From Interviewers to Friendly Visitors: Bridging Research and Practice to Meet the Needs of Low-Income Latino Seniors

This article describes a community-based participatory research (CBPR) effort conducted in a low-income, predominantly Latino community, which bridged traditionally-separate domains of practice and research by engaging neighborhood residents in a collaborative capacity-enhancement process for meeting the needs of vulnerable elderly residents. What began as a simple needs assessment to facilitate program development became a mechanism for engaging neighborhood residents in a collaborative social capital development process. The article describes the origins of this community-based effort, its consumer-led transformation from traditional needs assessment to service provision, resulting benefits and challenges, and implications for meeting the needs of vulnerable populations.     

Teaching qualitative research to BSW students through exposure to aging

This article describes one rural program's efforts to expose students to gerontology through teaching qualitative research methodology. A collaborative research pilot project was developed with a local nursing home. BSW students worked in two groups to conduct and present qualitative research projects by the course's completion. This article describes the research project and evaluates the project's success from student and instructor viewpoints. Significant differences were found in self-reported student knowledge of key concepts at the project's completion, compared with pre-test knowledge. Student comments revealed value in this teaching approach. Implications for further engaging students in gerontological research are discussed.     

Collaboration: a study of a children's initiative

In times of shrinking resources within the social services, collaboration is being promoted as a more efficient way of meeting the needs of children and families. A study of a children's initiative collaborative developed to address the problems of children is reported. The authors present and use an evaluation framework which incorporated the dimensions of context, process, and outcomes of collaboration. The findings, based on the initial two years of collaborative effort, suggested the membership of the group and the process and structure governing the group's operations impacted the process and outcomes of the collaboration.     

Use of a single page elder abuse assessment and management tool: a practical clinician's approach to identifying elder mistreatment

Elder abuse is a growing, alarming public health issue. As health care professionals, our challenge is to balance our duty to protect the safety of the vulnerable elder with the elder's right to self-determination. Clinicians in busy practice settings across the continuum of care as well as community-based social workers, emergency medical system, police, and banking personnel are collaborative partners needing tools that focus on early recognition, assessment, intervention, and management of elder abuse. A simple one-page tool that provides principles of assessment and management, best practice guidelines and screening questions will hopefully serve to raise awareness of this important public health issue and maintain a high index of suspicion for elder abuse, neglect and financial exploitation.     

Migration and welfare

Migrants accout for an increasing proportion of unemployed people in Europe, and their economic position is deteriorating in many countries. Non-European refugees face the biggest risk of unemployment and welfare dependence. This, in turn, affects their health and wellbeing. Assessing and meeting the need for health care and social welfare for these vulnerable individuals is a challenge to health care, social services and to the public in host countries. Mainstream facilities should be the base, but transitional culturally sensitive programs may have many advantages as complements. Ethnically specific public services should not be regarded as a privilege for certain groups but as a measure to protect minorities from hidden discrimination. There is great complexity in migratory flows as well as in the responses of recipient countries. This generates opportunities for comparative research programs focusing on intercultural encounters and adaptation processes. Joint effort are essential to initiate collaborative research.     

Collaboration and conversations with children in Child Welfare Services —Parents' viewpoint

Collaboration and conversations are important in meeting vulnerable children's needs in the context of Child Welfare Services (CWS). Building on 10 qualitative interviews with parents of children in Norwegian Child Welfare Services, this paper discusses parents' views on collaboration between children and child welfare professionals. The parents stated that a constructive collaborative relationship depends on professionals' attitudes towards the child, their ability to connect with the child and their awareness of how the child's emotions and how the parents influence the child–professional relationship. A collaborative relationship is essential for child welfare professionals to meet the child's needs and to help improve relations between the child and the parents. The parents asked for more collaboration between children and child welfare professionals. The findings call for more discussion of child welfare workers' tasks and competence.     

Growing health disparities for persons who are aging with intellectual and developmental disabilities: the social work linchpin

Similar to the general population, adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are living into their 70s and beyond. Health care disparities have been well-documented for this vulnerable and underserved population. Social workers are often responsible for assessment, coordination of care, and negotiation of needed services for people with IDD. This article explores the challenges facing social workers in meeting the growing health and social needs of aging adults with IDD and their families. Trends in social work practice and gaps in education are discussed as they relate to addressing and reducing current health disparities.     

A Pedagogical Model of Clinical Supervision of Adolescents as Therapeutic Caretakers for Children and Each Other

This article describes a model of supervision provided to adolescents who function as therapeutic “caretakers” with children in a unique neighborhood community mental health organization located in the South Bronx. Rooted in theories of community mental health, social support, and pedagogy, the article describes the recruitment process, training, and supervision given to the organization's adolescent “caretakers” to ensure that they will develop the attitudes and skills needed in their therapeutic interactions with children. Particular emphasis is placed on “in vivo” supervisory processes derived from the organization's pedagogical model. The model's usefulness is not limited to training adolescent therapeutic caretakers and is readily applicable to training professional or nonprofessional helpers in a variety of settings (e.g., collaborative partnerships with schools and community agencies where personnel are trained to serve directly or in an auxiliary role as therapeutic change agents).     

Racial Differences in Family Burden

This article examines the clinical implications for social work practice of the differential impact of caregiving strain according to race. Data for this report is drawn from a study of 810 patients in a community-based geriatric assessment center. Although this research found no essential difference, based on race, in the experience of family burden as a social problem, there was a difference within the interaction of race and the care for an elderly person with Alzheimer's disease. The authors suggest a classification scheme of specific interventions for different caregiving groups and subgroups, based on both race and relationship; these selected variables can provide more insight into possible vulnerable caregiving conditions.     

Helping parents by working with their children in individual child therapy

The paper describes a small scale pilot process and outcome study that was undertaken at the University of York. The study is based on accounts of treatment interventions with children conducted by trainee play therapists studying on the University's programme in non‐directive play therapy. These are being used to develop a methodology for evaluating the effectiveness of non‐directive play therapy as an intervention for distressed and maltreated children. The focus of this paper is on one finding of the study, namely that play therapy undertaken with individual children, in addition to bringing about improvements in the children's problems, may improve their parents’ parenting behaviour if they are appropriately involved in the therapy. The paper describes the cases and their outcomes at a 6‐month follow‐up. It illustrates the finding of changes in parenting behaviour through three case studies, and discusses the kinds of changes, possible reasons for them, and necessary practice requirements if these changes are to take place. The paper concludes that engaging parents in a broadly collaborative effort may be facilitated by a primary initial focus on their children.     

Needs and Supports in Transitional Housing for People Living with HIV/AIDS in Ontario,Canada

ABSTRACT

There is a paucity of research on transitional housing for people living with HIV/AIDS (PHA) and even less so within the Canadian context. The present work addresses that gap and reports on the results from the Transitional Housing Study, a province wide community-based research collaboration involving PHA, service providers, and university researchers in Ontario Canada. This article answers the following research questions: What supports do residents in transitional housing for PHA access and what needs do these supports address? Developing from a thematic analysis of in-depth qualitative interviews with 25 residents in one of three transitional housing agencies in Ontario for PHA, the findings reveal that participants benefited from four key supports while in transitional housing: the provision of a safe environment, co-coordination and management of HIV (and other) drug therapies, assistance with appointments, and referrals to health and social services. Until more resources are available to increase availability of transitional housing for PHA, the nonprofit housing sector must fill the gap that exists by offering the types of supports identified in this study in order to address the needs of PHA. Future research may link these supports efficiently with concrete health improvements and permanent housing stability among PHA.     

Social work knowledge of community-based services for older adults: an educational model for social work students

Social workers are often the key link between older adults, their families and community-based services. Thus, knowledge about older adults and community-based care is imperative for social work practice. Evaluation data are provided on a national multisite effort (N = 353) from 35 schools to assure graduate social work student's competency related to community services for older adults. Results suggest that the educational model as described in this article sets forth positive outcomes in the education of aging savvy social workers. Ongoing social work education is needed to meet the burgeoning needs of the geriatric population.     

Social Work Knowledge of Community-Based Services for Older Adults: An Educational Model for Social Work Students

Social workers are often the key link between older adults, their families and community-based services. Thus, knowledge about older adults and community-based care is imperative for social work practice. Evaluation data are provided on a national multisite effort (N = 353) from 35 schools to assure graduate social work student's competency related to community services for older adults. Results suggest that the educational model as described in this article sets forth positive outcomes in the education of aging savvy social workers. Ongoing social work education is needed to meet the burgeoning needs of the geriatric population.     

Community-university collaborations: creating hybrid research and collective identities

In this article we explore the politics of community-university collaborative research and activism. We are scholars based in universities as well as members of various ‘communities’—queer, Pasifika and Māori—hence we regularly venture beyond the formal research spaces of the academy and enter into critical collaborative research with others working in ‘the community’. In what follows we first outline collaborative community-based research literature that advocates hybrid research collectivities. Second, we give some context and background to our methodologies that have enabled us to re-think collaborative research. Third, examples from our research are offered to illustrate the ways in which collaborative research constructs new collective identities. Finally, we conclude by arguing that social science scholars working across university-community boundaries may expand and multiply hybrid research collectives, and thereby effect positive social change at many levels.     

Development of a Multimodal Assessment Framework for Helping Older African American Women Transition Out of Homelessness

Increasingly vulnerability to homelessness is affecting older African American women because more than any other group these women are susceptible to even minor changes in socioeconomic conditions. This article describes the evolution of an assessment strategy and process found to be useful in planning older African American women's transition from homelessness. The assessment strategy was developed as part of a multimethod, multilevel research and development program the purpose of which is to identify and test tools and interventions useful in helping older African American women leave homelessness. The article offers background on the action research project in which the assessment framework was developed, examines the method for the construction of the framework, describes the assessment process, and considers the integration of specific assessment tools into the advocacy process.     

Use of the Print Media to Attract "Hard-to-Reach" Research Participants

This article describes the successful use of the print media to obtain hard-to-reach research participants when conventional sampling strategies prove inadequate. For illustrative purposes, the process employed in recruiting a sample of 130 mothers who were voluntarily living apart from their minor children pursuant to divorce is delineated. An analysis of the gain to effort as well as methodological limitations of this strategy are also discussed.     

Launching a family-centered, neighborhood-based human services system: lessons from working the hallways and street corners

The author describes Contra Costa County's efforts to implement Healthy Families 2000, the County's vision of neighborhood-based, family-centered, comprehensive integrated services in two of the county's unincorporated areas, North Richmond and Bay Point. Contra Costa County is one of six bay area counties, northeast of San Francisco. It has nearly 800,000 residents and is home to some of the wealthiest communities in the state as well as some of the poorest neighborhoods. This article provides a systematic review of the process and a discussion of the operating practices and principles guiding Contra Costa's significant effort to change its service delivery approach, anticipating that this experience might be helpful to others as they develop a neighborhood-based human services partnership with community leaders and residents.     

Chapter 18. The Aging Network and the Future of Long-Term Care

SUMMARY

Federal and state governments face a significant challenge in meeting the long-term care needs of an older population that will double in size between 2000 and 2020 and continue to increase through 2050. States have made significant improvements in their long-term care systems for the elderly. However, they are still spending a significant proportion of their long-term care funds on nursing homes. Any effort to improve long-term care for the elderly qualitatively, and not just on the margins, must be focused on developing a more flexible and balanced long-term care system that is responsive to consumer choice.

The Aging Services Network is poised to play a significant role in this transformation process. The strengths of the Network include the ability to develop and manage consumer-driven community-based programs; to assess the needs and resources of individual older persons and provide cost-effective community supports; to operate within fixed, capped budgets; and to identify and maintain roles for informal caregivers. Now is the time for national aging organizations, state units on aging, and area agencies on aging to use existing opportunities to move towards the establishment of a balanced system of long-term care.