Helping veterans through outreach

Master's Project (M.A.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2017The present Master's project seeks to develop a better understanding of Veterans and what they are going through. Research methods include extensive data on the high suicide rates of Veterans. Veteran and service members are in need of a service to them that will address the issue of suicide and what can be done to help and eliminate this problem. The programs that need to be designed to help needs should be in locations that have Veteran populations so as to serve them with their needs. Ultimately, Veterans Affairs (VA) officials have boosted their mental health personnel and suicide hotline staff in recent years, but at this time their data does not reflect it helping Veterans getting the help that they so desperately need.I. Introduction -- II. Research methods -- III. Literature review -- A. Understanding the veteran and their background -- B. What is being done to help the veteran -- C. Current best practices -- 1. Medical model approach -- 2. Veteran wellness counseling -- 3. Culturally integrated counseling -- V. Program design -- Project Implementation -- VI. Discussion -- VII. Conclusion -- References

Healing the Hurt: Trauma-Informed Approaches to the Health of Boys and Young Men of Color

From discrimination and poverty to alcoholism and assault, trauma in its varied forms plays a major part in the lives of Latino and African-American boys and young men. This paper outlines the ways in which violence prevention, family support, health care, foster care, and juvenile justice can incorporate a trauma-informed approach to improve the physical and mental health of young men and boys

Study of the Health Needs of Older Women Experiencing Homelessness in the Perth Metropolitan Area

Women aged over 50 years represent the most rapidly growing cohort of the Australian homeless population. Despite an increasing awareness of older Australian women being at risk of homelessness, little is known of how their health contributes to, and changes due to their homelessness. Drawing on the principles of the World Health Organisation’s social determinants of health, this study sought to investigate the personal life circumstances of older homeless women who live in the Perth metropolitan area, their healthcare needs and to identify any barriers to their accessing healthcare. The study used a convergent mixed methods approach using quantitative and qualitative methods to collect and analyse the data. Data collection was conducted in three phases. The first consisted of an on-line survey of specialist homelessness service providers to obtain basic information regarding their services to older homeless women and to seek their willingness to act a referral source for women for the study. The second phase comprised a survey and semi structured interview with 22 women. Semi structured interviews consisting of similar questions were also undertaken with representatives from the homeless and healthcare sectors. The third phase consisted of consideration of all the collected data to identify potential actions and strategies that could address the major themes arising from the second phase of the study before utilising a Delphi process with key stakeholders to review the recommendations and prioritise them. The study highlighted that women experiencing homelessness had complex and inter-related issues that impacted on their health. The nine major themes that emerged from the interview data were categorised as accommodation and safety; financial insecurity; women’s experience of trauma and abuse; stigma, shame that led to embarrassment and fear of being judged; the health impact of their perceived inability to fulfil their role as family nurturer; mental health; complex interaction of physical and mental health issues; cost of healthcare service and pharmaceuticals; and the need for ongoing psychosocial and healthcare support once housed. While provision of suitable long-term housing was seen as fundamental to addressing the health needs of these women, the study findings highlighted the need for greater understanding of the emotional and physical abuse these older women had experienced which continued to affect their mental and physical health even after suitable housing had been found. The Delphi Panel emphasized the need for structural solutions that incorporated intersectoral collaboration across commonwealth and state government funded agencies to provide health, housing and social support services. As such, the outcomes of the study recommend that policies and integrated service models should be developed within a social determinants of health framework through a consultative process that includes older women with lived experience of homelessness. The outcomes of this research have direct implications for the development of policy, planning and service delivery within this important area

Finding Home: Policy Options for Addressing Homelessness in Canada

Finding Home aims to fill a gap in the information available on homelessness by providing an easily accessible collection of the best Canadian research and policy analysis on homelessness.Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canad

SUPPORTING TRANSITIONALLY HOMELESS WOMEN IN RURAL REGIONS: THE NEED FOR TRAUMA-INFORMED CASE MANAGEMENT

Homeless women and female-headed homeless families represent 80% of the transitionally homeless population. Homelessness in rural and suburban regions has been increasing, and the use of homeless programs in rural and suburban areas has grown by 57% since 2007. Homeless women and their children come to shelters in vulnerable states with histories of complex and chronic trauma; they need strategic services delivered in a way that is sensitive and responsive to their experiences. Social-service providers who work with transitionally homeless women in rural and suburban regions have limited resources and growing demand for their services. The curriculum described is designed to be responsive to the nuanced needs of homeless women and to their case managers, who must serve clients with increasingly complex and harsh experiences. The curriculum details (a) how stress response affects adaptive coping and shapes behavior in stressful situations; (b) how managers can optimize resilience, developing a care plan by monitoring their own responses; and (c) how to assess, engage, and intervene using principles of trauma-informed care. The case management sessions focus on key areas of need specific to this population. These include (a) health and human services, (b) education and employment, (c) parenting, (d) interpersonal violence, (e) and emotional regulation. The aim of this curriculum is to ensure that upon contact with a shelter system or any transitional housing, women have meaningful interactions with their case managers that help them feel safe, grow, and connect with the community and the resources they need

Co constructing A Complex Narrative Using Constructivist Grounded Theory

This study explores patients’ perceptions of the health-care assistant within U.K. secondary care. Employing constructivist grounded theory, 20 patient interviews were coded and analyzed using constant comparison to ensure findings were grounded within the data. Data were collected in a large teaching hospital in England between 2014 and 2015. Charmaz’s (2014) grounded theory methodology is underpinned by a constructivist paradigm in which there is recognition of multiple social realities. This was a suitable methodology for capturing the complexities of patienthood and the associated social world and it also supported co construction between researcher and participant. Charmaz’s (2014) guiding principles of intensive interviewing within a semistructured interview schedule helped to ensure that data collected were congruent with a constructivist perspective on co construction. Researcher positionality has the potential to impact upon the co construction of realities, influencing the data collection and subsequent analysis from what is known or not known by them as researcher. Reflection and reflexivity are necessary elements in constructivist grounded theory to understand more deeply how this co construction is made and to ensure transparency of decisions. In addition to traditional methods of journaling and memoing the researcher used a mind-map software package to ensure complexities within the narrative were not lost and to map researcher influences and perceptions as the data analysis took shape. This approach enabled the researcher to present an auditable trail of influences, decisions, and complexities within the findings. This article will address the reflexive journey undertaken by the researcher

Veteran Identity and Academic Accommodations: Another Conflict

Colleges and universities have seen an increase in student veteran enrollment to include student veterans with disabilities. Inconsistencies and inaccurate reporting systems have created conflicting data about veterans’ success in higher education making it difficult to find accurate data-driven research related to student veterans creating challenges when institutions of higher learning are assessing the needs of student populations and the programming needed to support them. Reporting inconsistencies identifying student veterans is not the only problem. There is also limited research regarding the use of academic accommodations among student veterans with disabilities. The purpose of this quantitative causal comparative study is to assess to what extent, there is a statistically significant association in academic success in math and English between student veterans who access academic accommodations and student veterans who do not access academic accommodations at the community college level in the southwestern United States. Data were examined using the Chi-squared analysis was used to determine if there was an association between two variables. No statistical significance association between accommodation accessed (accessed, not accessed) and academic success (successful, not successful), in math suggests that student veterans who access academic accommodations do not have a higher success rate in math compared to student veterans who do not access academic accommodations. There was a significant association between accommodation accessed (accessed, not accessed) and academic success (successful, not successful), in English suggests that student veterans who access academic accommodation have a higher success rate in English compared to student veterans who do not access academic accommodations

An Ethnographic Study of Traumatic Brain Injury Survivors Returning to Work

People who suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI) experience challenges in returning to work differently and at a rate that surpasses the return to work transition for people who experience other types of disabling injuries. In part, this challenge is a result of a lack of policy structure that promotes the successful return to work transition. The purpose of this ethnographic study was to explore the policy implications of the return to work transition for TBI survivors, address the gap in the literature, and identify key factors that contribute to the success of return-to-work programs in Washington State. A hybrid of Smith\u27s institutional ethnography approach and Foucault\u27s critique of bureaucratic institutions was used as the framework for this study. Data were gathered from 12 interviews and 2 focus groups with TBI survivors who had access to TBI support groups and employers connected to the TBI community. Data were inductively coded and categorized using a comparative analytical method. The study results indicate that an inclusive culture, collaborative communication, TBI-focused knowledge, integrated support, and survivor/employer motivation to interact are key factors in the successful return to work process. This study promotes positive social change by providing information for use in expanding TBI employment policy, TBI employment education, and accommodation practices. The study findings are intended to inform new policies to improve employment post-TBI outcomes for TBI survivors, employers, and their community

Trauma Informed Care for Women Veterans Experiencing Homelessness

The number of women in the military -- both active duty and veteran populations -- is growing rapidly. They face unusual challenges because of their military experiences and for many, multiple roles as breadwinner, parent, and spouse. Often their return to civilian life is difficult. An estimated 75,609 veterans are homeless, sheltered or unsheltered, on any given night. Women were 10,214 (7.5%) of the 136,334 homeless veterans who were sheltered sometime between October 1, 2008 and September 30, 2009 (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs). Female veterans have a greater risk of homelessness compared to their civilian counterparts. Risk of homelessness for recent veterans, particularly women who served in Iraq and/or Afghanistan, is increasing.The experience of trauma prior to enlistment coupled with trauma experienced while in uniform is a common denominator among homeless female veterans. Research suggests that 81-93% of female veterans have been exposed to some type of trauma, significantly higher rates than the civilian population (Zinzow et al., 2007). Traumatic experiences include childhood abuse and neglect, domestic violence, military sexual trauma, and combat-related stress. These experiences have a significant impact on mental and physical health, family relationships, and housing and job stability. Trauma Informed Care for Women Veterans Experiencing Homelessness is designed to be used by community-based service agencies that work with homeless female veterans in a variety of settings (e.g., emergency shelters, domestic violence shelters, transitional and supportive housing programs, outpatient settings). Leaders within these organizations who are looking to improve their effectiveness in engaging the female veterans they serve can use this guide to begin the process of becoming trauma-informed

Concussion\u27s impact on learning: The need for return-to-learn protocols for hospital and school collaboration

Over half million children with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) pass through United States emergency departments each year. While there is Return-to-Play legislation in all 50 states, in response to sports-related concussion, there are very few Return-to-Learn protocols in place in the nation’s public schools. Concussion is a mild form of TBI; the vast spectrum of TBI makes it a complex disability, which may involve intensive physical rehabilitation and cognitive therapy. The primary purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the collaboration between educational and medical providers at one high school in Michigan to illuminate the process of school reintegration for students with concussion. The analysis was organized around Duffy’s nested theories of action to understand the communication strategies, decision-making processes, and culture influence on the collaboration between the hospital and school. Data were collected through cognitive interviewing methodology with medical providers, educational personnel, and a TBI teacher consultant from a district agency. Findings reveal there is one directional communication from the medical professionals to the educators via the student, and educators defer to the doctors on how to accommodate the student, implementing recommended environmental accommodations without an educational lens for needed academic supports. Additionally, confused terminology does not provide educators a clear understanding of concussion as a mild traumatic brain injury, the unique healing process, and a new way of learning for each student post injury. This study illustrates the need for a new model of “short-term disability” to activate educational accommodations within the framework of multi-tiered systems of support, shifting the perspective of educational leaders and the current mindset of concussion