The homeless stand down was an eye-opener experience for me. I had the opportunity to interact with several individuals, and one family. Initially I conducted some interviews with them to help complete the questionnaire; and the remainder of the time, I escorted the individuals and helped them choose items that were necessary for them. As I talked to each of them, I realized that the present state of these individuals were a product of the current economic situations. According to the National Homeless Coalition (2009), work factors are one of the many reasons why individuals are homeless. One of the individuals that I spoke to informed me that he was working a regular nine to five job at a construction site, but now due to the economy he is only working a couple of shifts and even those shifts are inconsistent. The information provided by the National Homeless Coalition (2009) regarding “why are people homeless” confirmed my notion that the increasing struggles in our economy has resulted in an increase in homelessness. The surprising factor that I neglected to visualize was the impact it had on children and families. When people think about the homeless, they often envision older adults on the streets. It is too painful to imagine that children are on the streets without food, water, or shelter. One family that I had the chance to work together with was with a mother and her three children. She had two daughters, ages 11 and 9 and a boy who was 2 years old. She is currently without a job and lives with her mother temporarily. She is one of the fortunate ones that have family members supporting her, but there were other stories of families living in cars and streets because of no support. The decline in jobs, low-i... ... middle of paper ... ...s, losing their jobs, traumatic experiences, addictions to drugs and alcohol which have resulted in a loss of who they were and they skills that they possessed. Occupational therapist’s role is to seek and help these individual’s find their way back home. It is important for occupational therapists to get involved with individuals who are homeless because the primary focus is to identify the individual’s occupation and then to build their skill set to help them achieve their desired goal. The various models within the occupational therapy field strives to understand and implement ways to restore occupations and task for the individual and help maintain an healthy lifestyle, both physically and mentally. The drive to approach the cause with a holistic approach is one of the major reasons why occupational therapy is beneficial for individuals who are homeless.
Occupational therapist and occupational therapy assistances work with a wide variety of populations throughout their career. Some of these different populations can include different types of backgrounds, genders, ages, economic statuses, ethnicities, and more. While working with these populations, occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistances have to be aware of different types of influences that can not only affect the client, but the client’s occupations as well. In this article, “Psychosocial Aspects of Occupational Therapy,” it discusses the different types of psychosocial aspects that are in the field of occupational therapy.
Although most people know what homelessness is and it occurs in most societies, it is important to define because the forces of displacement vary greatly, along with the arrangement and meaning of the resulting transient state. The Stewart B McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 defined a homeless person as “an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence or a person who resides in a shelter, welfare hotel, transitional program or place not ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation, such as streets, cars, movie theaters, abandoned buildings, etc.” Resent surveys conducted in the U.S. have confirmed that the homeless population in America is extremely diverse and includes representatives from all segments of society, including: the old and young, men and women, single people and families, city dwellers and rural residents, whites and people of color, employed and unemployed, able workers and people with serious health problems. The diversity among people that are homeless reflects how difficult it is to generalize the causes of homelessness and the needs of homeless people. Robert Rosenheck M.D., the author of Special Populations of Homeless Americans, explains the importance of studying homelessness based on subgroups, “each subgroup [of homeless people] has unique service needs and identifying these needs is critical for program planning and design.” Despite these diversities, homelessness is a devastating situation for all that experience it. Not only have homeless people lost their dwelling, but they have also lost their safety, privacy, control, and domestic comfort.
Townsend & Polatajko (2007) state that “Occupational therapy is the art and science of enabling engagement in everyday living, through occupation; of enabling people to perform the occupations that foster health and well-being; and of enabling a just and inclusive society so that all people may participate to their potential in the daily occupations of life”.
Occupational therapy has a multifaceted nature providing endless opportunities to serve a wide range of people within many environments, which is just one of the reasons I love this occupation. My long term goals enlist the desire to maximize my knowledge and abilities to care and supplement the lives of anyone that may cross my path in this career. I have seen occupational therapy positively impact the lives of people around me, and I strive to be a bigger role on the team helping make that happen.
The Homeless in America I never imagined that I would be homeless. " Although I have read this statement over and over again, the facts behind it remain astonishing. The facts are that there are millions of homeless people in America today. Many of these people had no choice but to become homeless. Economic problems such as being laid off work, or the rise in the cost of housing, have led people to live on the streets.
People across the world participate in recovery programs every day. Dedicated people in professions, such as occupational therapy, work to help each person regain his or her ability to engage in everyday activities. One wishing to pursue a career in occupational therapy would first need to evaluate the career and the significant effects on themselves and the clients.
McNamara, Robert Hartmann. "Homelessness." Encyclopedia of Contemporary American Social Issues. Ed. Michael Shally-Jensen. Vol. 3: Family and Society. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2011. 1024-1031. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 2 May 2014. .
Occupational Therapy is a health care designed to treat an individual’s disability and difficulty to improve their performance in their daily life activities. The term occupation does not only refer to the job of an individual but refers to what they do in their everyday lives, which is why any individual, regardless of age, may benefit from occupational therapy. Occupation is everything people do to occupy themselves, which includes work, leisure, and self care (CAOT). An occupational therapy program aims to improve the individual’s performance and engagement because of their physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities.
“Homeless is more than being without a home. It is tied into education needs, food, security; health issues both mental and physical, employment issues, etc. Don’t forget the whole picture.” (“Boxed In” 2005 pg. 108)
The majority of the population believes that they're to blame for being homeless but the truth is that most of them are victims. Some suffer from childhood abuse or violence. Nearly one quarter are children. Many have lost their jobs an...
Homelessness is increasing more every year. In fact, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, over 640,000 people experience homelessness every night. (Hunger and Homelessness in North America) By definition, the homeless are groups of people that do not have a home. They can be people who are mentally ill, unemployed, veterans, or even children born into unfortunate families. Since they have nowhere to go, the homeless usually live inside abandoned buildings, in the streets, or in makeshift homes, such as a cardboard box or homemade tent. Although some work to find a decent home, many still suffer from depression or are psychically disabled and cannot work. (Overview of Homelessness in America) These people do not choose to be homeless, instead they become homeless due to a series of unfortunate events; namely losing their source of income or becoming homeless by birth. One instance of this occurred in the life of Hazel Washington. Hazel was fleeing an abusive relationship when she moved in with her relative and his girlfriend, but she was not told about their impending eviction. Because of this, her roommates took everything she owned an...
Occupational therapy oriented my religious upbringing and principles with the desire to improve the health and welfare of others. It provided me with the an avenue in which I could help others regain control over aspects of their life that were lost and thus provide hope. Occupational therapy is defined as “helping people across the lifespan participate in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities”. The inherent value of occupational therapy is often underestimated and passed over. Occupational therapists do everything from helping children with disabilities so that they can fully engage in school activities to helping those who lost bodily functions in accidents to recover usage of their limbs.
The many causes of the homelessness issue has arisen from global conflict, unemployment increase, education tuition costs rising, and the increase of poverty. Homelessness is affecting all ages, ethnicities, and religions striking in both urban and rural communities. “Just last year, the national poverty rate rose to include 13.2% of the population. 1 in 7 people were at risk of suffering from hunger in the United States. In addition, 3.5 million people were forced to sleep in parks, under bridges, in shelters or cars.”
According to The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) “Occupational therapy allows people across the lifespan to do the activities they want and need to do” (www.aota.org). Occupational therapy’s goal is to
Occupational therapy is a therapy provided for people of all ages that needed rehabilitation after an illness or accident. According to AOTA President Ginny Stoffel, "Occupational Therapy