33 - Poverty and Homelessness Flashcards
Why is it difficult to know the exact number of homeless persons? (Select all that apply.)
a. ) Homeless people refuse to provide demographic information.
b. ) Many homeless people refuse to be interviewed.
c. ) It is difficult to generalize from one location to another.
d. ) Some persons experience short intervals of homelessness.
e. ) Homeless individuals are most likely hiding within the community.
b.) Many homeless people refuse to be interviewed.
c.) It is difficult to generalize from one location to another.
d.) Some persons experience short intervals of homelessness.
Those who are homeless are hard to find since they may sleep in boxcars, on building roofs, in doorways, or under freeways or pedestrian overpasses; temporarily stay with friends or family; refuse to be interviewed or deliberately hide the fact that they are homeless; have only short or intermittent episodes of being without a home; or may not fit in a general category.
A nurse is implementing an intervention at both the primary and tertiary levels of prevention. Which of the following best describes the nursing intervention?
a. ) Providing emergency shelter housing
b. ) Offering physical and mental health services
c. ) Developing a targeted case management program
d. ) Establishing a needle exchange program
d.) Establishing a needle exchange program
Establishing a needle exchange program could be considered both primary (preventing a problem before it occurs by helping clients avoid disease transmission) and tertiary (working with a population who already has a “problem” of drug abuse). Providing emergency shelter housing and offering physical and mental health services are both secondary and tertiary prevention interventions. Developing a targeted case management program is secondary prevention.
A community health nurse is caring for an individual who is experiencing crisis poverty. Which of the following characteristics would this individual most likely display?
a. ) Episodic homelessness
b. ) Physical disability
c. ) Mental disability
d. ) Drug abuse
a.) Episodic homelessness
Episodic homelessness is a characteristic of crisis poverty. Physical disability, mental disability, and drug abuse would be considered in persistent poverty.
A nurse is analyzing the media images that influence society’s beliefs about poor persons. Which of the following is the nurse most likely to see? (Select all that apply.)
a. ) Poor persons are often cast as lazy, shiftless folk.
b. ) Poor people are shown receiving food at soup kitchens.
c. ) Criminals are portrayed as poor, desperate persons.
d. ) Homeless people are seen sleeping on park benches.
e. ) Criminals are seen as individuals who have been discriminated against.
a.) Poor persons are often cast as lazy, shiftless folk.
b.) Poor people are shown receiving food at soup kitchens.
c.) Criminals are portrayed as poor, desperate persons.
d.) Homeless people are seen sleeping on park benches.
The media is a powerful influence on how people view poverty. Media images of persons who are poor influence and are influenced by cultural attitudes and values. Poor persons may be cast in negative ways by the media, which influences what we believe to be true about poor persons.
Which is a characteristic of persons living in poverty?
a. ) Longer life expectancy
b. ) Simple health problems
c. ) Higher rates of chronic illness
d. ) Fewer hospitalizations
c.) Higher rates of chronic illness
Not only do persons living in poverty have higher rates of chronic illness, but less access to care. They have a shorter life expectancy, more complex health problems, and hospitalization rates greater than those for persons with higher incomes.
A nurse is forced to evaluate his beliefs, values, and knowledge about poverty. Which of the following experiences most likely explains the situation the nurse is experiencing?
a. ) A client asking for a small amount of money at a clinic
b. ) Setting up a homeless shelter
c. ) Making a home visit to a home that is unkempt
d. ) Reading about poverty in a textbook
c.) Making a home visit to a home that is unkempt
Nurses’ behaviors in situations are influenced by their relationship with clients. It is important to evaluate clients and populations in the context of the environment to develop nursing interventions. Reading a book is not adequate. Setting up a homeless shelter or having a client ask for money does not force the nurse to self-reflect as much as when the nurse is in the client’s environment.
A nurse is trying to break down the barriers between the health care professionals and people who live in poverty. Which of the following actions should be taken by the nurse?
a. ) Maintain a strict professional demeanor
b. ) Call the client by name
c. ) Keep client appointments as scheduled
d. ) Smile and be friendly to clients
b.) Call the client by name
By calling the client by name, nurses can then begin the process of breaking down barriers of fear, isolation, uncertainty, and the unknown. It is important for the nurse to be a good listener, individualize care, and avoid making inappropriate assumptions about their needs. It is important to listen to the stories of their lives as well as examine social and cultural definitions and considerations related to poverty.
A nurse is referring to the federal income guidelines. Which of the following best describes why the nurse is completing this action?
a. ) To determine financial eligibility for government assistance programs
b. ) To calculate statistical occurrences in the community
c. ) To identify those with inadequate resources for basic needs
d. ) To provide guidelines for reform of social programs
a.) To determine financial eligibility for government assistance programs
Federal income guidelines are used primarily to determine financial eligibility for government assistance programs. The Poverty Threshold Guidelines are used primarily for statistical purposes. The federal income guidelines do not identify those with inadequate resources for basic needs or provide guidelines for reform of social programs.
Which statement regarding the effects of homelessness on health is accurate?
a. ) Peripheral vascular disease and hypertension are lessened by this lifestyle.
b. ) The incidence and virulence of infections are decreasing.
c. ) Trauma is a significant cause of death and disability.
d. ) Crowded living conditions result in decreased risk for exposure to infections.
c.) Trauma is a significant cause of death and disability.
Intended and unintended injuries such as traumas are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the homeless. Those who are homeless are at greater risk for peripheral vascular disease and hypertension. Because of their poor living conditions, a minor skin injury or infections left untreated can result in widespread infection.
A nurse is working with a family who has an income above the federal income guidelines, but is unable to meet their living expenses. Which of the following terms best describes this family?
a. ) Persistent poverty
b. ) Near poor
c. ) Impoverished
d. ) Neighborhood poverty
b.) Near poor
The near poor are persons and families whose income is above the federal income guidelines but insufficient to meet living expenses. Persistent poor refers to individuals and families who remain poor for long periods and who pass poverty on to their descendants. Neighborhood poverty refers to geographically defined areas of high poverty, characterized by run-down housing, high unemployment rates, and poorer health outcomes. Impoverished refers to those living in poverty.
A nurse is discussing eligibility for federal food assistance with a family. Which federal guideline would a nurse refer to when considering financial eligibility?
a. ) Poverty Threshold Guideline
b. ) Consumer Price Index (CPI)
c. ) Federal Income Poverty Guideline
d. ) Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)
c.) Federal Income Poverty Guideline
The Federal Income Poverty Guideline is issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is used to determine if a person or family is financially eligible for assistance or services from various federal programs. The Poverty Threshold Guidelines are used primarily for statistical purposes. The CPI is a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by households for a fixed market basket of consumer goods and services. TANF is a program, not a guideline, that assists families in need.
Which statement about homelessness is true?
a. ) Homeless persons are not found in rural areas.
b. ) Gentrification can lead to homelessness.
c. ) Deinstitutionalization led to a small number of homeless.
d. ) Community-based clinics provide much needed health care.
b.) Gentrification can lead to homelessness.
When urban housing is upgraded, the supply of low-income housing drops. It is often said that when neighborhoods were “gentrified” or upgraded, they reduced the ability of the poor people to live in them because they became unaffordable for poorer former residents. Homeless can be found in both rural and urban areas. Deinstitutionalization of the chronically mentally ill individuals from public psychiatric hospitals in the 1980s increased the number of homeless persons. After this happened, federal and state governments failed to allocate the needed funds to provide community-based services.
A nurse is trying to provide effective nursing care to poor persons, families, and populations in a variety of settings. Which of the following actions should be taken by the nurse?
a. ) Move to the area where people are living to understand their plight
b. ) Understand the concept of poverty on many levels
c. ) Take a trip abroad to see how poverty exists in other countries
d. ) Become fully immersed in the concept of poverty for at least a year
b.) Understand the concept of poverty on many levels
Understanding the concept of poverty with historical, social, political, economic, biological, psychological, and spiritual dimensions is the first step in providing effective care to this population. It is not necessary to move to the area, take a trip abroad, or become immersed in the concept of poverty in order to provide effective nursing care to this population.
A person is already homeless and is receiving shelter. Which type of housing is being used?
a. ) Low income
b. ) Supportive
c. ) Emergency
d. ) Adequate
c.) Emergency
Emergency housing is shelter for persons who are already homeless. These shelters typically are only open at night and in many cities only on extremely cold nights.
A nurse is providing secondary prevention when working with the homeless. Which of the following best describes what is being implemented?
a. ) Employer incentives
b. ) Safe sex education
c. ) Comprehensive case management
d. ) Soup kitchens
d.) Soup kitchens
Secondary preventive services target persons on the verge of homelessness as well as those who are newly homeless. An example of secondary prevention is a soup kitchen. Employer incentives and safe sex education are primary prevention strategies; comprehensive case management is a tertiary prevention strategy.
