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Essay / How to Overcome Life's Challenges: Coping Strategies of Homeless People homeless populations in the world, mainly due to pervasive poverty and unemployment. . Increasing population growth in the Philippines has led to an increasing number of people succumbing to the harsh realities of poverty. Many Filipinos cannot afford decent housing, struggling with unaffordable costs and insufficient income. Faced with extreme poverty, many citizens struggle to obtain even three meals a day due to their meager income. Notably, 2012 National Statistics Office (NSO) statistics revealed that about 3 million, or three-quarters of Metro Manila's total urban population, reside in informal settlements commonly known as squatter areas. In the Philippines, homeless people often find makeshift housing under bridges or on public land, with some sleeping on the sides of roads or public facilities. The country's endemic poverty crisis contributes significantly to homelessness, particularly among older people who lack family support and need help to overcome life's challenges. This dire situation is exacerbated by factors such as limited employment opportunities, sluggish economic growth, rising population rates, inability to find affordable housing, drug and alcohol addiction, and relationships broken families (Yap, 2012) [1]. Although older people make up a relatively small share of the total homeless population, their numbers are steadily increasing, placing them among the most vulnerable due to their physical frailty and susceptibility to disease, particularly in the dangerous environment of Manila streets. In light of these circumstances, the survey “What are the experiences of homeless older people?” was designed to delve into the daily lives and stories of homeless older people. Through this exploration, researchers aim to uncover the transformations that occurred when they became homeless, the adversities they faced while living on the streets, and the strategies they employed to overcome these challenges, thus providing valuable information. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The Life Struggles of Homeless Elderly It is very likely that homeless people face danger when living on the streets. Homeless people cannot maintain safety, good shelter and security. They do not have a comfortable shelter to stay in or have permanent accommodation, so they usually wander the streets and find a place to sleep, which would put them in danger. Lack of shelter and safety are not the only problems homeless people face, they also face everyday problems like hygiene, clothing, food and water. There are also cases where other beggars steal their food and belongings. Homeless people also face social disadvantages from living on the streets, such as lack of good quality education, proper healthcare and the risk of being abused, raped and discriminated against by other people. , because some people judge homeless people based ontheir appearance and their social status (Anonymous). , 2012)[3]. According to Connell and James (2009)[4], the percentage of older people who became homeless increased by up to 60% between 1999 and 2002. It has been stated that the growing population of homeless older people living in poverty is made up of of people who were forced to leave their homes. living on the streets and growing old in poverty. The very reason older people live on the streets is due to poverty and lack of financial means for housing. It is a difficult struggle for homeless seniors to find housing. They mentioned that they don't trust people in shelters and clinics, which is why they choose to sleep on the streets. Homeless older people are at higher risk of victimization and are more likely to be ignored by the government, study finds. They also suffer from depression and dementia. It is said that elderly people who become homeless will not live long and are unlikely to live to be 62 years old. In the study of Lamudi (2016)[5], Manila has a safety index of 39.1, which suggests that the crime rate is high in the city of Manila. The city of Manila faces many problems such as drug trafficking, vandalism and theft. It is very likely that your safety cannot be ensured when walking on the streets, whether day or night, also due to the violent crimes present on the streets such as assaults, armed robberies, corruption and bribes. People who live in these streets should be brave enough to face these kinds of situations. Additionally, more than 12,000 Filipinos are living on the streets, especially in Metro Manila, as of 2013. This figure is said to continually increase up to 139 percent over the past three years, according to the Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Also, some of the reasons why Filipinos end up living on the streets are due to lack of money and losing their homes to demolitions: And the streets are the only place where they can build their homes. We all know that poverty is one of the biggest problems in our country, the Philippines; this is one of the reasons why the majority of street dwellers suffer from illness and lack of food. In this case, Filipinos living on the streets tend to be street vendors or garbage collectors to get at least one meal a day. Therefore, according to a report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), the most common struggle of people living on the streets is the search for money. Today, here in the Philippines, 18% of Filipinos report or consider themselves financially prosperous, while the rest of them are said to be struggling and suffering in terms of economic security. In a recent global study, the Philippines was one of 135 countries estimated to be facing poor social and financial well-being and physical well-being. For this reason alone, the Philippines continues to be in a difficult situation, despite rapid growth in its economic situation and continued excellence in this area. Additionally, reports revealed that having faith and spirituality had a positive outcome in the lives of street dwellers. A study was conducted of homeless people who regularly attend church or other religious ceremonies and are less likely to be alcoholics and less likely to use drugs or cocaine. So even though they encounter many challenges in their life, no matter how difficult they are, they always find a way to overcome them because they have faith in God. They can do thethings they want with the help of their faith and spirituality. Researchers at the University of British Columbia interviewed hundreds of homeless people and found that these people have no tendency to have any particular problems with abuse if they have faith and consistently believe in God (Blackwell, 2014)[6]. Struggles Faced by Homeless PeopleThis study mainly focuses on the lives of homeless older people, so the purpose of this study is to learn about “the experiences of homeless older people”. Through this main research question, the following areas were also examined by the researchers to make this study more accurate and reliable. First there are the changes that took place in their lives when they became homeless. Second, what are the struggles they experienced on the streets? Finally, how they overcome the daily struggle of the street. Since the subject of this study is the daily experience of homeless elderly people, the reason the researchers conducted this study is to help people living on the streets, not just elderly people, come into the public eye. as well as our government. The study leaders hope that this study will be an eye-opener for all of us about the real situation of all street dwellers or people living on the streets in the Philippines and their daily struggles and sufferings. Furthermore, the researcher conducted this study to serve as a bridge for everyone to know their daily struggle and to make the public understand that there are many people who are in need and if you are financially capable, they hoped you would extend your hands to those who really need it. Learning to accept and support older homeless people despite their difficulties would be less of a burden for them, because people only see what is outside of them, not what they are inside. interior, nor who they really are. So let's not judge them on their physical appearance since we don't know what they are going through, but admire them because they are battle scars.MethodologyThis study is a qualitative research that primarily focuses on interpretivism, a type of research method that includes human elements because it depends on how the researchers demonstrate the facts cultivated through this study. This study focused on a type of qualitative research that requires conducting different in-depth interviews for researchers to collect data on different experiences of homeless older adults (Gill, Stewart, Treasure, & Chadwick, 2008).[7] . The researchers conducted a series of interviews with the co-researchers. It is the most commonly used method for generating data in a qualitative study, it explains the lived experiences of older people who are homeless and living on the streets. The co-investigators of the study are elderly people who are homeless and living on the streets for at least three to five (3-5) years, aged 60 and over. This study has a total of five (5) co-researchers. This study used a purposive sampling technique in which a specific part of a population is used for a certain study. This sampling technique involves carefully selecting individuals with specific characteristics to find out who would be qualified and meet the requirements or objective of the study. The criteria needed for the study are elderly people who are homeless, aged 60 and over and willing to share their experiences. Specifically, typical case sampling is used in this study. This is a purposive sampling technique used when researchersare interested in the normality or typicality of units, for example people, cases, events and contexts. One of the most common cases worldwide is that of homeless elderly people (Andrew et al., 2011)[8]. In conducting the study, the information collected came from the results of in-depth interviews with homeless elderly people in Recto, Manila, especially those living on the streets. During data collection, researchers used informed consent to protect the rights of co-researchers. The researchers sought approval of the participating selection through informed consent, which they either declined or approved. The voice recorder was used to record all statements spoken by the co-researchers during the interview. A pre-qualification form (PQF) was used which serves as a pre-questionnaire to determine whether the elderly were suitable to participate in the study and a checklist was also used. It contains a list of questions and details that researchers will need before the interview. During data collection, researchers search for homeless and street-dwelling elderly people around Manila, where these elderly people were found. request permission which allowed researchers to conduct a qualitative study on the experiences of homeless older adults aged 60 and over. Additionally, researchers distributed the PQF to determine whether older adults were qualified to participate in the study. After considering whether the elderly were indeed suitable for the study, informed consent was given to assure the participant that the information will be between the participant and the researcher also to protect their identity. Subsequently, the right of the co-researcher to withdraw or refuse from the study was also stipulated in the informed consent. In addition, a voice recorder was also used to record the entire conversation of the researcher and co-researcher. Responses from the co-researchers were acquired during an interview which was analyzed through the use of interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA). It is an approach to qualitative psychological research. The aim of IPA is to specifically examine how co-researchers make sense of their personal and social world, and attempts to investigate the personal experience of co-researchers (Smith & Osborn, 2007)[ 9].DiscussionThe study was conducted by the researchers to help people living on the streets and not just the elderly to get noticed by the public and the government. The researchers hope that this study will make the public aware of the real situation of all street dwellers or people living on the streets in the Philippines and can know the daily struggles and sufferings of these people who live on the streets. The researchers conducted this study to make the public understand that there are many people who are in need and that if one is financially able, they hope that they will not hesitate to reach out to these street residents. The study aimed to answer the question: “What has plagued the experiences of homeless older adults?” » and learn about the changes that took place in their lives when they became homeless, the struggles they experienced, and the coping strategies they used to overcome those struggles. Using the validated checklist, the researchers were able to collect data from the five (5) homeless seniors and ask them questions. The researchers used purposive, typical case sampling to choose their co-researchers. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), statements collected fromco-researchers were analyzed. During the analysis, main themes and superordinate themes were revealed. The main themes are the changes in their lives, the challenges and struggles of living on the streets and coping strategies. From the main theme Changes in their lives, participants reported changes in their lives and how these changes affected their decisions and outlook on life. The theme Challenges and Struggles indicated that the challenges and struggles experienced by the participants while living on the streets were shared by them. The co-researchers compared their previous lives to their current lives. Under the theme Coping Strategies, participants indicated ways to overcome the challenges they face while living on the streets. The researchers proposed eight (8) priority themes: relationships, lifestyle, safety and security, finances, emptiness, leisure, optimism and faith in God. The theme Relationship indicated the relationship between the participants and their families estranged from them. The theme Lifestyle mentioned participants' experiences of the difficulty of living on the streets. From the topic of Safety and Security, participants worry about their personal safety because living on the streets is dangerous, especially for elderly people like them. The financial theme explained how participants became aware of the need to make ends meet or budget their money for food and other expenses. The theme of emptiness indicated that participants were experiencing mood disorders in which they experienced sadness and a feeling of emptiness in their lives. Regarding the theme of leisure, it was indicated that watching television and playing games are among the activities they usually do to relax or have fun. The Optimism theme indicated that participants demonstrated positivity despite the challenges and struggles they experienced and the Faith in God theme showed that participants remained faithful to God regardless of the situation they found themselves in. . Researchers validated these themes through prolonged research engagement, member checking, peer debriefing, external auditor. , and self-reflection. The researchers recommended that homeless older adults learn to adapt to the difficulties they have encountered while living on the streets, to create or maintain a good connection with the different people they encounter on the streets, and to try to develop means and strategic actions to deal with them. the challenges and struggles they experienced. For future research, the researchers recommended that future researchers should be more informed and recommend more in-depth solutions on how to address the concerns of homeless older adults. It is also recommended for future researchers to eliminate the prejudices about how homeless elderly people live through the recorded and transcribed interviews and be more aware of the challenges faced by homeless elderly people and be sensible about it. . The researchers also recommended that the government be aware of the situation of homeless elderly people, provide them with assistance and provide programs that will benefit homeless elderly people and help them in fulfilling their rights. The researchers of this study would also like to recommend that people who read this study be informed about the seriousness of the problems faced by homeless elderly people and understand their struggles, be more attentive to the feelings of homeless elderly people and to give them appropriate treatment and learn to accept
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