Chapter 27: Stamler & Yiu

Question 1

How many people in Canada are estimated to be homeless?

a. 500 000
b. 50 000
c. 100 000
d. 200 000

Answer 1

d. 200 000

The estimates are between 150 000 and 300 000 people in Canada are homeless.

Question 2

Which statement is true about homelessness in Canada?

a. More people in the Maritimes are homeless.
b. Aboriginal people account for 20% of the homeless.
c. One in 15 Canadians has either been homeless or come close to it.
d. Rates are highest for the 45 to 55 age group.

Answer 2

d. Rates are highest for the 45 to 55 age group.

Feedback:

b. Incorrect: Aboriginal people are overrepresented but account for only 10% of the homeless.
d. Correct: People who are between the ages of 45 and 55 have the highest incidence of homelessness.
a. Incorrect: Manitoba and Saskatchewan have a higher percentage of people concerned about being homeless.
c. Incorrect: Studies show that one in 9 have actually been homeless or close to it.

Question 3

Poverty can be determined by many criteria. One criterion is, “any family that had to spend more than 70% of its income on food, clothing and shelter.” What criterion of poverty is this?

a. Basic needs approach
b. Market basket measure
c. Low-income measure
d. Low-income cut-off measure

Answer 3

d. Low-income cut-off measure

Feedback:

a. Incorrect: The basic needs approach does not relate poverty to a percentage of income.
b. Incorrect: The market basket measure looks at needs beyond physical needs.
d. Correct: This is the name for the definition.
c. Incorrect: The low-income measure looks at family income rather than costs.

Question 4

Who is at greatest risk for poverty?

a. A 26-year-old single male
b. An immigrant family living in Canada 15 years
c. A single mom with a 5-year-old child
d. Aboriginal couple living on reserve

Answer 4

c. A single mom with a 5-year-old child

Feedback:

d. Incorrect: An Aboriginal person is more likely to live in poverty off reserve.
a. Incorrect: A single person between the ages of 45 and 64 is more likely to live in poverty.
c. Correct: A single parent with a child under 18 is a great risk for living in poverty.
b. Incorrect: Immigrants are at risk for living in poverty for the first 10 years in Canada.

Question 5

Mr. and Mrs. Charbonneau lost their home in a fire. They have nowhere to live but on the street. What type of homelessness is this classified as?

a. Absolute
b. Situational
c. Episodic
d. Houselessness

Answer 5

b. Situational

Feedback:
Incorrect: Episodic refers to someone who moves frequently and may have periods of homelessness.
Correct: Situational refers to someone who is homeless due to a disaster or a significant life event.
Incorrect: Houselessness refers to people who use shelters or hotels for short periods of time.
Incorrect: Absolute refers to someone who lives on the street the majority of the time.

Question 6

Stacey, 26 years old, lives in poverty with her two children. What would be true about this family unit?

a. The children are likely to become bullies.
b. The children may have difficulty problem solving.
c. The children will develop supportive friendships with children at school.
d. They will not live in poverty long.

Answer 6

b. The children may have difficulty problem solving.

Question 7

The Lu’ma Native Housing Society in Vancouver recently began to provide a helpful service to the homeless. What does this group give to the homeless?

a. Web access
b. Accommodation
c. A daily meal
d. Voice mail

Answer 7

d. Voice mail

Question 8

Cathy Crowe is a community health nurse in Toronto. What is her contribution to the homeless and people who live in poverty?

a. Establishing Street Haven
b. Legal action against the federal government for affordable housing
c. Formation of a federal homelessness ministry
d. Created Tent City outside Toronto

Answer 8

c. Formation of a federal homelessness ministry

Feedback:

b. Incorrect: The legal action was brought against the Province of Ontario to increase affordable housing.
a. Incorrect: Crowe and others formed the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee. Street Haven was formed in 1965.
c. Correct: Her advocacy has led to the formation of a federal ministry devoted to homelessness.
d. Incorrect: Part of her practice included Tent City, but Crowe did not create Tent City.

Question 9

Research of the homeless population is difficult. What can a nurse do to increase the participation of the homeless in research studies?

a. Use a community participation approach
b. Offer skills training to participants
c. Increase funding to feed participants
d. Give assurance that this will improve lives for future homeless people

Answer 9

a. Use a community participation approach

Feedback:

a. Correct: This approach uses community leaders, in partnership with the researchers, throughout the project.
d. Incorrect: People want to see that the results will make a difference in their lives, but the nurse cannot give this assurance.
c. Incorrect: There is a difficulty in getting funding for this type of research.
b. Incorrect: This will not meet their immediate need for food and shelter.

Question 10

What is considered a threat to human development, health, and quality of life?

a. Poverty
b. Unemployment
c. Homelessness
d. Hunger

Answer 10

a. Poverty

Feedback:

b. Incorrect: Unemployment is not considered a threat.
a. Correct: Poverty has been identified as a threat to development, health, and quality of life.
d. Incorrect: Hunger has not been identified as a threat.
c. Incorrect: Homelessness is primarily due to poverty, which is considered the threat.

Question 11

Holly is a new community health nurse in a large city. As part of her orientation she learns that people who live in poverty have few supports and experience low self-esteem and shame. What term describes this view of poverty?

a. Social exclusion
b. Social justice
c. Stigma
d. Equity

Answer 11

a. Social exclusion

Feedback:

b. Incorrect: Social justice looks at creating a society of equality.
d. Incorrect: Equity does not describe this view of poverty.
c. Incorrect: Stigma refers to social isolation.
a. Correct: Social exclusion means that individuals cannot access services or supports due to their poverty.

Question 12

A research study interviewed low-income participants, focusing on their sense of belonging. What group did low-income participants identify with?

a. Community and social agencies
b. Support groups
c. Schools
d. Religious organizations

Answer 12

c. Schools

Feedback:

d. Incorrect: This has a great impact on a sense of belonging, but lower-income participants felt they could not fully participate.
c. Correct: Schools were not felt to impact a sense of belonging as they do not involve the whole family.
a. Incorrect: Low-income participants identified with community and social agencies.
b. Incorrect: Support groups were not mentioned in the study.

Question 13

What is a federal social program that has worked at eliminating poverty?

a. Charter of Rights and Freedoms
b. Shelters
c. Minimum wage
d. Income supplements

Answer 13

d. Income supplements

Feedback:

d. Correct: Income supplements, old age security, and child tax credits are all programs to assist low-income wage earners.
c. Incorrect: The minimum wage is under the authority of the provincial government.
b. Incorrect: Shelters may be funded by government agencies, but many are owned and operated by societies.
a. Incorrect: This document was developed to ensure the fair and equal treatment of all Canadians.

Question 14

What is an effective way to access health care services in remote and rural areas?

a. Mobile health bus
b. Telehealth
c. Internet health services
d. Sending specialists to visit small communities

Answer 14

a. Mobile health bus

Feedback:

b. Incorrect: Telehealth is not able to provide complete services, only a telephone consult.
a. Correct: A mobile health care service comes into the community to meet the needs of the community.
d. Incorrect: There are not enough specialists to offer this service and avoid the long wait-lists.
c. Incorrect: Rural communities may not have access to high-speed Internet in remote and rural areas.

Question 15

Mary, 32 years old, lives with her 14-year-old daughter. Mary earns $18 000 per year.

(Refer to Case 1 above.) Mary and her daughter live in an area with the highest poverty rate in Canada. Where would Mary and her daughter live?

a. Montreal
b. Vancouver
c. Kelowna
d. Rural area

Answer 15

a. Montreal

Feedback:

d. Incorrect: Based on her income, she would not be considered to be living in poverty if she lived in a rural setting.
a. Correct: Montreal has the highest poverty rate in Canada.
b. Incorrect: Vancouver has the second highest rate in Canada.
c. Incorrect: Kelowna has a significant problem with homelessness, but it does not have the highest rate in Canada.

Question 16

Chapter 27 - Case 1

Mary, 32 years old, lives with her 14-year-old daughter. Mary earns $18 000 per year.

(Refer to Case 1 above.) What is an external barrier to health for Mary and her daughter?

a. Fragmented health care system
b. Poor perception of health issues
c. Feelings of prejudice
d. Competing priorities

Answer 16

a. Fragmented health care system

Question 17

Chapter 27 - Case 1

Mary, 32 years old, lives with her 14-year-old daughter. Mary earns $18 000 per year.

(Refer to Case 1 above.) Mary and her daughter live in a small rental unit. What would the community health nurse predict about the neighbourhood Mary lives in?

a. Subsidized housing
b. Lack of central heating
c. Increased presence of police
d. Increased risk for violence

Answer 17

a. Subsidized housing

Question 18

List two factors contributing to the worsening state of poverty in Canada. Given an example for each factor to illustrate how it links to poverty

Answer 18

• free trade, leading to more temporary, part-time, contract, seasonal work-e.g., less hours to earn enough money to live on
• federal government withdrawal from social programs-e.g., less social benefits available for those who earn low incomes
• sales tax
• shift to privatization-e.g., less benefits for those who can’t purchase them privately
• government budgets that have shifted the burden of federal and provincial taxes onto lower-income workers-e.g., lower-income workers have had lower increase in after-tax percentage of their income than high-income workers.

Question 19

Provide an example from the 12 determinants of health related to either poverty or homelessness.

Answer 19

• Income and social status: More people of low income rate their health as poor.
• Social support networks: Homeless people may have exhausted relationships with family.
• Education and literacy: People with less education are less likely to get high-paying jobs.
• Employment/working conditions: Homeless people may have difficulties getting a job without an address.
• Social environments: Homeless people have often been deinstitutionalized, leaving them with few social supports.
• Physical environments: Low-income people may have few choices of safe affordable housing.
• Personal health and coping skills: Homeless people may not have access to basic hygiene products.
• Healthy child development: Low-income people may have difficulties accessing low-cost or free activities to do with their children.
• Biology and genetics: Poverty exacerbates vision and hearing problems.
• Health services: Access to services may be decreased with a follow-up address and phone number.
• Gender: More women are low income due to longer life expectancy.
• Culture: People of low income may have greater difficulties meeting cultural tasks and expectations.