An Aging Workforce in an Increasingly Global World

Summary

The aim of this article is to demonstrate the diversity in delivery of long-term care at the provincial level, within a national legislative framework that provides universal health insurance and public administration. Not all provinces have legislated provision of long-term care, but mandates for provincial long-term care programs typically address the needs of those with chronic health needs and maintain them in the community for as long as possible. Eligibility is based on common criteria of residency, health need, facility, assessment, and consent. The three common components of the service delivery system are institutional care, community-based services, and home-based services; the kinds of services within each component and the mix among them vary from province to province. There are also five common features in provincial service delivery systems: single point of entry, assessment, client classification, case management, and single administration. Throughout the article, examples from different provinces show the varying ways in which these aspects of service delivery have been addressed, and recent innovations have furthered this diversity. A detailed account of quality management systems also shows that while all provinces have adopted a common set of principles, they use a range of methods to pursue quality of care and to promote good practice.     

A Case Study Of Play-Based Work With Very Young Children

Abstract

In this account I have tried to share one attempt to engage and communicate with two very young children with a history of neglect and separations. The combination of techniques was an effective approach to use with these particular children. I have used a similar combined approach subsequently with other pre-school children, and with one mentally handicapped young girl.

The key elements in the approach seemed to me to be to keep the story as simply as possible, to use the same phrases, no matter what method of story telling is used, to find concrete ways of enacting the story (e.g. play figures or puppets), to tell the story in the third person to avoid an over-direct approach, to involve the child actively in the story (e.g. by letting him select the figures), to develop the story to incorporate changes as they occur, and to involve the child's caretakers wherever possible.     

TimeOut@UCLA: An Intergenerational Respite Care and Workforce Development Program

TimeOut@UCLA is an intergenerational program that recruits undergraduate college students to provide companionship to older adults with early Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia in a community setting, providing respite for their caregivers. In the program, 86 students and 89 seniors participated from September 2015 to December 2016. This program appears to reinforce positive attitudes about working with older adults among undergraduate students and gives caregivers an innovative option for respite time.     

Essential Conditions for Research with Children with Autism: Issues Raised by Two Case Studies

This article discusses conditions for research into the social experiences of children with autism in real‐life contexts using material from case studies of two boys with autism and their friends in mainstream school settings. It is argued that essential conditions for research with children with autism in ordinary social contexts should include a participatory approach, take a wide perspective of group processes, and account for multiple influences on social behaviour. Socially focused, participatory research design allows the social competencies that children with autism do have to be seen and produces multiple perspectives on children's social activity. Children and adults thinking together and sharing their ideas about the nature of experience for a child with autism and their friends allows for shared interpretations and reduces the very real possibility of one researcher alone making wrong assumptions about the nature of the investigation.     

Mental Health Workforce Change Through Social Work Education: A California Case Study

The 2004 CaliforniaMental Health Services Act requires large-scale system change in the public mental health system through a shift to recovery-oriented services for diverse populations. This article describes an innovative strategy for workforce recruitment and retention to create and sustain these systemic changes. The California Social Work Education Center Mental Health Program provides stipends to master's of social work students at 17 California universities. In return, students must work for 1 year postgraduation in community mental health practice. Results of a 5-year study show that stipend recipients closely mirror the diverse demographics of the state, and 94% have remained in community mental health practice. The article also discusses lessons learned and implications for social work education in California and other states.     

Two Case Studies on Family Work with Eating Disorders and Body Image Issues

This article highlights the need for clinicians who work with eating disorders and body image problems to address the deeper family issues underlying these symptoms. The authors propose an eclectic approach including family systems, structural and experiential family therapy theory as a guide. The paper begins with an overview of family therapy theories currently used in the treatment of eating disorders, and goes into greater detail about the three theories highlighted in the eclectic model proposed. The authors present two cases with actual case dialogue, demonstrating how they used this composite model. This article has both theoretical and practical implications for clinicians working in the field.     

Bargaining With Time: An Interview With Helen Pavlin

Helen Pavlin is an accredited mental health social worker and family therapist and accredited family dispute resolution practitioner in private practice in Darwin. She has been involved in social work and family therapy since the early 1970s in Australia and internationally. In 1996 she received the 50th Anniversary Commemorative Medal from the Australian Association of Social Workers. She is one of the assessors and associate editors for the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. In 2007 Helen received the Journal Award for her outstanding contribution to the family therapy field in Australia. She is an accomplished writer and a member of the Australian Society of Authors. Her poems and book reviews have been published frequently in ANZJFT.     

Play as a Resource for Children Facing Adversity: An Exploration of Indicative Case Studies

In this paper, we suggest that the ability and opportunity to play affords children a natural resource to meet intellectual and emotional challenge. Analysis of case studies focusing on interventions with children caught in the bombing of Beirut, children abandoned to the state system in Romania, and the street children in Rio de Janeiro and Cali is used to support this view. When resources are in deficit, challenge is more likely to become adversity. The impact of adversity is particular to context, but comparison across contexts also shows connections between children’s disparate experiences. Analysis confirms that given the opportunity, children interact with and influence their environment through play and that this process provides a resource to meet the challenge of adversity.     

Three Case Studies of Elder Mistreatment:

Three case studies involving ethical issues in elder mistreatment are presented. They were created from a variety of actual situations to illustrate the range and complexity of ethical issues that professionals encounter in elder mistreatment and to serve as the basis for discussion of ethical issues by professionals from a variety of disciplines in subsequent chapters of the publication. Problems of physical and mental disability, relational loss, and mistreatment in institutional settings are illustrated. Elements of self neglect as well as neglect and abuse by others are contained in the cases, and intentional and unintentional mistreatment are portrayed. The author highlights some of the ethical dilemmas presented by each of the three cases.     

Managing the Dyad Between Independence and Dependence: Case Studies of the American Elderly and Their Lives With Pets

Abstract:  In this article, I research the dyad between independence and dependence in pet companionship for the American elderly, and how elderly pet owners treat pets as a tool to enable them to balance the adherent norms between independence and dependence in order to navigate a successful later life. First, I explore individual life with pets: independent lifestyle with pets, emotional dependence on pets, management of pet loss, and limitation in pet responsibilities. Second, I discuss family and social life with pets: relationships with children, grandchildren and pets; husband–wife interactions and pets; and neighbors and pets. I examine these subjects through in-depth interviews with five middle-class Caucasian and Asian elderly pet owners who live in Los Angeles and San Diego, California, conducted in July 2005. Pets greatly help the elderly pet owners to maintain a balance between independence and dependence. Both an independent lifestyle and emotional dependence on their pets are formed through pet responsibilities. Some of the informants treated their pets as if they were their children. The others appeared emotionally dependent on memories of former pets, which provided the elderly pet owners with a sense of security and calm. The informants managed pet loss effectively by treating their pet as a tool upon which they conferred replaceable meanings or roles depending on their situation. The elderly pet owners also used their pets to facilitate family and social interactions. Having a pet is one important way that American elderly people can achieve subjective manipulation of later life.     

An Innovative Behavioral Health Workforce Initiative: Keeping Pace with an Emerging Model of Care

ABSTRACT

Recent policy shifts in health care have created opportunities for social workers to provide services in integrated primary care and behavioral health settings. However, traditionally prepared social workers may not have the skill set necessary to meet practice demands. This article describes a behavioral health workforce initiative that trains master’s of social work students for work in integrated primary care settings with children, adolescents, and transition-age youths. The training model includes field placements in integrated care settings, co-curricular seminars, and advanced clinical electives. This article identifies challenges of creating new field placements and developing new curricula to support students’ acquisition of knowledge and skills required in integrated care settings. Additionally, it presents data on changes in students’ knowledge and confidence.     

Workforce training in family therapy and systemic practices: An evaluation framework and case study

Internationally, while the interdisciplinary field of family therapy and systemic practices is well established and evidence for therapeutic impact is advanced, evaluation of training and measurement of its impact lags behind. This paper addresses this gap, utilising a single case study at the Bouverie Centre, the largest family therapy and workforce development service in Australia. We describe (a) the scope of workforce training and implementation at the Centre, (b) the development of our training research and evaluation framework, and (c) standardised data collection methodology, including a pre-post training reflective survey. Collectively, this work comprises our current evaluation framework through which we will subsequently examine training impact. Future research and practice recommendations are offered to address challenges to workforce training evaluation and progress efficacy of family therapy training.