Unmet needs at the end of life: perceptions of hospice social workers

Among persons at the end of life, it is important to understand whether the needs of patients are being adequately addressed. In particular, in hospice settings where the emphasis is on comfort care and quality of life, we know little about the presence of unmet needs. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of hospice social workers in working with hospice patients who had unmet needs at the end of life. Surveys were mailed to hospice social workers (N = 212) in two Southeastern states with a response rate of 36%. Results revealed that hospice social workers perceived patients to experience a wide variety of unmet needs-more commonly at the time of admission than during subsequent patient interactions. The most common unmet need reported at both times was a decreased ability to participate in activities that make life enjoyable. In situations where unmet needs exist, social workers reported that the most common perceived reasons were patient- related psychosocial issues and family conflict/issues. Additionally, a variety of interventions were used to address unmet needs, but a large number of barriers appear to impact outcomes in the cases. Results suggest that hospice patients experience a number of unmet needs, many of which are potentially treatable problems and concerns. Hospice professionals must continue to seek ways to assess and intervene effectively with patients who have unmet needs.     

Assessment and implications of social withdrawal in early childhood: A first look at social avoidance

The goals of the present research were to: (a) develop and provide preliminary validation of a parent‐rated measure of social avoidance in early childhood; and (b) to evaluate a conceptual model of the direct and indirect links among young children's social withdrawal (shyness, unsociability, social avoidance), peer problems, and indices of internalizing problems (social anxiety, depression). Participants were N = 564 children (272 boys, 292 girls; M _age = 67.29 mos, SD = 11.70) attending kindergarten and Grade 1 classes in public schools in southeastern Ontario, Canada. A new subscale assessing social avoidance was added to an existing parent‐rated measure of children's social withdrawal. Indices of children's socioemotional functioning were provided by parents and teachers. Among the results, the revised measure of multiple forms of social withdrawal demonstrated good psychometric properties, moderate stability 16 months later, and evidence of validity. Shyness, unsociability, and social avoidance also displayed differential patterns of associations with indices of children's socioemotional functioning. Results are discussed in terms of the assessment and implications of different forms of social withdrawal in early childhood.     

Job satisfaction of social workers in senior welfare centres in South Korea: the effects of individual,client and organisational factors

This study investigates the individual, client and organisational factors that affect the job satisfaction of social workers employed by senior welfare centres in Korea. The data were collected from 130 social workers in senior welfare centres and subjected to hierarchical multiple regression analysis. The job satisfaction of social workers in senior welfare centres was influenced by their self-efficacy, positive attitude to older adults, their relationships with colleagues, and supervision. Ways to improve the job satisfaction of social workers are discussed.     

On the difficulty of making social choices

The difficulty of making social choices seems to take on two forms: one that is related to both preferences and the method used in aggregating them and one which is related to the preferences only. In the former type the difficulty has to do with the discrepancies of outcomes resulting from various preference aggregation methods and the computation of winners in elections. Some approaches and results which take their motivation from the computability theory are discussed. The latter institution-free type of difficulty pertains to solution theory of the voting games. We discuss the relationships between various solution concepts, e.g. uncovered set, Banks set, Copeland winners. Finally rough sets are utilized in an effort to measure the difficulty of making social choices.     

Sharing the care: the qualities sought of social workers by foster carers

Given that foster carers are a scarce resource it is essential that every effort is made to retain their services. This paper considers the role played by social workers in this endeavour. The results reported here form part of larger study, involving seven local authorities, concerned with the wider issues of supporting foster placements. The paper describes the qualities sought of social workers by foster carers and discusses the relationship between these qualities and the likelihood that carers will continue fostering. It was found that carers are highly satisfied with the job of fostering, are committed to it and view social workers as a vital source of support. Promoting good relationships between social workers and foster carers is therefore an important element in any strategy that aims to retain good foster carers.     

Public perceptions of social workers and social work in the Republic of Croatia

Throughout the war and the post-war period, the field of social work in Croatia has developed at an accelerated rate. The involvement and assistance from international agencies and individuals created numerous fora for exchange, collaboration and mutual learning among all the helping professions. The research process represented a collaborative effort of faculty, lecturers and students in the Study Center for Social Work in the University of Zagreb's Faculty of Law. The sample was convenient, composed mainly of the urban population of Croatia. The instrument consists of two main parts, one regarding the content of a social worker's work, and the other regarding the attitudes toward that profession. We believe that the results of our study demonstrate that social work, as a profession, is relatively well known among the citizens of Croatia. Those markers pertaining to the attitude towards social work profession, which are negative in nature, are ranked by our participants as lowest in importance on the scale.     

Inside the interdisciplinary team experiences of hospice social workers

Interdisciplinary teamwork is the foundation for the delivery of hospice care. This project interviewed 23 hospice social workers by telephone to explore their experiences with hospice team collaboration. Two research questions were explored: (1) What do social workers perceive as the strengths of interdisciplinary collaboration and (2) What are the challenges for social workers on interdisciplinary hospice teams? Participants identified issues related to team process, administrative processes, and barriers to effective team collaboration. Collaboration was said to be fostered by good communication, trust, roles, joint visitation, respect, team building activities, and administrative interest and support. Challenges to collaboration included large caseloads, a focus on the medical model, limited visits, personality and team conflict. Opportunities for improved collaboration between social workers and hospice team members exist through active evaluation of collaboration and strategic initiatives aimed at improving collaboration.     

The political participation of social workers: a comparative study

This article reports on a comparative study that examined the political participation of social workers in KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa, the state of New South Wales (excluding the Hunter region) in Australia, and New Zealand. Each of these contexts had roughly the same number of social workers, that is, approximately 1,200. It was found that social workers in New Zealand tended to be more politically active than their counterparts in New South Wales and KwaZulu-Natal, and the reasons for this are examined. In the process, New Zealand is presented as a case study of the way in which social work has responded to its political context. Finally, conclusions are drawn as to the engagement of social workers in the policy cycle and of the need for them to become more active politically.     

Moral distress among social workers: The role of insufficient resources

The present study examined moral distress among Finnish social workers and the role of perceived resource insufficiencies in explaining it. The aim was to shed light on this understudied phenomenon in the field of social welfare. The study focused on work‐related moral distress, defined as impaired wellbeing that is connected to the continual inability to implement actions that one considers morally appropriate. The survey data were collected with an electronic questionnaire between the years 2011 and 2012. The respondents (n = 817) were social workers in the public social welfare services and the overall response rate was 46.5 per cent. Nearly 11 per cent of the respondents reported experiencing moral distress and perceived resource insufficiencies strongly explained this experience. Moreover, social workers with moral distress reported that they were less willing to continue in their post, were more frequently on sick leave and had positive work‐related experiences less often than their colleagues who did not experience moral distress. Key Practitioner Message: ● The concept of moral distress is useful in describing the experiences of social welfare workers when they are unable to practise their profession according to their moral code and the emotional burden related to this inability; ● Perceived resource insufficiencies are strongly associated with experiences of moral distress among frontline social workers; ● Social workers experiencing moral distress are less willing to continue in their work, take sick leave more often and less frequently have positive experiences related to their work.     

Services for disabled children: integrating the perspective of social workers

The paper addresses questions about the appropriate focus and direction of social work with disabled children, by triangulating parental views with those of social workers. Previous studies concerning services for disabled children have concentrated either on the views of parents or, less often, on those of service providers. This study adds to the picture by linking the two together and allowing service providers to comment on the views of service users. Parents of nine disabled children were inter-viewed following the introduction of a specialist disability team in an inner city borough, following the implementation of the Children Act 1989. The interviews took place over a 9-month period in 1995, and the comments of parents were then shared with social workers both from the borough concerned and from elsewhere. The parents' views reflect confusion about service provision, ignorance of their children's legal (as opposed to moral) rights, a preference for proactive service provision and the need for emotional as well as material support, the last framed variously as counselling, advice and someone to listen. There was little evidence that the Children Act, which could have facilitated improvements in all these areas, had made any discernible difference. Social workers' comments on these findings, with which they identified strongly, revealed a lack of confidence in their own abilities, a lack of clarity in their role and increasing disillusion with the services of their organizations. It is argued that in order to meet parents' expressed needs, service providers require a confident and fundamental shift in emphasis back to the role of social worker as provider as well as enabler.     

我国公共项目投资决策模型研究

我国公共项目依据建设规模可分为中央和地方两个决策层次,决策主体呈多元化。目前,公共项目决策存在决策主体的短视行为,项目决策的标准单一,决策程序不完善以及决策缺乏约束等问题。应该通过明确决策主体,实施多元化的决策标准,执行严格的决策程序,扩大决策参与及建立约束制度来完善公共项目的决策。     

Health and distress in social workers: Results of a national survey

Abstract

This study investigated the physical and emotional health status of professional social workers as well as their levels of distress. The results of this national survey of 668 randomly selected NASW‐member social workers indicated that while most were healthy and satisfied with work and relationships, 17% experienced distress, defined as substance abuse, emotional problems, and/or physical illness. The distressed social workers were more likely to experience difficulties in many areas of their lives, including dissatisfaction with work and low self‐esteem. Some of the social workers reported seeking help for personal/ emotional problems, but very few sought help for alcohol/other drug problems.     

Assisting older victims of disasters: roles and responsibilities for social workers

The tumultuous catastrophic tragedies of the Oklahoma bombing in 1995 and September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon have caused urgency for the profession of social work to be ready to respond to unexpected crises whether directed to an individual, group, or nation. While there has always been the possibility of tragedies in the U.S. caused by nature (so-called "acts of God") or the spontaneous or planned acts of criminals or the deranged, the increased awareness of catastrophes includes, as never before, disasters that are perpetrated by terrorist acts from within or outside of the U.S. The creation of the Department of Homeland Security, in 2003, underscores the need for awareness and for preparation on the part of the nation. Based upon its skills and values, social workers have significant roles to play in the face of potential and actual disasters; yet, gerontological social workers have additional responsibilities for addressing the needs of older persons. It is the purpose of this article to provide an overview of issues to be considered by social workers, in general, and gerontological social workers, in particular, with regard to preparation for possible disasters and the consequences from such catastrophes that affect older persons.     

Mosaic of difference: enhancing culturally competent aging-related knowledge among social workers

The professional literature has not adequately addressed the behavioral and social factors that contribute to different coping outcomes for African American elder caregivers as compared to non African Americans. Awareness and understanding of these unique experiences would better prepare professionals to work with such clients. This study examines the predictors of emotional distress among 46 African American women who provide care to dependent elderly parents. Multivariate statistical analyses show that elder caregivers' rating of quality of life, their years of caregiving, as well are their poor heath constitute significant predictors of risk for depression. The results of the study provide support for the inclusion of more culturally appropriate measures of caregiver distress, and provide insights to inform social work practice, policy and research concerning African American female elder caregivers in the 21st century.     

The development and management of social workers in Ethiopia: A situational analysis

Social protection has become a policy of choice to address rising vulnerabilities and inequalities in Africa. Successful implementation of social protection polices requires proliferation of competent social workers. This article first abstracts elements of an emerging international norm in a comprehensive system for the development and management of social workers and then reviews the extent to which Ethiopia has introduced these elements. It reveals that Ethiopia is in a very early stage in putting in place almost all identified elements of such a system. Recent measures that the Ethiopian government is taking to address this gap are highlighted by way of conclusion.