Choose a vulnerable population: disabilities, homeless, rural/migrant health, or mental
illness, and discuss the nature of the vulnerability in detail.
In a 3-5 page paper in APA format, include:
National and community statistics and comparisons
Federal and state policies
Healthy people 2020 objectives
The role of nurses in the population you choose.
Include a minimum of two scholarly references besides your text.
Disability is a state of physical impairment that may result from mental or physical
exposure to harmful objects such as accidents. It may be physical, sensory, mental,
developmental, and emotional or a combination of two or more of these factors which add up to
a person’s disability. Even though some disabilities are present at the time of birth, some are a
result of accidents or medical problems that happen during a person’s lifetime making them
vulnerable to challenges that they were not previously used to. In defining disabilities, it is often
assumed to be a collection of impairments, limitations and restrictions that a vulnerable person is
exposed to. For instance impairment is a malfunction of body structures whereas limitations are
difficulties experienced by a person because of their physical nature and this often restrains them
from doing some physical activities (Ells, 2001, p 34). On the other hand there are disabilities
that impose restrictions on a person’s participation in life situations. This means that disabilities
are complex in nature and they are varied but the bottom-line is how they impact on the victims
and make them vulnerable in our societies. This paper will emphasize on the plight of war
veterans who became lame protecting the civilians.
War veterans face many difficulties in getting employment on their return home from
war. The employers find it difficult to employ war veterans due to the fear by employers to
handle the special needs for the veterans. Some of the problems often faced by the war veterans
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in search of employment include; struggle with communication skills in their interview and lack
of training rendering them unfit to work, the problem of anger, stress and lack of concentration
what makes them incompatible with other workers in the organization, issue of addiction and
homelessness, post-traumatic stress disorders and depression resulting from war thus companies
fear employing them. Employers prefer not to hire war veterans because of the increased risk of
future mobilization, as well as a veteran’s inability to successfully transition from military life
into civilian life.
Stigmatization has been the main undermining factor in handling the plight of vulnerable
populations such as war veterans whose services are rendered of less important by the fact they
were adapted to harsh lives in order to protect other people (Donovan, 2012, p 56). As a result
employers have problems hiring war veterans since most of war veterans have medical
complications which translate into disorders such as physical impairment caused by war-related
health problems. Joseph Sharpe, director of the economic division at the American legion was
quoted saying that companies may not want to hire somebody who could deploy again or will
have medical appointments because of war-related health problems. Justine Wilcox was also
quoted saying that veteran find it hard working with others in organization because they are
never understood (Mettler, 2005, p 45). Statistics from the US bureau of labor indicate that the
rate of unemployment for the war veteran has constantly been rising over the years.
The war veterans are viewed by the employers as persons who easily get angry, due to
stress and lose of concentration. These issues of anger and lack of concentration slows down the
productivity in an organization. Stress and anxiety was once discussed by Justine Wilxon, Iraq
participant in his program study at veteran center. Justine claimed to have served in various
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organizations but lost job due to lack of concentration, anger and stress. Anger and stress may
render the war veterans incompatible with others at the work place thus employers tend not to
employ the veterans in the organizations because they are emotional. The labor statistics of the
United States indicate that most of the war veterans are rendered disabled as a result of the war.
Some end up losing their legs or feet while others lose their arms while in the battlefield. This
physical impairment greatly affects the ability of the war veterans since they are unable to work.
These disabilities to the veterans is a bigger challenge for them since they cannot work in any
field that is energy demanding. Employers prefer to employ people who can effectively and
efficiently work for the organization. Impairment resulting from war makes it difficult for the
war veterans to get employment after returning home from the battle field.
The war veterans suffer the problem of discrimination at the work place since they are
paid little pay compared to their workmates what greatly discourages the veterans from working.
They end up getting discouraged from working whenever they return home from military. Ii is
believed that some of the war veterans lose arms and feet in the battlefield what makes them
unfit to work in organizations. These impairments render them incompetent at the work place
and therefore cannot do the most demanding duties in an organization. Most of the industrial jobs
are energy demanding and involving hence the physically challenged cannot adequately work in
organizations.
In its Healthy People 2020 objective, the government of the United States is coming up
with a policy that will help war militants get employed when they return home from the
battlefield. The US government is trying to curb the rising level of unemployment especially for
the war veterans. This would greatly help reduce this looming unemployment given that the US
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militants in Afghanistan are about to return to the US. If the government puts in place effective
measures, this will help the war veterans get jobs even after returning home from the battlefield.
The issue of war veteran unemployment requires government attention if it has to be solved in
the United States of America.
US military base at fort bliss put up basically for military for military vocational training
and alumni networking program. This base was put up mainly to help the soldiers who are about
to enter the community by providing them with six to twelve months of pre-employment
counseling and transition counseling. This counseling is aimed at preparing them psychologically
to work in other organizations after leaving military as war veterans. The labor and veterans
affair department has come up with education programs aimed at educating employers on how to
work with veterans with special needs.
The role of nurses has been to educate the masses on the effects of stigmatization of war
veterans. Also they have worked tirelessly in guiding and counseling the vulnerable war veterans
into accepting themselves, their physical and mental states and transforming them into
productive citizens after serving their terms in the military. The government has also instilled
federal and state laws that if observed will lead to the implementation of the Healthy People
2020 objective.
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References
Donovan, R. (2012). Compensating Permanent Workplace Injuries. Langham: Lexington books
Ells, V. (2001). To hear only thunder again; American WWII veterans come home. Langham:
Lexington books.
Mettler, S. (2005). Soldiers to citizens; the G.I. bill and the making of the greatest generation.
New York: Oxford University Press.