Introduction
The chosen aggregate for the project is the Jewish community in North Miami Beach, FL. The paper examines the community’s population, its strengths and weaknesses, and diseases that are prevalent there. One of the widespread illnesses, cancer, is analyzed in connection with the intimate partner violence, while the plan for implementation of interventions aims to show possible methods of improving the victims’ awareness of necessary preventive care and suggests different ways to educate these women about the IPV and cervical cancer.
Mobilize
In this paragraph, the detailed description of the aggregate and its strengths and weaknesses will be provided. The Jews population in Miami stands at 123, 200 (Lugo, Cooperman, & Smith, 2013). Heart diseases, diabetes, and cancer are the major causes of mortality among the American Jewish population of the age 45 and older; tuberculosis and nephritis are also dominant among Miami Jews, as well as other American Jews (Lugo et al., 2013). Intermarriage among Jews in Florida varies from 3 to 55% (Phillips, 2013, p. 112). Non-religious Jews are more likely to have a non-Jewish spouse.
The cultural identity, good education, various social and cultural Jewish Institutions in the Miami area build up the strengths of the aggregate. Nevertheless, the aggregate can also be characterized by such problems as poverty and income inequality among the population (Evans, Rosen, Kesten, & Moore, 2014, p. 326). According to Labgold, almost 30% of the seniors of the aggregate live alone (2014).
Ethnic discrimination and inaccessibility of health care for some members of the community, as well as ethnic conflicts and anti-Semitism, are also the significant weaknesses of the aggregate (Labgold, 2014). Although Social Institutions may help the members receive health care, they have not yet achieved social equality among the members, so any collaborations with charities and other Institutions would be helpful.
Assess
Risk assessment is important in the evaluation of any project; it is the part that helps one understand further methods of the aggregate study. As it was described in one of the previous assignments, to assess possible risks, a family of four members was chosen: a 35 years old woman, a 66 years old man, an adolescent of 14 years, and a boy of 8 years. The heart and vascular system disorders dominated the family and caused a fatal outcome. As it was mentioned above, heart diseases are common among the Jewish communities in the United States, but it does not mean, however, that these results can be applied to all Jewish families of the aggregate.
The diseases may vary depending on the social level of the family and their income. Although social inequity is present in the community, the percentage of families with a good income is high, so it is possible to assume the mentioned diseases are more or less identical for the major families. The evaluation of psychological conditions of the family members showed that they do not have a coping plan for any emergency, but do value family bonds and their heritage, view them as a support.
The information can be used during treatment to understand what the nurse should focus on and what changes the intervention needs. It is important to remember, however, that the conditions in the families may vary, and while some members provide the necessary support for the patient, others may not be able to do so because of a low level of income or conflicts in the family.
Plan
After a careful study of the aggregate when probable diagnoses, strengths, and weaknesses are determined, it is possible to make a care plan. Four Jewish women who suffered from intimate partner violence were chosen; various studies show that the IPV may lead to different chronic diseases, mental illnesses, chronic pains, or cancer (Cesario, McFarlane, Nava, Gilroy, & Maddoux, 2014, p. 65). Cesario et al. notice that women who suffered from the IPV, are not only more likely to avoid seeking health care and support but also tend to ignore gynecologic care because of the association with sexual abuse (Cesario et al., 2014, p. 66).
The cervical cancer is more likely to develop when a woman was sexually abused because of sexually transmitted infections (HPV, HIV, PID); if sex was forced and/or their partner has engaged in sex with other people the risk of transmitting an STI increases (Cesario et al., 2014, p. 66). Because of their psychological traumas or PTSD, women who suffered from the IPV do not want to visit screening procedures that may remind them of the experienced abuse (colorectal cleaning or mammography). My plan consists of the following steps:
- the women who suffered from the IPV should be educated about the violence and circles of it, how they start, progress, and loop
- the women should be acquainted with the community members that provide educational materials and various protection resources
- the women will take part in meetings with other women who were victims of the IPV and who can help them
- the women will take part in workshops presented by nurses that will teach them preventive care of cervical cancer, explain the treatment needed, and consult them on any questions about the disease.
Implement
The suggested plan, in case it will be implemented successfully, will help the women understand what consequences the IPV can bring and what diseases it might cause. Since abused women are usually better informed about the sexually transmitted disease the HPV (Human papillomavirus), they might also warn or inform their children about the virus and vaccinate them (Cesario, Liu, Farlane, & Zhou, 2015, p. 3). This is a good idea to exploit during the workshops: the women will not only learn how to care for themselves after the experienced violence but will also be able to protect themselves and their children from the HPV.
If the implementation of interventions is successful, I expect the women to show understanding of the material and information presented during the workshops; to evaluate its effectiveness, a survey will be provided at the end of the session; moreover, three months after the session, a follow-up will be arranged to see if the women changed their lifestyle, had screening tests, were able to stay safe, sought help to prevent further violence.
Track
The evaluation process is crucial for any plan for implementation because it gives the opportunity to overlook and analyze the intervention steps and their effectiveness. The initial aim of the plan was to teach the victims of the IPV about the importance of screenings and other tests that might prevent the development of the disease. In order to understand why it might progress, one needs to address the causes of it, i.e. the IPV.
As it was mentioned above, the social inequity is common for the analyzed aggregate, so the women from families with lower income are more likely to ignore the screening tests or any other medical counseling (Cesario et al., 2014, p. 66). The suggested implementation (teaching session about the circles of violence) can help the victims understand the reasons behind the IPV, the psychological distress it causes, and its connection to cervical cancer.
Cesario et al. point out that the connection might also be reversed; women with cancer are more likely to be abused by the partner because of their emotional deprivation and financial insecurity (Cesario et al., 2014, p. 65). The first implementation should raise awareness in women both of the IPV and cancer, their relation to each other.
The bond with community members who experienced the same or similar violent situations might help the victims cope with their possible psychological traumas; community members can provide good support for the victims and teach them to escape violence. This communication will help the women speak openly about the IPV during the teaching session.
Meetings with the women who were also victims of the IPV in the past can convince these four women to seek protection, visit a doctor, and have various screenings and other tests. The shared experience might bring relief to the victims and reduce anxiety and stress.
At last, the effect of the last intervention might significantly influence the lifestyle, the state of health, the psychological and physical state of the victims. They might not be aware of the treatment they need, methods of health maintenance local services or the community can offer, and the medicine that can prevent outcomes of the IPV. Moreover, such workshops arranged by nurses will not only be helpful for the chosen women but also for the whole community if the importance of the connection between cancer and the IPV will be admitted.
As it was mentioned above, the risk of cancer mortality is high in the aggregate, and to reduce it, the members of the community should be educated about the causes by professional staff. If this intervention implementation proves to be successful, not only the awareness of cancer will become higher in the community but also of preventive care and necessary screenings.
I am sure all of the interventions mentioned above will be implemented successfully; however, some barriers might complicate the successful outcome of them. First, it is the distress caused by the IPV. The victims might change their mind and refuse to take part in the teaching sessions because of distress, depression, trust issues, or other mental disorders developed after the IPV. The victims might deny that they need to be educated about IPV and cancer because they might be afraid of admitting the problem. At last, the victims might take no action after the sessions and avoid visiting the follow-up.
Conclusion
The chosen aggregate – the Jewish community in North Miami Beach, FL – stands at 123,000 people (Lugo, Cooperman, & Smith, 2013); heart diseases, diabetes, and cancer are the major causes of mortality in the community. Four Jewish women who experienced intimate partner violence were chosen as the aggregates; during the intervention implementation, the women will be instructed on the connection between the IPV and cervical cancer. Teaching sessions will be established to educate the women about preventive care and the causes of violence. A follow-up will be organized to examine the possible changes in women’s lifestyles and preventive care of cancer.
References
Cesario, S. K., Liu, F., Mc Farlane, J., & Zhou, W. (2015). Abused women at risk for HPV and cervical cancer: decisions to vaccinate their children. Clinics in Mother and Child Health, 12(4), 1-5.
Cesario, S. K., McFarlane, J., Nava, A., Gilroy, H., & Maddoux, J. (2014). Linking cancer and intimate partner violence. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, 18(1), 65-73.
Evans, S. D., Rosen, A. D., Kesten, S. M., & Moore, W. (2014). Miami thrives: Weaving a poverty reduction coalition. American Journal of Community Psychology, 53(3-4), 357-368.
Labgold, M. (2014). Summary report of the 2014 Greater Miami Jewish Federation population study: a portrait of the Miami Jewish community. Web.
Lugo, L., Cooperman, A., & Smith, G. A. (2013). Pew Research Center survey of US Jews: A portrait of Jewish Americans.
Phillips, B. (2013). New demographic perspectives on studying intermarriage in the United States. Contemporary Jewry, 33(1-2), 103-119.