Explore the multifaceted dynamics of working in insanitary environments in human services and social work. This discussion offers essential insights, tips, and guidance for professionals. Learn to navigate pest infestations and insanitary conditions while understanding cultural differences and strengthening cultural competency. Discover how to provide education, respond with compassion, and offer support in challenging circumstances. Gain practical strategies for eradicating infestations and find out the steps to take after being in an insanitary environment. Lastly, reflect on the different ways this work aids in professional development and growth.
Disclaimer: I am no longer licensed and do not work in the field of clinical social work any longer, with that said this is not a form of clinical consultation, training, supervision, or advice. Always adhere to your state policies and professional ethics and training requirements when it comes to your work in being of service to others in these professional roles.
Table of Contents:
*Trigger Warning: Some of the information discussed may be found as unsettling to some so if this is not the content for you, please go ahead and click off of this post*
Tip #1 Understanding Cultural Differences & Strengthening Cultural Competency
One important aspect of working in human services is understanding cultural differences, customs, and practices. For instance, while working in public housing, there were diverse cultural practices, particularly around food handling and preparation customs. For example, some refugee communities had customs, like purchasing livestock for eventual slaughter at home, which lead to unsanitary conditions, damages to the property, and pest infestations.
Understanding these cultural differences is essential but it's not just about recognizing the customs; it's also about finding culturally sensitive and compassionate ways to address these issues so it does not jeopardize housing services & benefits, create barriers to maintaining sustainable housing, create landlord-tenant disputes, cause eviction, or homelessness. Open conversations with community members and interpreters are invaluable in this regard to find helpful solutions. Tip #2 Providing Education
After assessing the situation, find ways to provide education to other staff, landlords if necessary, and the clients. If working with refugee communities, collaborate with interpreters to create culturally competent ways to provide information in a way that will feels inclusive and informative.
In addition to providing best practices for housekeeping and healthy hygiene. Determine if it would also be helpful to educate on the following.
It can be helpful to build packets of information that can be referenced back to that can include illustrations and explanations of:
Housekeeping standards
Creating chore responsibilities among the family
Cleaning and maintenance guidelines
Cleaning routines and schedules
Tidiness strategies
What products to purchase and where they can purchase these
If relevant, healthy hygiene practices.
It is important to ensure this information is written in one’s primary language and it’s important to be aware of literacy, so the information provided is relevant. Other options if providing educational packets are not relevant is to:
Educate families in one-on-one meetings
Hold a community class to share on this information
Collaborate with clients and interpreters what barriers present so there can be a group effort to address these and find helpful resolutions.
Explore options to help clients connect with case management services.
The last important thing to note around education is making sure clients are aware of the repercussions of what can occur if changes do not happen or remain sustainable and how this can impact:
Child welfare
Housing resources & funding
Community services & resources
Lead to fines or penalties from the state or local government agencies if in violation of health and safety regulations.
Tip # 3 Navigating Pest Infestations & Insanitary Conditions
Working in insanitary environments often means pest infestations, unsanitary living conditions, and potential health hazards. When issues like this arise, assess whether the environment is conducive to have meetings or visitations in. You are entitled to take care of yourself and advocate for your level of comfort if there is an environment you do not feel comfortable in. We have a responsibility to ourselves, our family, and our homes to keep them healthy as well and most often agencies will have policies around this to ensure everyone’s safety.
If it’s been determined the client’s home is not suitable for home visits, see the list below to explore other meeting places to consider:
If you are already at the home visit and it’s made aware there are concerns around insanitary conditions, it will need to be determined at your discretion whether it is addressed with the client and if so, done in a sensitive, respectful, empathic, and professional manner.
You can let the client know you have become aware of this concern and as a result the visit will need to be ended early due to agency policy and you can discuss some ways to address the matter or help them get connected to community resources that can. You can let them know you will be in contact soon to follow up on ways to navigate this, ensure the matter has been resolved, and to determine the next steps to continuing services in a neutral environment in the meantime.
If you are at a point in your career where you do not feel comfortable or know how to have this conversation in a way that supports your well-being, agency policy, and the client’s well-being you can let the client know that something has come up and you apologize for the interruption but you need to excuse yourself and end the visit early and you will be in contact with them soon to discuss scheduling the next visits. Then share the experience with your supervisor so they can navigate best practices to address and resolve the concern in a mindful manner with the client and determine the best course of action if other visits are scheduled with other providers and how to adjust that in the meantime.
If someone being served has met with you at the office location and it presents, there may be an infectious disease or pest infestation they are dealing with. Ensure proper cleaning and sanitization protocols are done within the space after the meeting has been ended to help prevent the spread of any concerning issues to others and their homes.
Tip #4 Responding with Compassion & Support
If the situation calls for the appointment to be ended early, you can offer a compassionate and supportive response that could sound like something to the effect of:
"Thank you for meeting with me today, as our appointment has carried on, I've observed some conditions that may suggest the presence of pests or the possibility of an infectious disease. I want you to know that my concern is rooted in your health and well-being, and I understand that this might be concerning to hear, and I'm here to support you through this and if you're comfortable with it, we can discuss potential resources and assistance available to you.
It's essential that we address this issue to ensure your safety and the safety of others and please feel free to share any thoughts or observations you may have about this situation and together, we can explore solutions and take steps to address these concerns.
At this time, we will need to conclude our appointment prematurely and I encourage you to seek immediate medical attention if necessary and/or arrange for pest control services. Once the issue is resolved, we can return to our in-person appointments and until then let’s explore options around virtual appointments.”
Tip # 5 Serving with Compassion
When working in group home or emergency shelter settings, challenges with bed bugs and lice can be a reoccurring issue. Especially when working with youth, you may find yourself performing lice kits and managing bedding, belongings, and clothing that are infested with pests or have been in contact with someone with an infectious disease.
Addressing these issues along with hygiene challenges can be uncomfortable and it’s important remain as calm and compassionate as possible in these situations and:
Avoid making disparaging comments in front of or behind clients’ backs
Avoid wrinkling or plugging your nose or make a gagging gesture which sometimes these are natural physical responses when faced with strong displeasing smells or sights
Avoid having conversations around this in front of clients and ensure this in a private setting with management or in staff meetings to ensure this doesn’t create unintentional shame for the clients experiencing these issues.
Now there are certainly exceptions to when we cannot remain neutral and we must work to honor our feelings, accept automatic responses, and apologize to clients if we offended them. We may experience involuntary gaging reflexes when exposed to unsightly scenes or smells so when we are caught off guard, we can:
Remove ourselves from the situation
Practice healthy coping skills
Offer an apology
Then work to address the matter with the client/s.
We want to be as respectful as possible to others’ livelihood and not shaming because there are a wide range of reasons and differences in how one maintains personal hygiene and housekeeping. Sometimes this is due to lack of:
Education
Lack of resources
Cultural differences
Significant environmental adversity
Barriers related to physical or mental disability
This work can help us release judgment and become curious about what is going on and what kind of resources and services can be found to help others.
Tip # 6 Helping Eradicate Infestations
When performing lice treatments on youth in group home settings consider some of the following options to help them feel supported and more relaxed:
Put on their favorite movie or music
Talk about what is on their mind
Tell jokes to help them laugh and relax during the treatment
It can be helpful to do the treatments in a room where other peers are not around them watching or making comments about the treatment
Find ways to celebrate afterwards:
- Get a treat from the kitchen
- A gift from the donation closest
- Give them an extra hour of having their lights on
- Let them stay up later to watch a movie
It was observed, comments being made by some staff members suggesting they did not want to do lengthy treatments especially on the girls longer and thicker hair and there were times, they would ask the youth if they would be willing to have their head shaved. When you think about this, especially for female youth who are already in a displaced situation and have this issue along with the embarrassment they voiced feeling having to deal with this issue in front of their peers, it was a very uncomfortable experience. Appearances are important to children and the teens for their own sense of self-esteem and their sense of belonging among peer groups at that age and everyone that was asked this refused this option. Hair may also have deep spiritual and cultural meaning for some and to ask or shave a youth's hair without parental permission is a significant violation of trust, cultural competency, and respect for other's way of life. If you are not willing to do this type of intervention, talk amongst the staff to see who would be willing to do this instead.
Tip # 7 Steps to Take After Being in an Insanitary Environment
After being in an insanitary environment or exposed to pest infestation, it would be helpful to:
Immediately wash your hands
Check your clothing, hair, and bag thoroughly before getting into your car
If possible, go to a car wash to vacuum out your vehicle if you suspect you may have picked up some unwanted pests
When you get home try to undress as soon as you get inside
Place your belongings into the laundry using the highest water temperature available or place them in a sealed bag outside of the home for several days or until you can wash them.
Then get into the shower right away and check over your body and wash your hair thoroughly.
It is helpful to keep an eye on your living and working environments to detect any signs of infestations. Be vigilant in identifying early warning signs, such as:
Bites
Droppings
Sightings of pests
If you notice any issues, take immediate action to address them before they become more severe.
After that, take some time to practice self-care:
Rest
Relax
Laugh
Practice deep breathing
A common thing that would happen when faced with these dynamics is staff would share, how it would create a psychosomatic feeling of being itchy and having a sense of agitation within our bodies by the thought alone of the pests or insanitary environments, so doing some self-care afterwards can really help get your mind off it and help you decompress.
Personal Growth & Development
Working in insanitary conditions can be physically and mentally demanding. It highlights the importance of self-care and maintaining professional boundaries to protect our own well-being while still providing the necessary support to clients. With that said, there are many opportunities offered through being of service to support others through this work that helps us cultivate:
Non-judgmental acceptance
Resiliency
Adaptability
Professionalism
Resourcefulness to find creative solutions to unexpected obstacles and limited resources
Patience
Compassion
Empathy
Health and safety awareness and the potential health risks that arise working or living in certain conditions
Problem-solving skills to address unique and complex challenges
Healthy & compassionate communication skills to educate without being offensive or judgmental
Active listening skills to understand better the other persons experience and difficulties
Offers an appreciation for resources we have available to us.
Working in these environments makes it clear how a well-kept space and healthy hygiene routine improves:
One’s quality of life
Self-esteem
A sense of comfort
Personal confidence
If you have any other tips or self-care practices that were not mentioned, please hop over to the Youtube video and share in the comment section so we can continue supporting one another and gaining greater knowledge together. If you guys found this video helpful, please share this with other helping professionals who may benefit from this discussion and join my mailing list for more helpful content to come.
Be sure check out my Safety Tips When Doing Home Visits and when Working in Group Homes if you haven’t already and be on the lookout for my upcoming videos on coping with vicarious trauma & burnout and navigating the complexities of working with clients as a psychotherapist. Thank you for joining me in this discussion and for all the helping professionals out there!
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