Reducing Barriers for a Houseless Patient: Inola
Download

Download Full Text (7.3 MB)

Description

Inola, a 52 year old Cherokee woman, struggles with poorly managed stage two chronic lymphocytic leukemia. She experiences barriers to care in each layer of her life including within herself, her family and friends, her broader community, and her environment. Inola is currently houseless and unemployed with a high school diploma. For forty years, she has smoked cigarettes daily; she previously struggled with alcohol use disorder but notes that is no longer a factor. She is undergoing chemotherapy and blood infusions for her leukemia, which, in conjunction with her homelessness, fuel additional concerns such as poor nutrition, weight loss (her BMI is less than eighteen), inability to tolerate exercise, anxiety, and depression. In addition, Inola is a Cherokee Native American who grew up disconnected from her heritage and feels distrustful of modern healthcare, the latter of which resulted in her delayed diagnosis.

Inola resides in Poland, Maine, a small, rural town roughly thirty miles outside of Portland. While she possesses strong friendships with individuals eager to help when they can, they are often unavailable to drive her to appointments. When she finds herself without shelter, she either sleeps on a friend’s couch or at a shelter. She is not married and has no children. Her parents passed away over thirty years ago; she has no living family and has learned to rely on herself and her community.

Due to her rural location, Inola must travel to Portland for her medical care. This poses a challenge as she lacks access to a car and the region lacks a direct bus route. While Poland offers community resources, she cannot access them without a permanent residence. Communication poses a challenge as well: she owns an iPhone but not a cell phone plan, so she is forced to rely upon wifi, payphones, or friends’ phones for connection. Based upon all of this, caring for Inola will require careful consideration of her history, challenges, and support.

Publication Date

2024

Disciplines

Interprofessional Education

Access/Rights

© 2024 The Authors

Notes

Sebastian Garcia, MPH

Ashley Bartlett, OMSI

Erin Mae Bacasen, OMSI

Sarah Benesi, MSW

Reducing Barriers for a Houseless Patient: Inola
Files over 3MB may be slow to open. For best results, right-click and select "save as..."

Share

COinS