Pineland New Beginnings is a facility in Statesboro, Ga that provides help to individuals, men and women, that struggle with getting adjusted to society due to a mental illness. For instance, many of the individuals attend different meetings and support groups to identify with other individuals who struggle with the same things. These groups allow them to open up and have support to be able to understand how to function in society while still living with different mental health problems. This facility provides two meals a day and also helps them get set up with jobs, housing, doctor appointments, therapy sessions, etc. Also at this facility, the individuals are separated into two different groups, group and peer. These groups are broken up in order to form different skills. For instance, the individuals in the group are learning more about how to do daily skills and function on their own. For example, they will teach cooking, cleaning, how to do household chores, etc. so that the individuals can learn how to grow as a person on their own. When these steps are completed, the individuals will ‘graduate’ and move in to peer. This group does more fun things with the individuals to make them feel supported in their diagnosis. Another thing is that this group is allowed to get jobs and may not have to show up every day. The goal of this group is to make the individuals feel more comfortable doing things on their own and learning to wean away from meetings all the time. Pineland offers services to many different age groups, but the majority of the age group is middle aged men and women. According to county health rankings, Bulloch county ranked in between 50-75% of the healthiest counties in Georgia (healthrankings). This shows that the population of Bulloch county is relatively healthy, however that does not show the mental health status of most people. Most of the people that attend Pineland, do not have health insurance. This correlates with the census report of 2019, where it states that 15.9% of adults under the age of 65 do not have health insurance (Census). After discussing with the members that use Pineland’s resources, many do not have insurance, so they would fall into this category. The demographic is not very diverse, it is mostly white male and females, however there are the occasional African Americans. However, most of the African Americans do not show up as regular, they attend more sporadically. Another thing that varies within this group is the literacy rates. For instance, most of the people in this group did graduate from high school, but some of them have a mental illness that has negatively impacted their literacy. Most of the demographic data does match my aggregate group because the majority of Bulloch county, would classify as lower income. Most of these individuals are classified as low income, so they use more county resources that are provided to them. Assessment and Data Collection: Informant (Community Leader) Interview A face-to-face interview about the services and individuals of Pineland was conducted with community leader Steven Oliff as the informant. Steven holds the job title of Social Service Tech, and Safety Officer, at Pineland New Beginnings (PNB). Steven has worked at Pineland for 17 years, therefore this made him an expert in the community who could contribute his thoughts and knowledge on the strengths and weaknesses of the aggregate group. This community leader was asked a range of questions from the health and well being of the individual consumers at Pineland New Beginnings - to things like his own personal experience working with the individuals. The interview began with questioning about the challenges these individuals at Pineland face that interfere with their most complex needs. Steven explained that many of them face problems related to their diagnoses and struggle with actually wanting to help themselves take care of their mental health and get better. This could be things like not wanting to take their medications, not adhering to treatment plans, and not participating in group activities. Another challenge that was mentioned was the lack of access to transportation for these individuals that truly need it. Pineland has addressed these challenges; as they try to give the information needed to help guide people to make the right decisions and take part in their health, as well as provide van services to those who need transportation to the facility. Next, the community leader was asked about the specific support services that Pineland offered for these individuals with mental health disorders. Pineland New Beginnings offers the day program where these individuals come for peer support meetings, meals, and expressive activities such as crafts and physical exercises. They also have CSI (Consumer Support Individual), which are case managers that go into the homes of these individuals for support to help them adjust to living out in the community. The peer support is a very beneficial service because it helps the individuals to realize they are not alone in their diagnosis and that they can overcome it and reach their goals. Steven explained the process for the Pineland New Beginnings program and how those with mental health disorders go about getting assistance. It begins with a visit to the Bulloch County counseling center; where these individuals go see a doctor, a nurse, and a counselor, and then they are referred to the appropriate Pineland facility based on their mental health needs. Once they have recovered or graduated from their program, they will continue to see a doctor at the counseling center for their medications and check-ins. Steven emphasized that even after graduating, PNB is always available for these individuals to come back to if needed and that they are just a phone call away, as well as other community resources. He also said that there was no way to guarantee that these individuals won’t “relapse” or need further help with mental health after leaving the program, but that it is Pineland’s mission to help them learn how to deal with problems that may come up in life and be their support system if this does occur. He mentioned that having a support system is these people’s “number one defense” when mental health problems arise, and once again they should know that they can always come back for assistance. Next, Steven was asked about the financial aspect of PNB’s services, and whether or not there was a high cost to the individuals in attendance. He stated that Pineland is a nonprofit, but receives grants and aid from the government at the state level to help be able to provide the services they have. For the consumers in the program, Pineland presents services on a sliding scale; which means the cost each person pays may be different depending on their income. Medicare and other insurance companies cover the cost of medications and services based on each person’s individual need and income. At this point in the interview, the questions shifted to more about the community leader’s experiences and opinions while working at Pineland with the individuals. Steven was asked how he felt about the access to healthcare in this particular community. He replied by saying that although it is getting better and more resources are becoming available, it is still rural Georgia where there is lack of funds for healthcare, and lack of transportation to access it in certain areas. He did say that the area around Bulloch county is getting more and more access to funds for insurance for those who can’t afford it, but that transportation remains an issue. Access to transportation is there for some, but not for everyone who needs it, and it usually comes at a price. This is a major problem because transportation is important for these individuals to travel to get food at the grocery store, go to work, and go to the doctor and other health services. If they cannot afford it or access it to do daily life activities, then their quality of life is largely impacted. Diving more into Steven’s experience as a community leader, he was asked how PNB has impacted his life and his level of mental awareness. His responses explained that it has made him more aware of mental health and how to take care of yourself, all while being able to prioritize the needs of the individuals at PNB to take care of them. He talked about how you have to learn that every single person has problems, and we are all dealing with them; some just have it worse than others. He then pointed out that a major challenge and problem in the community today is the stigma around mental health. Stigma from TV, movies, and the news today make it seem like all persons with mental health disorders are “dangerous” or not “normal”, when in reality they can be regular people who need help dealing with their problems to function in society. A great deal of PNB’s teaching and peer support activities are centered around educating the individuals that they are just as “normal” as anyone else; they are just dealing with a different set of problems.They have to be taught how to learn to live with their disability and adjust to a functional life. The interview concluded and it was clear what the strengths and weaknesses of the aggregate group of individuals attending the PNB day program were. At this time, having peer support is the most beneficial aspect of the program; while the lack of access to transportation seems to be the most detrimental to their healthcare needs. V. Assessment and Data Collection Individuals aged 40-60 struggle to live with mental health disorders while trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle and being able to function in social society also. Purpose is to see what services and education those with mental health disorders can find to help them function and what the evidence says about ways of finding these types of services for these individuals. Middle aged men and women who have a mental health disorder often are diagnosed later in life, as they sometimes do not seek out treatment for their mental health disorder due to lack of financial resources or lack of knowledge about mental health disorders. Once they are diagnosed with a mental health disorder it is sometimes difficult to find ways for them to cope and by attending a support program these resources become very helpful to these individuals. Recovery community centers are one of the most common additions to the support system infrastructure. (Kelly et al., 2021) Literature says those who attend mental health services often can develop better coping mechanisms to assist them in recovery and rehabilitation. Having a community- based place for those with mental health disorders who may also have co- occurring substance use disorders helps these individuals with the social support needed to maintain functional living and recovery. Community based support systems allow these individuals to decrease some of their stress and gives them a way to have some hope by establishing a solid foundation for recovery. Services to assist them with their activities of daily living, employment and job training links, recreational activities, recovery coaching, relapse prevention skills building, are operated by combinations of peer volunteers and addiction professionals. (Kelly et al., 2021) Other services are available at these community-based places to assist individuals with learning life skills they may need to use when they are finished with the program to be able to live alone as well. Aging individuals are at a higher risk for physical health conditions due to many factors which could include side effects of psychotropic medication, poverty, lack of access to quality health care and sometimes cumulative effects of poor lifestyle choices. (Zechner et al., 2019) Middle aged adults tend to have more positive attitudes toward mental health treatment and feel more comfortable talking to a professional. (Huynh et al., 2018) At this age many individuals may already have a primary care doctor they see for another ailment and therefore they are able to talk to their provider about any mental health problems they may have. This allows the provider to give their patients more information and referrals to more resources for further treatment for their mental health disorder also. The best method of treatment varies for each individual and looks different for everyone. Some people use services such as psychotherapy, medications, case managers, support groups and peer support. When used in combination group therapy or peer support along with medication is what works well for most of these individuals. When diagnosed as having a mental health disorder those who seek treatment have better outcomes and can maintain or improve symptoms and manage their mental health disability through community support groups. According to the CDC women are more likely than men to seek mental health treatment and in 2019 the percentage of adults in this age group who received any mental health treatment in that year was 20.2%. (CDC, 2020) The CDC statistics from 2019 included the use of medication as treatment was at 17.6% and the use of therapy was 5.7% to treat mental health disorders. (CDC, 2020) The goal of healthy people 2020 for those with mental health disorders is to improve mental health through prevention and by ensuring access to appropriate quality mental health services with the objective to increase the proportion of primary care facilities that provide mental health treatment on site or by paid referral. (Mental Health and mental health disorders, 2020) By having more treatment options available to those with mental health disorders this would allow more individuals to get the necessary resources needed to be able to function properly within society. Recommendations have been made which include a Mental Health benefits legislation which would have parity and mandate laws in place to allow individuals with mental health disorders to receive insurance benefits to allow for treatment options to be covered. (Mental Health benefits Legislation, 2020) Community Diagnosis During our time spent at Pineland New Beginnings, it became evident that the individuals that utilized their services were unquestionably dependent on the community for help. Fortunately, they have been able to access these services here in Bulloch County even though Pineland has recently been experiencing decreased resources due to lack of funding. Favorably, individuals can go there and put their many programs to use. These programs allow each person to gain useful knowledge on the most appropriate and beneficial way to live with developmental, behavioral, and mental disabilities which will improve their quality of life. Some of the challenges that middle-aged men and women with mental health disorders struggle with daily include their quality of life, mental stability, and health, knowledge on dealing with stressors, low-income status, unemployment, accepting their diagnoses, understanding the importance of healthy diet, understanding importance of medication adherence, and learning to live with their mental illnesses. With our GAP project, we were able to dive more in-depth into these problems. In turn, this allowed for a better understanding of how we, as nursing students, can further enhance the productivity and impact that Pineland has on each individual. Based on the challenges that are listed above, three community diagnoses acknowledge and address the specific problems that are present within this aggregate. Given that the individuals must rely solely on pineland services, there may be times where resources are very limited. Consequently, some demands and needs of the community are not always met. The deprivation of resources offered to the individuals in a public sector suggests that there is ineffective community coping for the middle-aged men and women with mental health disorders who utilize services at Pineland New Beginnings related to deficits in social support services and resources as evidenced by increased social problems e.g., unemployment, poverty, mental illness, decreased government funding, expressed community vulnerability, and the community’s inability to meet its expectations. As stated before, many of the individuals at Pineland New Beginnings are living with a disability or mental illness. Unfortunately, this may cause hindrance in performing basic selfcare activities that are performed daily such as daily hygiene, eating healthy meals, taking medication properly, regular exercise, carrying out healthy coping strategies, or even maintaining a safe and clean home. These self-care activities have been proven to be regular obstacles that increase their need for dependence on outside resources that, fortunately, are available to assist in maintaining their well-being. Individuals may suffer from anxiety, depression, addiction, schizophrenia, or even bipolar disorder. These challenges may ultimately result in a self-care deficit for middle-aged men and women with mental disorders who utilize Pineland services related to ineptitude to demonstrate developmental health and physical self-care capabilities due to developmental deficits as evidenced by an inability to promote normalcy in individual functioning, adhere to medical regimen, meet basic daily needs, and authenticate autonomy when performing self-care activities. Additionally, this particular aggregate group ultimately struggles with maintaining their health consistently and without the guidance of outside resources. This displays depositions of ineffective health maintenance of middle-aged men and women who utilize Pineland services related to an inadequacy to make good judgments and decisions regarding their health as evidenced by difficulty maintaining medication adherence, difficulty accepting their diagnosis, inability to fully understand the significance of a healthy lifestyle, lack of social support, and access to affordable healthcare. Even though there are deficiencies within the individual that require much of Pineland's assistance, there is still a readiness to learn and gain information on how to gain a more independent lifestyle that is also healthy. Planning: Implementation Pineland is a service to the public that is community-based that is available to men and women of all ages. The program allows for individuals to utilize services that will help them deal with the many challenges in their life to improve the overall quality and productivity in their everyday lives. In the knowledge of this, our clinical group was able to take the specific teaching topics given to us and gear them towards our specific aggregate group. The topics include safe sex practices, vitamins, and dietary supplements, chronic diseases, and ways to overcome fear of medical professions. Fortunately, we were able to personalize the information on each topic in a way that we could best educate and inform the individuals the best. The group decided it was best to discover ways that each topic could relate to each individual to more efficiently impact their lives. Correspondingly, we were able to target their specific educational needs that they would be able to relate to in their daily life living with certain mental illnesses and disabilities. Several different factors had to be taken into consideration when teaching these topics and presenting information to them such as education level, age group, culture, language and literacy barriers, educational level, and range of mental abilities to comprehend along with understanding information. Mental illness varied amongst the group which showed how vast and different the enumeration of needs was. Despite the many differences in learning styles, education levels, and cultural aspects of the individuals, we were able to emphasize and highlight the profuse amount of similarities throughout the aggregate group. Our group was able to responsively use these similarities to exemplify specific goals that would in turn benefit the entire group as a whole. To carry out our target objectives, it took a considerable amount of planning and preparation which will be further discussed and analyzed. Once we were able to identify and acknowledge these factors, we were then able to construct the layout of each presentation. Several topics were provided to our clinical group to educate the individuals at Pineland New Beginnings. The topics included First, it was decided to create an outline base of what we desired our presentation to model. Each presentation would have a generalized topic, educational content instruction, check for understanding e.g., true or false review game with rewards to encourage participation, and the conclusion of the presentation consisting of an overall discussion on what each individual felt they learned, as well as any other questions or concerns. As a group, we decided to present each topic as it addressed the needs of the individuals specifically; therefore, target information was exemplified on their comprehensive level in a way that was also relevant to them. The group was able to carry out our duties for our clinical rotation while gathering information from the individuals for our project at the same time. This was the best way to impact their lives as efficiently as possible in the time frame that was already assigned to us. Some several materials and resources were needed for our GAP project to progress as expected. For the presentation, we utilized reliable online resources such as federal government agency-sponsored websites, educational institution websites, and non-profit organizations such as professional medical groups. The group also used sources such as our class textbook, Public Health Nursing 10th Edition: Population-Centered Health Care in the Community, and scholarly articles that were relevant to the purpose of the presentation. Additionally, we used educational poster boards, coloring pages, word searches, crossword puzzles, and powerpoints to further instruct and explain our topics to the individuals. Everyone in the group also alternated the responsibility of purchasing snacks and treats that would be used as rewards during review games to promote participation. We were able to connect our laptop to the television in the cafeteria area of Pineland New Beginnings which is where we presented most of our material. Utilization of these materials and resources appeared to be the best way to introduce and present these topics efficiently to the intended audience in ways they would understand the best. There were several community problems that the group was made aware of before coming to Pineland New Beginnings by our clinical instructor. However, we wanted to identify these problems first hand so that our proposed solutions could be geared more towards our specific aggregate. After interacting with the individuals and researching the professional literature about their conditions, we were able to create a plan that better suited their priorities and needs. This way, we were able to better structure our presentations towards the goal of increasing their mental and physical health. This will enhance their independence and foster improvement in their quality of life. The goal is that each health topic discussed will enhance the knowledge base of middle-aged men and women who utilize pineland services, and will provide opportunities for them to demonstrate their knowledge when it comes to applying it to their own lives. After every presentation, we would interact with the individuals during their peer support groups which usually followed immediately afterward. We assisted in assignments, conversed, and bonded with them. Additionally, we were able to talk one on one with each individual and allowed them time to share any type of concerns they had about their health, their emotional well-being, or just casual conversation. We would also provide guidance, health education, and listen to them when they need someone to talk to. Each group member had a chance to connect with each individual to form a trusting bond and relationship. As a result, there was great communication about the many different aspects of Pineland New Beginnings. They shared their beliefs on the importance of Pineland and how it has impacted them. Individuals also shared where improvements could be made within the program. During this time, we discovered that many of the individuals, as well as staff, believed that mental illness stigma has played a significant role in the increased number of barriers inhibiting access to receive mental and physical health care. This led our group on prioritizing the importance of independence and utilizing Pineland’s services because of their ability here in Bulloch county. In the article, Mental Illness Stigma, Help Seeking, and Public Health Programs, Henderson et al. (2013) suggest that mental and physical treatment avoidance can lead to delays to care, and discontinuation of service use which may negatively impact individuals who rely solely on these services. It is clear that our community has been making efforts to improve mental health within itself, but there are deficits that many of the individuals believe have left them to deal with some problems on their own, (Henderson et al., 2013). The overall goal of this project was to improve the physical and mental health of middleaged men and women who utilize Pineland New Beginning services through health education on increasing their quality of life by March 30th, 2021. According to Healthy People 2020 (2020), “Health-related quality of life is a multi-dimensional concept that includes domains related to physical, mental, emotional, and social functioning. It goes beyond direct measures of population health, life expectancy, and causes of death, and focuses on the impact health status has on quality of life. A related concept of HRQOL is well-being, which assesses the positive aspects of a person’s life, such as positive emotions and life satisfaction. Well-being is a relative state where one maximizes his or her physical, mental, and social functioning in the context of supportive environments to live a full, satisfying, and productive life,” (Healthy People 2020, 2020). With this in mind, two objectives correlated best with the intentions and product of this project. The first objective is to increase the proportion of adults who self-reported good or better physical health. The second objective is to increase the proportion of adults who self-reported good or better mental health,” (Healthy People 2020, 2020, para 1). These objectives align directly with our primary goal of impacting the community through Pineland New Beginnings. Evaluation Pineland New Beginnings is a place for middle aged men and women to feel safe and welcome to share their experiences about their mental health problems and diagnoses. During our time at Pineland NB, we provided educational content about topics that were geared towards our audience. The ultimate goal while providing these educational services was to be able to further help these individuals who utilize their resources at Pineland NB to get a better understanding about what goes on inside a person’s body, how to practice safe sex, what vitamins and dietary supplements do to the body, and more. While spending time at this facility, we got the chance to see how our projects and implementations made even the slightest difference in these individuals' lives. For instance, when it came to asking questions about our presentations or sharing what they had learned at the end of our lessons, many individuals shared how they felt that they got a better understanding of the importance of taking their medications every day, what their blood pressure or vital signs were telling them, how it is okay to ask the nurses taking their vitals at a doctor's visit if they could get it at the end since they were aware that hospitals and doctor’s offices made them anxious, and many more. As nursing students, this project helped us to better understand the fragility of individuals who live with mental health disorders. It allowed us to understand that anyone who has a face may be living with a mental health disorder and that it is important to be aware of how mental health disorders can impact a person through their daily lives. Although going into Pineland NB we knew that there were going to be individuals who live with a mental health disorder, this experience allowed us to better understand the range of mental health issues in our community. This view allowed us as nursing students to better understand the impact that mental illnesses have on the many individuals in our community, whether they may be older adults or children. As a result of this, we came to the conclusion that it is our job to educate individuals of the many different resources at an individual’s expense. It is also important to realize that no matter where our degree takes us, it is important to utilize our understanding of mental health in our practice. The main objective of this project was to provide educational knowledge while keeping the audience engaged. This project included using colorful presentations that would engage the audience to pay attention to what was being taught. However, before we approached this method, we had to keep certain things into consideration as previously stated; education level, age group, culture, language and literacy barriers, educational level, and range of mental abilities. While keeping these things in mind, the project resulted in colorful presentations, using vocabulary that would be easily understood, pictures/diagrams, and etc. Our group understood that the best way to reach these individuals was to keep the presentation fun yet educational. After each presentation, the audience was asked to participate in a check for understanding that consisted of a few true or false statements and little treats to encourage participation. The organization of this project relatively stayed the same and every time it seemed that the information shared was being retained. In order to establish an understanding of the material each presentation covered, there could have been some things done differently. Some revisions of the project could include alternating checks for understandings. Instead of the familiar game of true or false every time, other games or quizzes could have been given. Furthermore, the reinforcements could have been limited to a certain amount per person. This way, one individual would not have four more pieces of candy compared to another individual who only got one. In addition, as some of these individuals had other underlying health problems, providing further reinforcements that were healthier alternatives to candy should have been provided to meet the accommodations to those who were diabetic, trying to lose weight, etc. Throughout this project, there were many things that were brought to our attention. However, while concluding our clinical rotation with Pineland NB, it was concluded that these educational presentations proved effective to the audience. When calculating the evaluation of relevance, it was clear that providing these presentations were beneficial to the individuals who attended Pineland NB. While stepping back and watching what these individuals participate in other than the presentations that were provided to them by the nursing students, it was clear that although their support group activities were beneficial, it did not keep these individuals fully engaged. However, during the presentations, the individual’s faces would light up and many made sure to pay attention so that they could be rewarded in the end. Furthermore, the progress of this project started off slow. During the initial presentation, some of the individuals did not want to fully participate. Many did not want to engage in the check for understandings but as time went on, most if not all of the participants were ready and willing to step up to answer each true or false question. This proved that in the end, our goals for the individuals to obtain knowledge about each topic proved effective. In addition, the efficiency of the project was well worth the effort. Although some things required funding such as snacks, candy, treats, etc. it proved to be worth it in the end because of the amount of participation received when the participants were informed of the rewards. All of these factors contributed to the final product of the project. By the end of this project, the effectiveness of the presentations were proved to be high. Many of the participants engaged with the project on multiple different levels, and the ultimate goal and objective of educating the individuals at Pineland NB about the importance of the different topics was met. Resources Cabassa, L., Ezell, J., & Lewis-Fernández, R. (2010, August). Lifestyle interventions for adults with serious mental illness: A systematic literature review. 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