Client Perceptions of Professional Helpers

A questionnaire was administered to 77 employees of a large commercial organization and 61 paramedical workers to ascertain which of a number of professionals were likely to be approached for help with particular types of problems. The findings for this study indicated that for both groups social workers were the most preferred professionals by most subjects for most problems, although there were important and interesting preferences for other professionals also.     

Confused and Confusing: Services for Mentally Handicapped Children

Fifty-two families with mentally handicapped children under five describe their confusing experiences with a variety of professionals and officials. Such confusion can be explained partly by the reluctance of different agencies and government departments to co-operate with one another and by the dominance of the medical profession in services for the handicapped. But the main cause of the chaotic health and welfare arrangements lies in politicians' indifference, as expressed by their apparent free-for-all, private-market attitudes to the planning of services.     

The Social Environment--A Model for Exploring Service Interventions with Mentally Handicapped Adults

Summary Using a model derived from systems theory, the needs of mentallyhandicapped adults are examined. Interventions are generatedwhich have implications for social workers in implementing normalizationprinciples.     

Client Perceptions of Professional Helpers: A Commentary

Comments on factual and methodological matters raised by Murphy, Remenyi and Hudson² precede some more general observations on possible reasons for the replicated findings reported.     

Examining the Causes of Stress in Families with Severely Mentally Handicapped Children

Summary Though it is recognized that the presence of a mentally handicappedchild may be a source of stress for a family, less is knownabout precisely which impairments are particularly stressful.This question was investigated in a study of 200 families withseverely mentally handicapped children living in two healthdistricts in South East England. Interviews were carried outwith the people responsible for the day-to-day care of the childrenand stress was measured by means of the Malaise Inventory. Theresults suggested that the highest levels of stress were associatedwith the presence of a child with behaviour disorders or withmultiple impairments; the stressfulness of these conditionswas exacerbated by adversity. A regression analysis showed thatthe factors causing most stress in carers were, in order ofimportance: behaviour problems in the child, night-time disturbance,social isolation, adversity in the family, multiplicity of impairments,difficulty in settling the child at night, problems with thechild's health, problems with the child's appearance, and moneyworries. The article ends with recommendations for the developmentof services aimed at reducing stress in families with mentallyhandicapped children.     

An Assessment of the Potential for Community Living of Mentally Handicapped Patients in Hospital

Summary The paper examines the possibility of discharging mentally handicappedpatients from hospital to a wide range of community resources.Following the assessment of a sample of hospital patients theywere matched to appropriate care settings ranging from independentliving to relatively expensive hostel accommodation. A highproportion of patients were found to be capable of dischargefrom hospital, although for many this would be to relativelycostly settings. Factors which appeared to make some youngerpatients difficult to discharge from hospital were identified,suggesting that newer admissions were more disturbed, which,apart from resource considerations may account for some of thedifficulty experienced in plans to reduce hospital populations.     

The Elderly Mentally Retarded

No abstract available for this article.     

The Mentally Retarded Aged

The mentally retarded aged are a relatively small and little known subgroup of our rapidly growing older population, whose special circumstances and often unique human service needs have been largely ignored by the social work profession. As the absolute number of mentally retarded aged persons continues to grow, social workers will have increased opportunities to develop and deliver sorely needed services to these individuals and to their families. The article presents three case management practice models appropriate for providing social work services to three distinct residential subgroups of mentally retarded aged.     

The Mentally Retarded: Towards a National Programme

It is only recently that there has been national consideration of the problems and needs of the mentally retarded. Voluntary, state and federal programmes are gradually being more effectively coordinated but a good deal remains to be done. The measures that could be taken to further this process include: the establishment of a national institute on mental retardation; a select committee of the parliament to examine problems of the mentally retarded; a standing interdepartmental committee with more precise terms of reference concerning mental retardation; and action to assist in employment for the mentally retarded with the commonwealth.     

Psychological Well-Being and Social Support Among Elders Employed as Lay Helpers

Impacts on lay helpers of participation in part-time work supporting rural elders with severe mental illness were explored in a group of 17 older adults employed in a demonstration project. Self-rated well-being and social support were assessed over 1 year. Ratings of autonomy and positive relations with others varied over 1 year. Perceptions of the amount of social support provided showed a trend toward improvement at 1 year. Results are considered in the context of role theory and illustrated with an ethnographic case study of the service environment. The lay helper role is a form of productive engagement through paid caregiving, with potential to supplement rural mental health service systems while supporting elders' needs for meaningful civic engagement.     

Human Relatedness and the Mentally Impaired Older Person

This article explores some of the assumptions about the organically impaired elderly thmugh describing an effective summer day program, studying one of its panicipants, and relating a theoretical penpective. It discusses the helping principles applied in a life model and intenctionally oriented group and milieu approach. A sense of self is restored thmugh relationships with others. The provision of a positive experience which recognizes and bolsters stlengths and relatedness makes it more attractive to live more fully here and now.     

职业技能大赛与专业教学的协同发展研究

技能大赛作为职业教育内涵建设的新切入点,其内容与项目设置既应与市场需求相适应,又应与专业教学相协调.本文以广州城市职业学院物流管理专业为例,探讨利用倒逼机制实现技能大赛在人才培养模式、专业培养目标、专业课程体系、师资队伍建设、实验室与实训基地建设、校企合作等方面的引领和推动作用.     

Moving The Mentally Ill Into The Community: The Problem Of Acceptance And The Effect Of Contact

Community acceptance of the mentally ill is fundamental to a successful change to community-based care, now being implemented in New South Wales. This policy was based on an inquiry that viewed acceptance optimistically and postulated that contact with the mentally ill would be a favourable influence. The applicability of this extension of the ‘contact hypothesis’ from its original racial context is tested in one area of Sydney. The results indicate that the type of contact arising from community mental health facilities is not an effective catalyst of relevant attitude change, and suggest particular difficulties among the lower two socioeconomic classes.     

The Mentally III in the Criminal Justice System in Western Australia: Definition and Disposition

The definition and disposition of mentally ill persons involved in the criminal justice system has been a long standing problem in most western cultures. Most allied debates, however, have been theoretical and philosophical rather than pragmatic. The following paper examines data from the Western Australian courts, prison and mental health systems to determine the nature and extent of the problem, together with the current dispositions of mentally ill offenders. In so doing, fundamental problems in the system are highlighted and possible alternatives suggested.