Keith's Journey: Assessing His Economic, Cultural, & Health Needs - Essay Sample

Introduction

Keith is an eighteen-year-old African American man, who is diagnosed with HIV and AIDS but has not been in any treatment program. Being a teenager, Keith has encountered multiple challenges after disclosing his condition to his family. This discussion paper will seek to highlight some of his economic, cultural, and health needs that he is facing as portrayed in the concept plan. Subsequently, effective and relevant criteria for offering assistance to Keith as well as proper communication with his family will be articulated. In that, proper communication with the parents will enhance family support, which will be critical in addressing Keith’s situation. Therefore, this work will make use of the relevant evidence presented in Keith’s case and propose an ideal strategy for passing information to the family and patient based on an inclusive, ethical, and culturally sensitive way.

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Patient’s Description

Keith is a recent high school graduate, who was found to be suffering from Human immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV) for about six months. Although he has not been under any medication or treatment, his friend Nick, suggest that he should start using methamphetamines. According to Nick, methamphetamines are believed to slow down the virus although it is an illegal substance. Due to the abuse of this drug, Keith is not sure whether the medication is having any positive impacts on his health since he is complaining that his heart is beating so fast. This made him get anxious and he decided to go to the hospital to get proper medication despite his economic needs and the fear of betraying his friend’s trust.

Despite the immense awareness being created by the government and other organizations on the issue of HIV and AIDS, there are still many people who lack the relevant information (Baker, 2017). For instance, in Keith’s scenario he is at risk of getting other infections which will deteriorate his immunity even more. Although HIV cannot be cured, there are effective medications that can manage this chronic disease and a person can live a longer life (Godshall, 2015). However, despite the advancements made in containing the spread and prevention of HIV, many people such as Nick, Keith’s friend continue to come up with ineffective coping mechanisms which only exacerbates the situation in the long run. This paper will provide some of the effective stratagems that can be used to manage the virus.

Keith Roger’s Living Conditions

Before the HIV diagnosis, Keith was living with his mum and his two younger sisters. After they went for an HIV test with Nick, the results were positive and his way of life changed for worse. His mother is a staunch Christian. After contacting the virus, he went back to the clinic to confirm his status, since he is a minor the doctors had to inform his mother. This brought out revelations that perhaps caused him to be thrown out of the house even though Keith believes that was not the main reason why he was chased away. In the course of trying to elucidate where he contacted the virus, his mother learned that he was homosexual, and according to her religious beliefs it is held to be a sin. Keith holds that maybe his mother chased him away for the fear of passing the virus to his younger sisters since they were using one bathroom. He is currently residing at Nick’s place and they are not allowed to sleep in the same bed. Although he is not certain whether Nick disclosed their condition to his parents, he is living in so much apprehension since if they get separated he will be in so much predicaments.

Due to cultural and religious beliefs that same-sex relations are evil, Keith and Nick are placed in a tough situation despite their struggle with their health conditions. This present difficulties for the families involved not play their role of taking care of their infected children. Families are professed to be the fundamental source of care and development of children (Dickson, 2017). However, different cultural notions hinder such responsibilities to be accomplished by the affected families. Additionally, the family concerns that Keith might infect other siblings with HIV is unsubstantiated since the virus cannot be passed through the sharing of bathrooms. There is a need to educate the families affected on how the disease is transmitted, how to live healthily with HIV victims, and how it can be managed.

Therefore, Keith’s family lacks a solid understanding of HIV and that is why he is not being offered the necessary support (Ibrahim, Kombong, & Sriati, 2019). Apart from the economic and cultural needs, there is an aspect of economic challenges. Keith is eager to start medical treatments for HIV but he lacks the necessary information about health insurance. Being a minor, he is not a position to pay for his hospital bills. He alludes that he has some savings in the bank, but he is afraid the drugs will cost more than what he has. Although he is under his father’s insurance, his terminal condition might use the entire insurance funds for the family and he does not want to punish his family. Nevertheless, his family’s economic status is low since they use one bathroom.

Relevant Criteria for Helping Keith in his Situation

As earlier indicated, HIV and AIDS cannot be cured but it can be controlled by a combination of medications. If the virus is not treated early, it will progress to become AIDS and the immune system will be compromised and will not be able to effectively fight injection. This implies that a victim is susceptible to multiple infectious diseases hence reducing the chances of living longer. Therefore, one of the effective strategies of helping Keith is placing him on an early treatment plan so that he can live long and healthy. This is due to the significant medical advancements in the treatment of HIV and the stoppage of its spread. Observing HIV medications as recommended by the medical practitioners is decisive to the effective management of the virus.

Furthermore, Keith will be guided on how to avoid other infections and diseases. This can be attained by ensuring that his overall health is improved by exercising regularly, cessation of any drugs including methamphetamines, having a balanced, and nutritious diet (Glicken, 2009). Apart from the aspect of staying safe from other infectious diseases, Keith will be enrolled in an education program where he will learn more about the ways he can continue living a safe life by having the virus under control. Such lessons will involve maintaining healthy sexual life among others.

Conclusion

While there have been significant medical improvements in managing and prevention of HIV and AIDS, there are several emotional and social challenges that have become difficult to handle. This is principally contributed by the communication aspect predominantly between patients and families involved. For many infected people such as Keith, they are struggling with stigmatizing conditions especially from their families hence making the burden of the virus more difficult to withstand (Ibrahim, Kombong, & Sriati, 2019). The family is the fundamental source of both physical and emotional care. However, in Keith’s case, it has caused feelings of guilt, blame, and chased away from home. To address this element, Keith’s family will be provided with a family therapy session that will seek to address most of their fears such as financial concerns, transmission to other siblings, and how to take care and support Keith while still staying together as a family. The financial difficulties have been addressed through government support to households with HIV/AIDS children since they are believed to be socially vulnerable. Information about the common misconceptions about HIV/AIDS will also be conversed in detail to avoid the stigma or the fear that it is unsafe to live with an infected person under the same roof.

References

Baker, J. D. (2017). Nursing Research, Quality Improvement, and Evidence-Based Practice: The Key to Perioperative Nursing Practice: Editorial. Association of Operating Room Nurses, 105(1), 3.

Dickson, D. T. (2017). HIV/AIDS, Children, and Families. HIV, AIDS, and the Law, 83–102. doi: 10.4324/9780203789933-6

Glicken, M. D. (2009). Evidence-Based Practice and the Troubled Families of Americas Children and Adolescents. Evidence-Based Practice with Emotionally Troubled Children and Adolescents, 73–90. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-12-374523-1.00005-7

Godshall, M. (2015). Fast facts for evidence-based practice in nursing: Implementing EBP in a nutshell (2nd Ed.). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

Ibrahim, K., Kombong, R., & Sriati, A. (2019). The Difference of Perceived HIV Stigma between People Living with HIV Infection and Their Families. Nurse Media Journal of Nursing, 9(2), 117–127. doi: 10.14710/nmjn.v9i2.24256