1-I agree with you. Advocating for mental health is important. These groups are also found in this category due to a lot of issues. Some of them started with depression due to one thing or the other and since they don’t have access to healthcare for treatment, they may start overeating which may lead to obesity and other health issues, some will start using drugs which will even make things worse.
2-I work night so I do not typically interact with social workers face to face. I do however put in many social worrk consults for patients that I believe may benefit from one. At Baylor Scott and White you can put a social work consult for someone if they simpley over the age of 80 and you feel that they need one. I picked up day shift for a week this past month and saw how much social workers interact with patients on a daily basis. They do a great job at making sure patients are well taken care of out side of the hospital.
3-Great points. These minority groups are dying in silence because they have no one to cry to, and they believed even if they cry no one will listen to them. As an African American, and considering where I come from, sometimes I think only the influential and the upper class are getting what they need/want. These groups have little or no access to health care, even if they are sick, they can’t afford the huge bills. Some will rather stay at home to use home remedies which may not work and their lives will be in danger. Therefore, as nurses, advocating for these groups will be great achievements for us. God help us.
4-I actually believe that there is very little known about the cause of diabetees and that researchers have barely scratched the surface of studying and understanding the disease. After watching the program “What The Health” I started to question a lot of what I was taught in school. This program was actually trying to prove that the information given on ADA websites and everything is actually very inaccurate. Websites for diabetees give you healthy food options to cook such as bacon wrapped scallops and chicken. MD’s on this program were actually saying that meat is the cause of diabetees because the proteins and fats block the cells from allowing sugar to go in so the sugar then roams free in your blood. So even if you are eating the best fruits or the darkest most nutrient dense fruits it doesn’t matter. As long as you are still consuming meat or any processed foods no matter how good the sugar is for you it will be roaming free in your blood stream because the proteins and fat are blocking it from going into the cell and being of any actual use for your body. Most of the diabetic organizations get their money from dairy farms or meat industries so they continue to advertise that all is a part of a healthy diet. Like they say ..just follow where the companies get their money and you will see the truth.
5-Shands at the University of Florida, where I work focuses a lot on Cultural diversity. All health care professionals are required to take a mandatory cultural diversity class. The goal is to increase cultural awareness, knowledge and skills in our delivery of care. Another example of cultural accomadation that comes to mind in my practice is I was taking care of an Indian patient who used Reiki treatments in her past for anxiety and depression. “Reiki is an energy-healing practice that is considered safe with no side effects. Under the notion that the body is more than a physical entity, Reiki focuses on all aspects of being including mentally, emotionally and spiritually”. I was able to get in touch with the therapy department and find a practioner that had training in Reiki. I arranged for him to come atleast twice a week for treatments. This helped the patient relax and promoted healing.
6-What a sad story. You are very correct in that people, including people in health care, may be quick to assume or judge as to why a patient may be refusing treatment. This is just another case that confirms how messed up our health care system is. The are so many people out there in the same situation as we have talked about this week with vulnerable and at risk communities. We see a lot of sad stories in our profession. Thankfully we have good stories too to balance us out.
