Pope Natalie D, Buchino Susan, Ascienzo Sarah
College of Social Work, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA.
School of Public Health and Information Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA.
J Gerontol Soc Work. 2020 Apr;63(3):143-161. doi: 10.1080/01634372.2020.1733727. Epub 2020 Feb 29.
People experiencing homelessness often have a history of trauma, and losing one's home is a traumatic event. The trauma of living in emergency shelters and on the streets uniquely impacts older adults, whose experiences of homelessness increase the likelihood of multiple health conditions and premature aging. This paper includes data from 18 men, aged 50 and older, who had experienced multiple instances of homelessness, as part of a larger study to understand the return path to homelessness from permanent housing. When participants spoke with us about their failure to be in housing, their inability to free themselves from reoccurring homelessness could not be discussed without talking about their trauma. Participants spoke of trauma in early life, perhaps precipitating homelessness, as well as traumatic experiences while homeless. The men discussed feeling imprisoned by the systemic issues around homelessness, facing mistreatment by service providers, and being exposed to external threats in their lives on the streets, including violence. Findings from this study lend themselves to the explicit need for trauma-informed care and supportive services that are sensitive to the urgency of homelessness as it is experienced by men in late life.
无家可归的人往往有创伤史，而失去家园本身就是一个创伤性事件。生活在紧急避难所和街头的创伤对老年人有独特影响，他们无家可归的经历增加了多种健康问题和早衰的可能性。本文纳入了18名50岁及以上男性的数据，他们经历过多次无家可归，这是一项更大规模研究的一部分，该研究旨在了解从永久性住房回归无家可归状态的过程。当参与者与我们谈论他们无法获得住房的情况时，不提及他们的创伤就无法讨论他们无法摆脱反复无家可归的状况。参与者谈到了早年的创伤，这可能是导致无家可归的原因，以及无家可归期间的创伤经历。这些男性讨论了感到被围绕无家可归的系统性问题所束缚，面临服务提供者的虐待，以及在街头生活中受到包括暴力在内的外部威胁。这项研究的结果明确表明，需要提供创伤知情护理和支持性服务，并要意识到晚年男性经历无家可归时的紧迫性。
