‘Growing Old’ in Shelters and ‘On the Street’: Experiences of Older Homeless People

Homelessness among older people in Canada is both a growing concern, and an emerging field of study. This article reports thematic results of qualitative interviews with 40 people aged 46 to 75, carried out as part of a mixed-methods study of older people who are homeless in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Our participants included people with histories of homelessness (n = 14) and persons new to homelessness in later life (n = 26). Interviews focused on experiences at the intersections of aging and homelessness including social relationships, the challenges of living on the streets and in shelters in later life, and the future. This article outlines the 5 main themes that capture the experience of homelessness for our participants: age exacerbates worries; exclusion and isolation; managing significant challenges; shifting needs and realities; and resilience, strength, and hope. Together, these findings underscore the need for specific programs geared to the unique needs of older people who are homeless.     

Mothers’ communicative cues and the development of infants’ helping: Linking participation and problem solving in the first year of life

There is an ongoing debate on the role of socialization in the development of infants’ helping. Although opportunities for the socialization of early helping are rare in problem solving (bystander intervention), there are many opportunities for socialization in participation (working alongside others), and infants’ experiences of participation could socialize problem solving indirectly. The present study links participation and problem solving conceptually by drawing on a Hebbian concept of indirect learning and through a study examining mothers’ communicative cues in both forms of helping. Forty mother-infant dyads engaged in two semi-structured helping tasks, a participation task and a problem-solving task at five, eight, and ten months of age. Mothers’ communicative cues and infants’ return of the object were examined using coding schemes adapted from prior research. Mothers used similar communicative cues (reaches, give-me gestures, and verbal requests) in both tasks, and more maternal scaffolding contributed to greater object handover. Infants showed higher object handover in participation tasks. The findings, framed in Tomasello's neo-Vygotskian account of prosocial development, offer a synthesis of the debate on the role of socialization where prosocial behavior emerges first between people, and then becomes individualized.     

Widespread Academic Doubt about the Proposition That We Should “Leave behind the Era of ‘Doubting Antiquity’”

Wen.Shi.Zhe, a long-established aca-demic journal with a high reputation, starteda special column on "Doubting Antiquity andInterpreting Antiquity" in its second issue for2006. The following issues continued a schol-arly discussion on "leaving behind the era of‘doubting antiquity’," a slogan that had agreat influence over recent years in histori-     

Social Work Students’ Perceptions of Themselves and Others: Self-Esteem,Empathy, and Forgiveness

ABSTRACT

This study examined how 86 social work students attending a university in Florida viewed themselves and others in relation to self-esteem, empathy, and forgiveness. The study used a cross-sectional, self-administered survey. Results indicated female students reported a higher level of emotional empathy than that reported by male students. Significant relationships were also noted between forgiveness of others and the age of the respondent and ethnicity. Self-esteem was a significant predictor of forgiveness of self and forgiveness of others; and empathy is a significant predictor of forgiveness of others. The study identified the need for social work educators to help students develop a strong sense of self and an understanding of others. Future research is suggested to explore how the timing of a transgression affects forgiveness of self and others.     

Providing Care for Persons with Dementia in Rural Communities: Informal Caregivers’ Perceptions of Supports and Services

Dementia is one of the costliest and most time-consuming diseases among older persons. Although informal caregivers provide the majority of care for persons with dementia, little is known about the self-perceived need for social services of caregivers of persons with dementia within rural areas. This pilot study examined the knowledge, access and intent of the practice-oriented service model of caregivers of persons with dementia in rural communities in the Midwest U.S. After a systematic training, researchers interviewed 11 rural caregivers of persons with dementia (n = 11). Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Although similarities with other caregivers of persons with dementia were found, important differences suggesting unique issues among these rural caregivers of persons with dementia. Many participants found strength in their community, which often served as a safety net of support. Consistent with existing literature, participants expressed financial concerns, geographic barriers and lack of dementia-specific services when using formal services. The need for more specialized formal services in rural areas to supplement existing informal care networks is discussed. Policies and services based on rural caregivers’ unique concerns and challenges and that build upon their existing care networks are recommended.     

‘The Whole Family Suffered,So the Whole Family Needs to Recover’: Thematic Analysis of Substance-Abusing Mothers’ Family Therapy Sessions

ABSTRACT

Substance-abusing mothers and their children are more likely to experience a range of social, behavioral, and psychological difficulties. Despite the significant challenges faced by these families, little is known about their experiences in treatment. The current study analyzed 12 sessions of family therapy using thematic analysis to identify common themes that arose during discussion between substance-abusing mothers and their children during family therapy. Mothers’ ages ranged from 28 to 35 years old, and the children's ages ranged from 12 to 14 years old. Four therapy sessions from 3 families were coded for a total of 12 therapy sessions. An ecological framework was used to classify themes, in which themes related to each level of the families’ ecological systems were identified. Thematic analysis of the therapy sessions indicated that mothers and their children primarily discussed topics related to their relational and emotional needs. The findings indicated that mothers with substance use disorders and their children have unique treatment needs that should be addressed when the mother seeks treatment. More research is needed to further clarify and confirm the observations in this study. In particular, future research should include a larger sample and quantitative methodology.     

Failure to Address African Americans’ Spiritual Needs During Hospitalization: Identifying Predictors of Dissatisfaction Across the Arc of Service Provision

Using a national sample of recently hospitalized older African Americans (N = 2,227), this study identified predictors of dissatisfaction with the manner in which clients’ spiritual needs were addressed during hospitalization. Of 8 major areas of service provision examined, 3 were significant predictors of dissatisfaction: nurses, physicians, and the discharge process. The findings underscore the importance of collaborative efforts to address elderly Black clients’ spiritual needs. Social workers, who frequently oversee the discharge process, can play an important role in addressing African Americans’ spiritual needs by developing discharge plans that incorporate clients’ spiritual strengths and resources into the planning process.     

Essential Partnership: Child Welfare Officers’ Perceptions of Cooperation With Rabbis in the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Community in Israel

ABSTRACT

This article describes collaborations between child welfare officers and rabbis in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Israel. The study is based on interviews with 10 child welfare officers who intervene in ultra-Orthodox communities. The analysis of the interviews showed that cooperation with the rabbis was essential for reducing the community's hostile resistance to interventions by the child welfare officers, who were perceived as threatening to community values. On the other hand, the child welfare officers had to cope with conflicts between religious values, the law, and professional perceptions. The discussion of the findings highlights the need for understanding the cooperation in terms of boundaries and power. Future research is needed to explore further the issues raised from the perspectives of the rabbis and the families involved.     

Technology Could Be Harmful Rather Than Beneficial: An Empirical Investigation of Caseworkers’ Perceptions Using a Knowledge Management Framework

ABSTRACT. The reasons for the ineffectiveness of some technology-mediated initiatives in human service organizations are not well understood. This study conceptualized a knowledge management system with the following features: a process orientation that focuses on how caseworkers integrate knowledge into decision making and a sociotechnical system perspective. A mediation research model was developed and was tested empirically using structural equation modeling with a sample of 4,554 caseworkers. Results supported the mediation effect of knowledge integration (KI) as an important factor in organizational effectiveness (OE). The technological domain had a small positive effect on KI and a direct negative effect on OE. The sociocultural and interorganizational domains appeared to be better predictors of KI and OE. Future recommendations include adopting a systematic approach in coordinating knowledge management practices based on a caseworker's KI ability.     

“Point–Counterpoint: Can You Hear Me? A Therapist Listens”: A Case Study

This article explores the experiential psychotherapeutic process between two people: client and therapist. Ethnic, cultural, racial, socioeconomic, and religious diversity is seen through the clinical social worker’s biopsychosocial lenses with a psychoanalytic foundation and social context. Focus is on the transformational potential within the client–therapist relationship via the art of listening and the concomitant struggle toward deepening meaning, clarity of biographical narrative, and, thus, life-enhancing trajectories. Levels of therapeutic listening are noted and explored.     

An Assessment of “‘What If’ Historiography”

An article entitled "The Significance of Intellectual History" by Mr. Li Zehou in the 5th issue of Dushu, 2004, touches on the significance of "'what if' historiography." He said, "'Revolution' can be said to be the theme of 20th century Chinese history. The Revolution of 1911, the 'Great Revolution' in 1927, the Revolution of 1949 and the 'Cultural Revolution' starting from 1966-these were simply the greatest ones…Of them all,     

“I Learned That the Aging Population Isn't That Much Different From Me”: The Final Outcomes of a Gero-Ed BEL Project

This article describes a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Gero-Ed Center BEL Project's activities and reports its final outcomes. An oral history interview in paired human behavior and practice skills courses addressed gerontological social work competencies focused on assessing and addressing values and biases regarding aging, and the ability to relate concepts and theories of aging to practice. Significant increases in perceived proficiency in these competencies occurred, as did significant decreases in negative attitudes toward older people and working with older adults. Qualitative data supported these results. Findings suggest social work educators utilize a combination of classroom-based and experiential learning to maximize student development.     

Commentary on Mills’ “toward a theory of myth”

In his provocative article on theorizing about myth, Jon Mills kindly cites my own work on the subject. Let me confine my remarks to his comments on me. I now see, thanks to Mills, how confusing some of my statements have perhaps been.     

Statewide Implementation of “Reducing Disability in Alzheimer’s Disease”: Impact on Family Caregiver Outcomes

There have been few replications of efficacious evidence-based programs for dementia caregivers offered in community settings. This study highlights the replication of the evidence-based Reducing Disability in Alzheimer’s Disease program and explores the changes in outcomes for participating caregivers and whether those changes are related to level of program utilization. With data from 219 caregivers, regression results indicate that more exercise sessions are associated with a decrease in caregiver strain and more behavior management sessions are associated with a decrease in unmet needs after 3 months. Findings demonstrate how a multicomponent program can have positive benefits for family caregivers.     

“名班主任”王连峰:“学生们喊我‘王爹’”

正教师岗位上素以女性居多,男老师的出现,往往成为一道特别的风景线,男老师自身所具备的独特气质和教学风格,让他们很轻松就成为学生们十分崇拜的男神。王连峰,青岛三十九中初中数学教师。参加工作20年,从事班主任工作20年,获得山东省优秀班主任、青岛市首批名班主任工作室主持人、青岛市优秀班主任、指导学生参加数学竞赛并多次被评为奥林匹克优秀辅导员称号,并获得优秀辅导教师奖。多次被评为校优秀教师、优秀班     

Conditionality in the context of housing-led homelessness policy: Comparing Australia’s Housing First agenda to Scotland’s “rights-based” approach

Homelessness services and policy have historically tended to be organised by an explicitly conditional logic, wherein people experiencing homelessness must prove their “housing readiness” before accessing settled housing. This model has been robustly challenged in recent decades by “housing-led” approaches that ostensibly eschew conditionality and prioritise the rapid rehousing of people experiencing homelessness. Various countries now include housing-led approaches in the national policy frameworks, including Australia, which overhauled its approach to homelessness in 2008, and Scotland, where a housing-led approach is supported by a legal right to housing for homeless households. Notwithstanding this policy shift, conditionality remains an enduring feature of responses to homelessness in both jurisdictions. This paper sheds light on this phenomenon by comparing the Australian experience with that of Scotland. We demonstrate how conditionality remains a feature of both jurisdictions; however, there is greater effort in Scotland to identify and minimise conditionality, whereas in Australia it is able to persist relatively unchallenged. We conclude with some reflections on what Australia can learn from Scotland’s relative success, highlighting the importance of a national-level policy framework and an adequate affordable housing supply.     

“No End or Return”: Thematics of Impasse

This article explores therapeutic impasse through the dual lens of relational theory and infant research. Particular attention is paid to the role that enactment, rupture and repair, and nonverbal communication play in impasse dynamics. Defined broadly—as any time a therapist and patient feel stuck—impasse is conceptualized as an expectable, even inevitable, component of the treatment relationship. The implications for navigating impasses are considered through a clinical vignette developed as a case composite to ensure confidentiality.