Journey towards independent living: resilience processes of women leaving residential care in South Africa

Among the many youth transitioning to young adulthood, a group that has been found to be particularly vulnerable is young people transitioning out of care, particularly residential care. Research on this population of youth has burgeoned over the past few decades, but in South Africa it remains limited. This article focuses on the resilience processes that facilitate better transitions of young women out of care and towards independent living. It replicates the research design of a previous study with young men, with the aim of determining to what extent the resilience process of young women are similar to those of men. A sample of nine women was purposively selected, interviewed in-depth and data analysed using grounded theory methods. The findings indicate that the same resilience process found among male care-leavers are evident also in the narratives of female care-leavers, confirming the findings of the previous study. However, these processes had a slightly stronger relational focus among women than was seen among men. The authors conclude that similar resilience-building programmes can be implemented to prepare both males and females for leaving care.     

Postmodern feminism: a theoretical framework for a field unit with women in jail

This article presents a postmodern, feminist framework as a foundation for a social work student field unit with women inmates in the corrections system. Feminist pedagogical methods were developed and implemented for this field unit and, once trained, the students utilized feminist social work skills within the jail environment. The case study illustrates the field unit design, student learning processes, and examples of student interventions. In addition to becoming skillful clinicians, student interns became social change agents within the corrections system. Implications for micro, meso, and macro levels of social work practice are discussed.     

Nursing professionals & career positioning in managed behavioral health care

1. Managed behavioral health care has been successful in managing costs and use. Other strategies must be implemented to actually manage the care and health of individuals or the population. 2. Nursing professionals need to assess their competencies and enhance their personal skill sets to manage their careers successfully and be effective practitioners in the new health care environment. 3. Adaptation is critical. The survival of the psychiatric nursing profession depends on it.     

In between formal and informal: Staff and youth relationships in care and after leaving care

This paper deals with the contact and relationship youth have with staff while in care and after emancipation and examines the young adults' needs in contacting staff after leaving care. The study was conducted through 60 interviews with young adults ages 21–26 who emancipated from residential settings in Israel. Results showed that most youth report having had a meaningful staff member in care and that 62% were in contact with staff after their transition to independent living for both emotional and practical needs that could not always be answered by staff. One of the study's conclusions is that despite their departure staff's relationship with these young adults continues informally years after. However, without formal recognition of the place staff have in the lives of aged-out youth, no resources are invested in training them to properly meet the young adults' needs. The discussion highlights the need for an integrative approach that sees residential settings and staff as a meaningful part in the continuity from care to independent living by supporting aged-out youth's gradual transition to adult life.     

Young people leaving care in England,Northern Ireland,and Ireland

This paper explores the transitions of young people, aged 16-18, leaving state care in England, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland. It is based substantially upon the findings from collaborative research which developed in stages between 1991 and 1999 - and is still ongoing. Four substantive areas are discussed. First, the legal framework of the three jurisdictions: the Children Act 1989, the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 and the Child Care Act 1991; second, the research context within the three child care systems; third, the findings from the three related projects; and, finally, the key themes and issues arising from the research studies.     

Nursing care challenges: homosexual psychiatric patients.

1. Stereotypes of homosexual behavior may negatively affect the nursing care for homosexual patients. Nurses must closely examine their attitudes toward homosexuals. To be able to provide quality care to homosexual patients, nurses must feel comfortable and fully aware of their own attitudes toward sexuality and homosexuality. 2. Nurses stand in a unique position to foster acceptance of homosexuality by assuming the advocacy role and addressing the stereotypes regarding homosexuality for both individual clients and the community. 3. Nurses need to provide an atmosphere of acceptance for homosexual patients by creating an environment where sexuality can be discussed in nonthreatening ways.     

Organizational and health promotion benefits of diaper bank and community-based organization partnerships

The Diaper Bank of North Carolina provides a supplemental supply of free disposable diapers, baby wipes, and diaper rash cream to low-income families. Rather than providing the diapers directly to families in need, the diaper bank formed partnerships with service-providing community-based organizations (CBOs) that distribute the diapers to their own clients. During a multi-phase mixed methods evaluation, we conducted qualitative key informant interviews with staff members (n = 9) of CBOs that distribute diapers. Analysis of the interviews informed development of an electronic survey distributed to CBO staff members (n = 42) who did not participate in key informant interviews. Key findings demonstrate the provision of diaper bank diapers allowed CBOs to assist families in meeting a basic need while: (1) positively impacting their organization and program budgets, (2) enhancing communication with clients, (3) improving program retention, (4) teaching problem solving and critical thinking skills, and (5) connecting families with other services.     

Everyday health and identity management among older women with chronic health conditions

The majority of older women have at least one chronic health problem and coping with multiple conditions is common with advancing old age. In this longitudinal, qualitative study we explored the health perceptions of older women (N = 36) with multiple chronic conditions. Guided by a symbolic interactionist perspective, our research questions asked: (a) how do older women with chronic health conditions interpret their own health in their everyday lives and (b) how do they talk about their health with others. We found that women depended on their embodied self, or signs from the body, to interpret their everyday health. The women engage in identity management to make sense of limitations caused by their chronic health conditions. They regulated how much and with whom they were willing to share issues related to their everyday health. Findings suggest that everyday health is important in identity construction among older adults.     

Self-reported health problems,health care utilisation and unmet health care needs of elderly men and women in an urban municipality and a rural area of Bhaktapur District of Nepal

The study aimed to identify the felt common health problems, utilisation of health services and unmet needs of urban and rural elderly people of Bhaktapur district, Nepal. It was a cross sectional population study of people aged 60 years or more where 204 respondents were interviewed in 2009. The common felt problems were pain and swelling of joints (65.7%), indigestion (63.7%), excessive tiredness (38.2%) and hypertension (35.8%). Pain and swelling of joints (72.5%) and back pain (40.4%) were higher in rural elderly population whereas indigestion (67.6%) and hypertension (37.85%) were higher in urban population. Pain and swelling of joints (66.7%) and indigestion (69.6%) were higher in males, and hypertension (50.0%), back pain (38.2%) and chronic bronchitis/asthma (39.2%) were higher in females. The unmet needs varied between different health problems. In general women had more unmet needs than men, where 80 unmet needs were identified for the 102 men compared with 105 for the 102 women, and these unmet needs increased dramatically with age. This approach yields new insights into the health care needs of the elderly and will be helpful to health care planners.     

A model of impacts of research partnerships in health and social services

Alliances have long been an important strategy for health promotion and community development. They are now becoming an important approach to generating research that is thought to have real-world relevance and easy applicability because of the involvement of community members. A comprehensive, dynamic model of community impacts of research partnerships in social or health services is presented. This process-oriented, systems model outlines three major domains of mid-term impact (Enhanced Knowledge, Enhanced Research Skills, and Use of Information) that correspond to the core functions of collaborative research partnerships discussed in the literature (i.e. knowledge generation, research education and training, and knowledge sharing). The model will assist research partners, intended recipients, and funders to understand and evaluate the real-world impacts of community–university research partnerships. The model provides research partnerships with a tool to demonstrate their accountability and to improve their operations and impacts, and evaluators with a tool to guide planning and evaluation efforts.     

Sexual misconduct by health care providers.

1. Just as in society in general, health care providers can engage in compulsive sexual behaviors that jeopardize their health, careers, and relationships, both personal and professional. 2. Sex addicts not only deny and rationalize their acts but also resist accepting any feedback about their sexually inappropriate behaviors. 3. To protect patients from sexual misconduct, health care providers who exhibit sexually inappropriate behaviors must be confronted, and consistent limits must be set, including terminating patient contact, if necessary. 4. Treatment for sexually compulsive behaviors is multifaceted, and signs that a person is cooperating with treatment are ceasing the compulsive behaviors, experiencing feelings of remorse, expressing regret, accepting personal responsibility, and abiding by guidelines for reinstatement.