Crisis Intervention Assignment
AIDS/HIV probably the single most powerful word of our era for evoking intense individual and societal responses._ The reasons for this are often cited: Fear, death, stigmatization, prejudice, discrimination, illness, and suffering. (Somerville and Gilmore 1992, XI)_
During my first week working at the Shepherds of Good Hope, as a volunteer, I was trying to get my hours for the SSW intensive program at Algonquin College. My duties were to clean out the beds and prepare new ones so that people coming in intoxicated or drug related substance would be able to crash. On this day, in which I will never forget, I was cleaning out a client’s bed when I pulled the sheets off the bed and was pricked at the tip of my hand by a used syringe. My initial reaction was completely silent and chocking. A couple of seconds later I instantaneously panicked and lost my cool. Those few seconds felt like an eternity. This was a huge crisis and felt like the world was ending. The feelings and emotions that were running threw my body were indescribable.
When the other staff found out there was a crowd of my fellow employees telling me everything is going to be O.K. and that there is a 3 in a 1000 chances of getting a viral infection. Obviously I was still in choc and believed that I could be one of those 3. Plus it takes 4-6 months to find out the results, which does not help ones peace of mind. They prescribe a drug that is highly effective, however makes one very ill. It is a very pricey product and has to be taken for 4 months.
I also focus on making sure that my fellow employees are using the proper site procedure. I believe that it is essential when admitting a client that they tell you if they have been using, since they could have several used syringes on them. If they are properly informed and asked to deposit them in the site before entering would make it much safer for staff and clients. Our site and needle exchange program in...