Vulnerable People and Places Blog

            For many, the question of how to best care for an older family member can be tricky. Seniors are a complex demographic that consists of both incredibly able individuals and those that need more consistent attention and, in many cases, medical care. In the case of the latter, families may just not have the required skills and resources needed to adequately care for the seniors in their lives and have to delegate the responsibility to others to assure their loved one’s health and safety isn’t at risk. It’s no surprise than that many families gravitate towards nursing homes and similar institutions; the service fills an ever-growing need. Society is going through a shift where the largest generation of Americans, the baby boomers, are starting to reach senior status, a demographic consisting of adults 65 and older. With this shift it is definitely worth evaluating how these institutions as a whole treat their patients. Sadly, the data in many cases is alarming. The mos

            Food, to be super simplistic and blunt, is amazing. It may be a need we all have but darn if isn’t an enjoyable one. How can it not be when the very chemistry of our bodies rewards us with things like taste and happiness for even that completely inadvisable midnight snack? It’s no secret that the junkier the food you eat, the more you crave that kind of junk but the enjoyment of that kind of eating is always mitigated a bit by the understanding that these behaviors aren’t good for us. Try and think of the last time that you ate too much pizza and thought “wow I’m really doing myself a favor health wise here.” It can’t be done. We are cursed to understand on some intrinsic level that there is a difference between eating well and satisfying a craving. But despite this understanding, it can be challenging to eat healthily in the best of circumstances, let alone anywhere in relation to the poverty line. For starters healthier foods can be an expensive investment. Substi

            The ability to drive is for independence what fire was for cavemen; an irreplaceable breakthrough. Not only does it grant a person physical mobility which is needed to do basic day to day activities such as shop or go to the bank, driving can offer someone impactful opportunities, such as a better chance of employment. After all, what good would getting that awesome interview be if you couldn’t actually get to the interview? But the blanket importance of driving as a skill begins to pose a rather distressing problem when you consider a life without it; what would happen if suddenly all this independence was gone? This is a common dilemma for seniors across the country, who for a multitude of reasons are no longer able or willing to operate a motor vehicle.             According to an AARP spokeswoman the baby boomers present one of the most significant increases of elderly drivers ever. In fact, the numbers projected show over 78 million boomers reaching 65+ status

These days there are few things in the world that can be considered universal truths, especially in the current world climate where just about everything under the sun can and has been made into an argument. Despite all the contention in the public discourse there is one fact that seems incredibly difficult to disagree with: It is hard to live without money; especially because with everything in the world, from basics like food and water all the way to the computer or phone you’re reading this on, everything cost a bit of the green stuff. Since July 24, 2009, the United States has had a set national minimum wage of $7.25. However, between significant amounts of research and public pressures, there has been some controversy among lawmakers as to whether or not this minimum is an adequate enough sum to actually live on. In 2014, Rep. Tim Ryan a Democratic lawmaker from Ohio tried to understand exactly this issue with a social challenge that had gained a lot of popularity during

People who decide to go organic when it comes to buying groceries usually buy them with the rationale that they are healthier for our bodies and more safe for us.  Researchers from Stanford University tested these claims by comparing nutrients between traditionally grown and organic fruits, grains, meats, poultry, and vegetables.  They discovered that there was negligible differences in the nutritional content between traditional and organic foods, with the exception of higher omega-3 fatty acid content in organic chicken ad milk, and slightly higher phosphorous in many organic foods. A common misconception is that no pesticides are used to grow organic food.  Organic foods are allowed to contain certain pesticides.  Farmers often use "natural" pesticides for organic crops, with some even using synthetic pesticides if they are on an approved list.  Organic produce was found to be slightly safer, with 30% lower pesticide residue than conventionally grown produce.  Pestici

Sleep is an absolutely vital component of a person's health and wellbeing.  During the process of sleep, your body goes to work in many different ways; ranging from building and healing cells, recharging your cardiovascular system fro the next day, and boosting your immune system.  Millions of Americans do not get adequate sleep.  At least 40 million of them suffer from over 70 different sleep disorders, and 60 percent of adults report having sleep problems a few nights a week or more.  These issues often go untreated and undiagnosed. Individual sleep needs may vary, but most healthy adults need an average of eight hours of sleep every night.  A lot of factors may contribute to the development of sleep disorders and difficulties.  These include abnormalities in the cardiovascular, metabolic, nervous, and immune systems of the body.  Conditions such as emotional disorders, hypertension, obesity, and substance abuse can all contribute to sleep problems as well. Stress is the m

Obesity is defined as the condition of being way above a healthy weight due to body fat.  More than one third of all American adults are considered obese.  Obese individuals are part of a very vulnerable population as they are at highly increased risk of developing a multitude of diseases, ranging from type 2 diabetes to high blood pressure, cancer to strokes, and sleep apnea to heart attacks.  Obesity is affected by behavioral, environmental, and genetic factors.  It is much more prevalent than ever in society because of our sedentary lifestyles that are exacerbated by automobile transport and desk jobs.  Food portions are also much larger than they were historically.  The treatment of obesity encompasses dietary changes, exercise, and often social support through counseling.  Exercise is considered a vital portion of handling obesity. Exercise not only helps reduce body fat, but it also reduces risk for developing the chronic diseases that are associated with obesity.   It raise

Did you know that a growing number of scientific studies show that spending time in nature provides numerous health benefits – not just physical but mental as well?  The Business Insider lists 11 of them, including improved short-term memory, reduced inflammation, and an immune system boost, to name a few.  Portland is a city that prides itself in its green spaces, but in fact, many barriers exist when it comes to access to nature for communities of color, low-income, and other underserved communities.  Cost, location, cultural needs, and safety are all some of the barriers facing these communities.  Fortunately, more and more, park planning agencies are recognizing the importance of making nature accessible to all and they are making a concerted effort to better understand and provide the tools needed to overcome these barriers. Metro (Portland’s regional government and manager of 17,000 acres of parks, trails, and natural areas) is one of these agencies.   Five year

Transportation is an important element to any community.   It is how people access schools, work, healthcare and everyday necessities.   Making sure our most vulnerable communities have access to safe, affordable and reliable transportation is an important key to building a happy, thriving community.   Thanks to input from advocates, community members, and elected leaders, Trimet, Portland’s metropolitan area public transportation provider, has recently announced that it is expanding their reduced-fare program to cover people with limited income.   The reduced-fare program which will take effect on July 1 st will be funded by additional revenue generated from a new payroll tax in the transportation funding package.  People who earn up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level will qualify for half-price fare – that is, $1.25 per ride or $2.50 for a day pass.  Under the current federal poverty guidelines, this means individuals earning up to $24,120 would qualify.

Many of us think that being in the vulnerable people category puts them at a disadvantage of getting the help needed to overcome and treat certain criteria that put them that category to begin with. Let's start by looking at who is considered vulnerable. Many scholarly articles show that people who are homeless, elderly, have mental health issues, are drug addicted, have little access to healthcare or are uninsured, and those within certain racial and socio-economic demographics. But it's more than that; those that are pregnant, transgendered, have less common health issues, and fall below the living wage earnings are also considered to be in the vulnerable population. That means that at least one person you know can be considered, vulnerable. The problem is that we don't consider this as something that is a community phenomenon that we are all responsible for, but an issue with those that seem to be on the more at-risk scale of healthcare and living structures. The h

If you've ever been a victim of a scam, you know exactly how it feels--privacy feels invaded leaving you out in the open. The continuous advancements made in the realm of technology, maker it easier and easier for scammers to get you information; online payment platforms, unsecured wifi networks, and cell phones, just to name a few. While us younger people are more and more aware of the dangers involved with scammers and technology, our aging populations aren't as knowledgeable about the risk, marking them as easy targets. According to the FBI , senior-citizens generally own their own home, have good credit, and lived in an era the emphasized respect, as well as generating a trustworthy population, financial worries, loneliness and age; making them the perfect targets of fraud. It's even worst for those who live alone. Bogus telemarketers love to target those over the age of 60 and who live alone, and attempt to sell them products in order to get their credit card informat

Portland ranks as the 4 th fastest city gentrifying in the US. The Portland metro area had one of the largest median rent increases in the country in 2017 and the surging rent prices are not trending to slow down but rather to keep increasing in 2018. The current median rent in Portland sits at $1,879. This increase in rent has broken up and affected various communities that used to call Portland and in particular North Portland home. It is extremely difficult to stop or slow down gentrification, and some may feel that gentrification may not be such a bad thing. I however feel that the displacement of residents and the breaking up of ethnically diverse communities is a tragic result of gentrification. You may ask yourself, what can be done to combat such a complex issue? Living Cully, a collaboration formed in 2010 between Habitat for Humanity Portland/Metro East, Hacienda Community Development Corporation, Native American Youth and Family Center, and Verde, have answ