“Poor Kids”: An Intimate Portrait of America’s Economic Crisis

Poverty can affect children most significantly because they belong to an extremely vulnerable category of the population. Poor Kids: An Intimate Portrait of America’s Economic Crisis is a PBS/Frontline documentary that demonstrates the life of three little girls whose families are poor (Poor Kids, 2012). The content of the documentary is rather challenging because it makes a viewer think about the causes of the problem and about the interventions necessary to address the issue from the political perspective and with references to the nurse’s role. Thus, it is possible to identify a range of issues that are faced by little girls and their families and to discuss possible ways to escape from dramatic situations.

It is important to state that the problem of the low-income families’ survival exists because three little girls and their brothers even cannot stop listing issues, barriers, and challenges characteristic of their everyday life. Thus, these children cannot feel secure and comfortable in their homes because there is always a risk of losing a home. Furthermore, one family has to live in a shelter because they cannot afford to live in a house. These children also point at the problems with nutrition and the inability to satisfy their basic daily needs (Poor Kids, 2012).

I should state that to help low-income families in raising children, it is necessary to adopt the complex approach to overcoming the problem in the community. On the one hand, it is necessary to revise the approaches to providing legal support to low-income families and children with the focus on avoiding bureaucracy. Social support policies and programs should be oriented to addressing the families and children’s needs rather than on collecting documents and filling in files (Mason, Leavitt, & Chaeffer, 2012, p. 112). On the other hand, much attention should be paid to the role of a nurse in responding to the challenges faced by poor families. Shelters established by public organizations and supported with social programs are places where low-income families can receive physical and emotional support. However, the majority of the poor population in the United States is deprived of the opportunity to receive support and assistance. As a result, nurses should try to address the problem of the poor families’ limited access to different types of health care in order to contribute to the poor children’s growth and development.

The children asked in the documentary state that the products they eat regularly are of low quality and they even have some problems with health because of their eating habits (Poor Kids, 2012). Thus, I should state that a nurse is responsible for educating parents on the nutritional value of products and on low-cost, but healthy choices for children. It seems that healthy eating is costly, but parents often are not aware of cheap healthy products and recipes. The other point for educating parents is the problem of poor children’s social isolation. The children in the documentary state that they feel uncomfortable in society because of their status, and it is a task of a nurse to help parents and children avoid depression and promote wellness.

In spite of the fact that the economic crisis directly affects the lives of children in the United States, it is possible to accumulate resources, to develop strategies, and to implement policies that are effective to support low-income families with struggling children.

References

Mason, D. J., Leavitt, J. K., & Chaeffer, M. W. (2012). Policy & politics in nursing and health care. New York, NY: Elsevier/Saunders Publishers.

Poor Kids: An Intimate Portrait of America’s Economic Crisis (PBS/Frontline). (2012). Web.