways to name a few places where homeless people seek shelter. The history of homelessness, social problems, demographics, common clinical

What is the difference between a group "at risk" for poor health and a group considered a "vulnerable" population? Provide an example of a group at risk and a group considered a vulnerable population.

In this assignment I will select a vulnerable population sub-group and consider how social science contributes to understanding the social problems encountered by this group. I will do this by firstly explaining and identifying and locating the chosen sub group within the broader societal context. Next by explaining why the chosen sub group is considered to be vulnerable with reference to relevant theory and research based evidence. Then I will be identifying and explaining the role of relevant agencies, both non-governmental organisations and governmental in relation to welfare provision for the chosen sub group. Finally I will discussing the role of social science in informing public health and welfare practice in relation to the chosen

A vulnerable population can be defined as a population that is at risk of poor physical, psychological, and/or social health. Looking further into the definition of a vulnerable population, being ‘at risk’ suggests a high probability of illness and inappropriate or no healthcare. According to Ferrel & Coyle (2010), “people who are poor constitute a vulnerable population, a term used in community health to describe social groups at greater risk for adverse health outcomes. The causes of this vulnerability are typically low socioeconomic status and lack of access to resources” (pg. 661).

Attempting to make ends meet, those who are living in poverty are more likely to suffer from financial stress and mental health issues, as well as physical health

Vulnerability, it refers to “the likelihood of experiencing poor health or illness.” (Shi, 2019, p. 437) There are different group populations around the U.S that have to deal with several obstacles when retrieve for the health care service needed. Therefore, these vulnerable groups tend to be at higher risk of poor physical, psychological, and social health. These population groups consist of: (1) racial and ethnic minorities, which tend to differ in “health-related lifestyles and health status” (Shi, 2019, p. 438) for example, only 61.4% of Hispanic women tend to use preventive care like mammography in comparison to non-hispanic whites with 67.1% use.

As discussed previously women tend to have lower incomes then men this leads to higher levels of poverty in women. In the U.S 56% of people living in poverty are women, globally that percentage jumps to 70%. Not surprisingly women responsible for children are the largest group of people living in poverty. The combination of financial insecurity, heavy workloads with minimal pay and the emotional responsibility of caring for children can exact a heavy toll on women’s emotional health. Poverty also has an effect on a women’s physical health. Adverse health outcomes are two times higher amongst people in disadvantaged social position compared to those in advantaged social position. With a lack of access to proper housing and nutrition many women living in poverty experience distressing medical conditions and have no access to proper medical care. These issues can lead to adverse effects on mental health and psychological disorders (Astbury,

Vulnerable population means a group of population that at greater risk of developing health problems due to their less awareness, availability, and access to needed resources to fulfill their healthy wellbeing requirements. Elderly population, pregnant women, homeless person, population with suicide or homicide prone behavior, substance abuser, persons living with infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, disable and chronically ill patients fall under vulnerable population group. “vulnerable populations are those with a greater than average risk of developing health problems by virtue of their marginalized sociocultural status, their limited access to economic resources or their personal characteristics such as age and gender”(Chesnay, M. &. Anderson, B. 2012). People with lower incomes and less education tend to be at higher risk for health problems.

Throughout my experience at the Neighborhood Help Center(NHC), there were many people who came into the office seeking help for various different reasons. I did not view them as suffering from a single form of social inequality. They each had what appeared to be different reasons for their misfortunes. There was no singular race that came into the office more than an other, I saw patients of all ethnicities and races. One of the sole distinguishing factor of most, if not all, of the patients, was the factor of class. Most of the patients that came into the Neighborhood Help Center all appeared to be suffering from being in low income predicaments. They searched for alternative housing programs because of reasons not shared with me. One of

Stanhope and Lancaster (2008) define vulnerable populations as “those defined at a greater risk for poor health status and health care access”(p.712). The role of a public health nurse in contrast to a vulnerable population is to establish interventions to help break the cycle of vulnerability thus aiding to eliminate health disparities within the population. The term “risk” helps public health nurses establish a person probability of something happening to them. This epidemiological term is used with the triangle of host, agent and environment in contrast to ones health within a population. The author will discuss vulnerability as discovered within a community based on surveying the community and establishing risk and interventions on the

This paper is being written to identify and provide demographic information on a population that I am providing service, while learning at work. The name of the organization I am placed with is known as Special Olympics. Special Olympics has a lot of gifted individuals, the only thing different about these individuals are their many see their mental capacity or physical impairment; their learning behaviors are slightly lower than the average person. How much can special needs individual obtain and are they considered to be normal? These are questions that have crossed many peoples mental, even if they never could admit it. But the opposed question is what is normal?

I believe that poverty was a presenting concern for Mrs. Harjo. In the case study, it discussed SNAP for assistance in Harjo’s home. SNAP is usually a government funded program that supplies food for those that are poverty-stricken (Segal, Gerdes, & Steiner, 2014, p. 86). Which leads me to believe that poverty is a contributing factor to the conflicting circumstances faced by the client.

Tamara, I enjoyed your post this week and your response to the questions. I feel like vulnerable could have many meanings to many different people. What I feel vulnerable may be you or others may not. I feel that vulnerable people are the elderly. I see this generation getting taking advantage of daily and it is sad to me and I would love to help them all, but it is not possible. I know some of them have children to help them, but they do not. This frustrates me because that is their parents and they will miss them and their time together one day. Also, I would say small children because they do not have a voice to talk for themselves. They need a responsible adult or caregiver to do that for them. Sometimes children get tossed around like

Overall, the Health care system is highly susceptible to change in the years to come. However the vulnerable population of the elderly may only get worse. As the cost rises so does the quality which involves the level of care you are able to obtain. The possible solutions I posed to some of these challenges may not be permanent fixes but could help the outcome later in life. Social security may run out, nursing homes may be more expensive and Medicare may not exist later; these are all going to affect this particular vulnerable population as well as many generations to come.

The majority of low income families are minorities. Some people who have no jobs and for those who have jobs, their wages are usually very low and they may end up turning to crime and