The health of a person and society is very much connected to the environment and surroundings. The proximity of health hazards has short and long-term effects on the person and the community.
Upstream thinking is a concept that relates to the close examination of the detrimental influences on a human organism at the source, before any significant damage is done. The “upstream” reference is made to a river where the doctor or a nurse are providing immediate and emergency care to the patients in such great numbers that it is impossible to see “upstream” and realize the problem that creates so many patients. The causes and actions that lead to the onset of disease or health issues must be analyzed, so that the strategy focuses on the prevention and exclusion of the negative influences on people’s health (Lundy & Janes, 2009).
Homeless people are very susceptible to the negative health effects of their environment. As most of the time they are outside, the natural and man-made surroundings are closely connected to their health. Shelter, food and warmth are the basic needs of any person. Homeless people live in the streets, abandoned houses, parks, forests, bus or train stations and often do not have basic needs. The physical environment is usually harsh; it could be extremely cold or hot. The weather has immediate effects on the well being of a person. The risk of pneumonia or heatstroke is very high, as the temperature fluctuations are sometimes unpredictable. Communicable deceases are an issue because often personal hygiene is a problem. The inabilities to wash and dry clothes, as well as store belongings and accumulate food are some of the problems encountered by the homeless. Often there is no access to medical services and people cannot get proper treatment before their condition worsens. Another issue is nutrition in a form of fresh food and clean drinking water. These are very important for personal health and the ability to withstand the environmental factors. Almost every society in the world has a part of the population that is homeless and there are many ways that the society deals with the issue. Some cities have homeless shelters where people can get fed and sleep over. These are temporary places since sometimes they get overfilled or a person is not pleased with the conditions. As homeless people are not dependant on anyone in particular, they do not have a responsibility to be somewhere at a certain time and so, the regulations and schedule of such shelter becomes problematic for them and they chose to leave. Every society tries to combat this problem in its own way. One of the short term solutions include the setting up of mobile kitchens, which would be in areas with large numbers of homeless people. The giving out of food, clothes and basic medication could also be possible in the short term. But these solutions do not effectively deal with the problem in the long term. With relationship to the “upstream” thinking, the society has to take steps that will deal with the causes and reasons for homelessness. Social programs must be created that provide education and jobs for the homeless. As homeless people do not have job references, it is hard for them to get hired. There must be companies with an employer who will offer a workplace and the minimal pay for the work. Volunteers and nurses could be included in the plan to provide the necessities to the homeless, so that they make the initial action in dealing with the problem, which affects the whole of society (Todd, 2006).
References
Lundy, K.S., & Janes, S. (2009). Community health nursing: Caring for the public’s health. (2nd ed). Sudbury, United States: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Todd, E. (2006). Homelessness: Is society looking the other way? New York, United States: Nova Publishers.