Select a few members from the aggregate you have identified at your practicum site. Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the aggregate and the community where the aggregate resides. Support your responses with examples.

NSG 4076 Week 4 Project

In our textbook, Stanhope reveals that the EPA uses a process referred to as “risk assessment” when they develop health-based standards. The term risk assessment refers to a process to determine the probability of a health threat associated with an exposure (Stanhope, 1950). The aggregate that I chose for my practicum site has many individuals who all have similar health conditions. I assume that living conditions and low income is the initial reason that illnesses are prone to being health threats to the community.

Client Overviews

After observing several members of my chosen aggregate, I realized how many people who face poverty conditions were desperate for more opportunities in the community. The first client that I assessed was a woman of African-American descent. She has recently been diagnosed with congestive heart failure (CHF). Getting to know her for the first two hours, I learned that the prognosis of her illness was critical and was the primary reason she wanted to get CPR certified. She was very clueless as to where she could get information from to help improve her condition. One of the strengths I observed from this client is the fact that she was determined to help others and inspired to learn CPR skills thoroughly. Her initial reason for wanting to partake in CPR relates to her having several cardiovascular emergencies personally, and she wanted to be able to reach out to others who faced the same. Consequently, she was physically weak due to CHF and would become winded very quickly during the demonstration portions of the CPR class. Being that she falls in my researched aggregate (poor African American & Hispanic populations), her main weakness was due to being financially unstable with no health insurance due to her lack of funds. As discussed in previous projects, the lack of finances was the central reason people in the community did not have access to proper health care.

Another client that I assessed at my practicum site was a gentleman of Hispanic descent. He has currently been diagnosed with a critical heart condition called Atrial Fibrillation, which is an irregular heartbeat that leads to blood clotting, heart strokes, heart failure, and several other heart complications. He is not compliant with full treatments because he falls in the category of people who can only afford to pay for medications and regular doctor visits. Although he is not considered poor, he still falls in the low-income sector of my chosen aggregate. To assist him, we did our best to educate him about programs for low-income patients, those who do not have a steady income or no income. We also informed him of local physicians that are close to the area and may be able to help his condition more than the vicinity he currently goes to.

The third client I assessed had a breathing condition called Dyspnea. She falls in both the poor African American & Hispanic aggregate due to the fact she is mixed with both races. She currently has Medicaid but is not able to receive the proper treatments needed because Medicaid does not cover the full cost needed to treat her condition. One of the strengths that stood out about this client is the fact she has been able to make payments monthly to receive minimal care for her condition. However, from her recent prognosis, her condition is worsening, and she is not in a physical condition to put extra stress to work for the finances that will cover her payments. Nevertheless, I did my best to inform her of the same programs as my previous client, who suffered from AFIB.