Workplace accommodations: evidence based outcomes

One central component to meaningful employment for people with disabilities is the ADA's workplace accommodation provision that allows qualified individuals to perform essential job functions. Little empirical evidence is available to evaluate the costs, benefits, and effectiveness of accommodations. Previous research has focused on direct costs. This article advocates an inclusive accommodation cost/benefit analysis to include direct and indirect costs and benefits and to differentiate disability-related accommodation costs from typical employee costs. The inclusive cost/benefit analysis is applied to preliminary data from interviews with employers who contacted the Job Accommodation Network (JAN). Results suggest that accommodations are low cost, beneficial and effective.     

How frames present BMW as embracing an aging workforce

As the population begins to age, organizations are starting to plan for an influx of older employees. Since the workforce is “graying,” the question now becomes how to best utilize this growing segment of the population within an organizational context. This case study applied framing analysis to the BMW Today for Tomorrow program in order to understand how BMW built support for its efforts to create a more age diverse workforce. This initiative was intended to redesign the production lines at BMW in order to become more age-appropriate for BMW's increasingly older employees. The Today for Tomorrow program included the implementation of over 70 small changes that improved the efficiency of an experimental production line (e.g., magnifying glasses, stretching station, wooden floors, and ergonomic standing chairs). Several texts were analyzed including media stories, the organizational website, and the BMW Sustainability Report. Based on this case study, BMW's Today for Tomorrow program contained two overarching frames that aided in the attempt to highlight its age appropriate workplace initiatives. These frames are age as a valuable resource and BMW as a responsible organization. In addition, BMW incorporated both episodic (specific examples) and thematic (general context) framing techniques in order to localize and globalize the issue of an aging workforce simultaneously.     

Introduction: The aging workforce: challenges for societies, employers, and older workers

The aging of the baby boom cohorts poses challenges for societies, employers, and the baby boomers themselves: Will societies be able to sustain an exponentially increasing number of retirees and older workers? Will employers be prepared to accommodate an aging workforce, especially in times of economic recession? Will aging baby boomers desire and be able to postpone retirement and remain in their career jobs or seek bridge employment or be forced to do so out of financial necessity?     

Worksite accommodations for manufacturing employees in a pipe fabrication facility

Through the use of professional experience and case studies, this article will examine the occurrence of injuries and work site accommodations for employees in a pipe fabrication facility. Specific means early injury intervention and environment or ergonomic controls can benefit both worker and employer regarding return-to-work transition will be discussed. Three case studies will be cited to specifically describe means a condition of events may contribute to a successful return-to-work outcome.     

From pipeline to practice: Utilizing tracking mechanisms for longitudinal evaluation of physician recruitment across the health workforce continuum

PurposeArea Health Education Centers work with community partners to prepare a diverse, primary care workforce particularly among rural and underserved communities. We set out to assess our impact on the physician workforce across a multitude of short-term, intermediate, and long-term benchmarksMethodWe used a comprehensive evaluation scaffolding to assess benchmarks of success across the workforce pipeline including short-term (i.e. pre-medical intent to pursue a health career or medical students’ intent to practice in primary care), intermediate (college matriculation and primary care residency match rates) and longterm measures (licensure and medical practice location of program participants).ResultsWe identified significant findings in each part of the AHEC program continuum. Among our alumni, we found a significant increase in the pre-medical learner’s intent to pursue a health care career. Among medical students, we found a significant increase in intent to practice in primary care, rural areas, and medically underserved communities and a high rate of primary care residency match (compared to peers). Approximately one-third of licensed physicians are now practicing medicine serve in an underserved communityConclusionsOur findings confirm the value of longitudinal evaluation on confirming that participation in an AHEC supported program strengthen the physician workforce development.     

Barriers to Employment for Welfare Recipients

Abstract

With the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, there has been an increase in research attention devoted to barriers to workforce participation for welfare recipients. However, much research conducted to this point tends to view the welfare population as a homogeneous group. This study examined eight commonly identified work related barriers in an ethnically diverse sample of 4014 active TANF cases. The results indicated that different ethnic groups face different barriers to workforce entry, with ethnic minorities facing the greatest number of barriers. In this sample, the Asian sub-population, comprised largely of Laotian and Hmong refugees, were at the greatest risk for failure. Implications for service delivery and intervention strategies are discussed.     

Innovative models of aging in place: Transforming our communities for an aging population

As the proportion of the global population over 60 continues to grow, the issue of where and how elders are going to live becomes increasingly pressing. The idea or “aging in place” – in which elders remain in their own homes and communities – is becoming an increasingly popular alternative to age-segregated retirement communities. This article documents three new models of aging in place – naturally occurring retirement communities (NORC-SSPs), villages and campus-affiliated communities – and explores how they seek to provide both services and meaningful connections among members. Data from interviews and site visits reveal both promising practices as well as challenges such as how to ensure access for low and moderate-income elders, integrating elders from diverse cultural and linguistic back grounds, and building the leadership and participation of elders. By looking critically at these models, the author argues that many previously held theories and assumptions about the aging process and social capital formation must be reexamined in light of the agency of elders and the new organizational models. Ultimately the design of our communities – both physically and socially – and our approach to retirement must be restructured to support the needs of an aging population.     

Vision in an aging America

Like it or not, baby boomers' eyes are getting weaker. Older eyes have trouble with small print, glare, and low-contrast color schemes. They are also more prone to a variety of eye diseases. Businesses that ignore the fuzzier world of older eyes may become invisible to a growing share of consumers.     

How an aging society affects the economic costs of inactivity in Germany: empirical evidence and projections

Background

Aging societies represent a major challenge for health care systems all over the world. As older people tend to be more physically inactive, economic costs of inactivity are likely to increase notably. The present study aims to investigate this relationship between an aging society and economic costs of inactivity using the example of Germany.

Methods

Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, this study applied the comparative risk assessment method developed by the WHO to estimate the direct costs of inactivity for the period 2001–2013 differentiated by gender-specific age-groups (15–29; 30–44; 45–64; 65+). Based on population statistics predicting the aging of the German population for the years 2014–2060, this research projects the development of future costs of inactivity and potential effects of interventions promoting physical activity among the German population.

Results

The results reveal an increase in the level of physical activity during the observed period (2001–2013) which compensated the negative effect of aging and resulted in a decline of inactivity costs. The projections for the years 2014–2060 indicate a constant increase in direct per capita costs until 2060 because of an aging society. Scenarios indicating how a short-term reduction of physical inactivity impacts costs of inactivity reveal the crucial role of the oldest age-group in this context.

Conclusion

The findings indicate that the aging of the German population demands further actions and initiatives to promote physical activity, especially for the oldest age-group.

     

The evidence base for social support interventions in child and family practice: Emerging issues for research and practice

This paper examines the evidence base for interventions which seek to enhance social support resources for families with children at risk of adverse developmental outcomes. Substantive and methodological issues related to the implementation of social support interventions are discussed and a research agenda for the development, testing and evaluation of such interventions is presented.     

Anti-discriminatory practice in practice: Student placement experiences as an aid to learning

The role and nature of anti-discriminatory practice continues to be a key issue in social work education. This article examines the findings of a questionnaire conducted in one university department regarding the placement experiences of two sets of DipSW students in this area. The paper examines both how they found the treatment of these issues in their placements and how they experienced putting theories of anti-discrimination into practice. It evaluates what contribution such student experiences can make to the current debates in this area.     

Barriers to Training for Disabled Social Work Students

Disabled people wishing to enter Higher Education are confronted with a number of barriers, yet relatively little research has been carried out to identify the level and nature of such obstacles. The short study reported here was designed to examine policy and practice within a number of social work training institutions in Scotland. Interviews were held with disabled students and ex-students, course tutors and practice teachers. Barriers to training are identified in five main areas: first, the disabling physical environment; secondly, problems of typification (whereby global assumptions of impairment are made about individuals); thirdly, failure of equal opportunities policies; fourthly, the practice of treating all students in the same way, resulting in discrimination against a few; and, finally, self-censorship on the part of students. It is argued that the reluctance of some students to 'declare' an impairment is a rational response to the disabling policies pursued, albeit inadvertently, by institutions. The implications of these findings for policy and practice are discussed.     

Barriers to treating youth with medications for OUDs

Strategies to get medications to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) to young people immediately after diagnosis are urgently needed, a study published in the September issue of JAMA Pediatrics concluded. Young people with OUDs who receive naltrexone, methadone or buprenorphine are more likely to stay in treatment, yet these medications are underused. Only one in four youths receive medications for OUD shortly after diagnosis. For youths under 18, it's one in 21.