Long-Term Care Administrators' Perceptions of the Ombudsman Program in the State of Missouri

The presence of a long-term care ombudsman in a long-term care or nursing facility helps prevent abusive or neglectful situations before they start. Almost all Missouri long-term care facility administrators responding to the survey reported that they were aware of the ombudsman program; however, only half currently house an ombudsman in their facility. Respondents aware of the program were significantly more likely to currently accommodate an ombudsman in their facility, and those managing larger facilities were significantly more likely to currently have an ombudsman present. Given the numerous changes in the long-term care system, the need for more ombudsman advocates in this setting is crucial.     

A Survey of Grass Roots Advocacy Organizations for Nursing Home Residents

The aim of this study was to examine the role that grass roots advocacy organizations play in safeguarding nursing home residents. The article (1) describes citizen groups with respect to functions, structure, permanence, and assessment procedures; (2) examines the relationship between the grass roots groups and the official ombudsman programs; and (3) identifies distinctive models of citizen organizations. The findings suggest that these organizations provide supplemental manpower to the official ombudsman programs by increasing their capacity to carry out their oversight duties, circumventing political roadblocks and overcoming bureaucratic intertia, and improving program performance through their scrutiny, criticism, or presence as an alternative.     

Relationship of Facility Characteristics and Presence of an Ombudsman to Missouri Long-Term Care Facility State Inspection Report Results

This study analyzes existing data describing general facility characteristics, the presence of an ombudsman in the facility, and the number of deficiencies/violations reported for long-term care facilities in the state of Missouri. The model that predicted the rate of deficiencies/violations best was one that included the following characteristics: “contained more than 50 beds” and “considered a Skilled Nursing facility.” Findings suggest that the characteristics that are significantly associated with fewer deficiencies are larger size (more than 50 beds) and being classified as Skilled Nursing. While those facilities that housed an ombudsman were found to have fewer deficiencies per bed in the general analysis, further investigation found this to be an artifact mostly due to the higher rate of ombudsmen at larger facilities.     

Nursing home administrators' views of their own and volunteer resident advocates' enhancement of long-term care

Volunteers perform much of the work of federally mandated state ombudsman programs which may include review of resident care in nursing facilities to protect against abuse and neglect. Although volunteers' activities may take place in the nursing facility, Nursing Home Administrators' (NHAs) views of their work are seldom studied. Data from questionnaires completed by 199 NHAs predicted enhancement (improvement) of long-term care by volunteer resident advocates. Administrators also described their advice for improvement of care. NHAs' perceptions of residents' pleasure and families' satisfaction with volunteers' visits were associated with enhancement of long-term care. Effectiveness attributed to volunteers' protection of rights and resolution of complaints was not related to perceived enhancement of long-term care. Answers to a number of remaining questions could enhance the efforts of volunteers in ombudsman programs, improve long-term care, and diminish opportunities for abuse.     

Nursing home administrators' views of volunteers' work in an ombudsman program

This research investigated nursing home administrators' (NHAs) perceptions of visits of volunteers in an ombudsman program in relation to effectiveness and satisfaction. Unlike placements of other volunteers made at the behest of organizations, visits of volunteer advocates, which may be mandated and include evaluative assessments of care, usually do not occur at the invitation of NHAs. Yet, outcomes for administrators are not often studied. Despite research showing stress attributed to interaction with state agencies, questionnaire data from 196 NHAs indicated that more contact between volunteers and NHAs was associated with perceptions of greater effectiveness and satisfaction. Those who found visits infrequent and with little impact rated the work of volunteers as less effective and were less satisfied. Qualitative data describe unexpected benefits of visits that were internal and external to the facilities.     

The significance of definitions of success in program evaluation

In program evaluation, determining whether a program is reaching its goals is key to evaluating program success. Having an understanding of the stated goals of each organization within a system rather than simply knowing the formal system goals can aid in program development and inform policy making. Evaluability assessments were used initially as a means of learning how Philadelphia delinquency prevention programs define success. Subsequent surveys of programs were conducted to ascertain whether any changes in definitions of success had occurred. Examination of programs' definitions of success over time has facilitated program development and policy making.     

Trust, tenure insecurity, and land certification in rural Ethiopia

This paper assesses the impact of a land certification program in Ethiopia on the level of interpersonal and institutional trust among households in the Amhara region. The land certification program is designed to enhance land tenure security of farmers, by maintaining (egalitarian) status quo land distribution and equity concerns. The major contribution of the analysis lies in the exogenous nature of the program which addresses the endogeneity problems that characterize related studies, assessing the impact of policy related variables on trust. The effects of the land certification program on trust are identified both by the difference-in-difference approach and by non-parametrical analysis of average treatment effects. Overall trust is found to be enhanced by the certification program, with trust towards formal institutions being more responsive to the program than interpersonal trust. The major policy implication of the result is that trust could be invested on through policy changes regarding the economic betterment of societies.     

Sociology and the graduate program at the university of massachusetts-amherst

The Department of Sociology at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst offers a unique graduate program. The program is demanding but collegial, with faculty and students working together to produce mutually authored articles, monographs, and books. Many students concentrate their doctoral dissertations on applied topics, that is, social policy and evaluation research. These students are trained in theory and methods of sociology; their graduate training is the same as all other students in the program. Graduates have been well placed in the academy and in other occupational sectors.     

Connecting Policy to Practice

Abstract

Eight variables affect the policy process of the Section 8 housing program. An analysis of the eight variables allows for conceptualization of the factors influencing the shape and direction that Section 8 policy has taken through the course of history. Examining the variables of the Section 8 housing program can lead to an understanding of the program as a whole, the impact of the policy process on the recipients of the program, and the impact on social work practice. In addition, an understanding of these eight variables provides a useful heuristic for social workers engaged in policy changing activities.     

The nature and impact of population policy in Kenya

This paper examined the existence and impact of population policy in Kenya. The findings show that Kenya has adopted an antinatalist population policy which also aims at promoting balanced population distribution. This policy is, however, not well-designed and integrated. The demographic targets are often not specified or vague; the program measures are limited; and the policy does not encompass most geographical areas and subpopulation in terms of needs and resource endowments. There is need to reformulate the existing population policy in Kenya and make it well-designed and more rigorous. The policy must have set demographic targets to be achieved within specified time periods. The program measures must be broadened to include a wider range of factors directly and indirectly implied in a population resource equation at the present and in the future. Such a policy will achieve controlled population growth and balanced population distribution.     

Redefining the board's role in fiscal planning

Board approval of an operating budget, a traditional exercise of board authority, can trivialize board leadership and stultify managerial prerogatives. Considered within a new governance paradigm, conventional budget approval is not only unnecessary, but dysfunctional. This article argues that boards should proactively establish policy for financial planning and then require administrative budgeting throughout the year to meet the policy criteria. The result is that boards stay focused on the bigger issues, particularly program priorities and goals, leaving managers the authority to create and adjust budgets within policy boundaries.     

The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program and Complaints of Abuse and Neglect:

This historical summary demonstrates that concern about elder abuse and neglect in long-term care facilities has played a vital role in the development and expansion of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP). Some 15 years after the Older Americans Act mandated ombudsman services in all nursing homes, the 1989-1990 state LTCOP reports were analyzed for information about abuse and neglect of elders in nursing homes nationwide. Following a brief review of the nursing home abuse literature, this paper reports on the findings from the 1989-90 reports about complaints of abuse and neglect and their implications for future research.     

Mentoring Policy Research Organizations: Project Evaluation Results

The international community has identified a positive link between good governance and economic development. There is an increasing appreciation of the effective role that local policy research organizations (PROs) in transition and developing countries can play in providing evidence-based policy recommendations as the basis for sound legislation and in assessing the efficacy of existing programs. Capacity building programs for PROs are seen as a key component of growth strategies. The donor community has responded with support for such efforts, which take many forms. On the other hand, the evaluation of the effectiveness of these capacity building and mentoring programs has been inadequate. This article presents the evaluation of one program, focusing on two important capacity building program outcomes: improved research capacity and greater effectiveness in the policy arena. A reflexive design is used. The results suggest the program??s approach is promising.     

Who best represents the interests of the child in court?

Representation of children in judicial proceedings is a matter of public policy, but it is not funded. Court-appointed special advocates (CASA) are a low-cost way of providing this representation. The study reported here compares a CASA program to a staff attorney model, and reveals CASA's assets.     

The Canadian temporary visa programme as an alternative to the European guest worker scheme

This article analyzes Canada's employment visa program, through which foreigners enter the Canadian labor market for relatively short time periods. It further demonstrates some major differences between this policy and the European guest worker scheme. Governments in Western Europe viewed guest workers' benefits as preventing wages and inflation from rising, allowing profits and investments to increase, and sustaining economic growth. A question to consider is whether guest workers' demands on social services, in relation to their tax and other contributions, exceed those of the indigenous population and thus reduce their profitability. Canada, in contrast, has avoided the need to provide services for the children of foreign workers or jobs for their spouses by limiting visa length to a maximum of 1 year. The majority of employment visa holders to Canada enter without dependents. Another difference is the far smaller scope of the Canadian program. Canada's employment visa program provides only about 0.5% of total employment, whereas guest workers in European countries may comprise up to 23% (Switzerland). The occupations of service and teaching account for the majority of workers included in the Canadian visa program, while manufacturing subsumes a large share of European guest workers. It is important to stress that, with relatively low levels for permanent immigration to Canada, the employment visa program rivals that flow as a yearly contributor to labor supply, indicating a need for closer attention to the evaluation of this policy.     

Social Media Policy in Social Work Education: A Review and Recommendations

Although social media use has grown dramatically, program policies have not kept pace. Some programs now state that student social media activities have led to professional conduct reviews and may violate ethical standards. This article reviews current social media policies and conceptualizes their key elements. A review of current social media policies is reported, pointing to the need for further policy development. Six domains of a social media policy are identified: understanding social media, ethical and legal obligations, implications of one’s personal and professional online presence, institutional obligations to the program and agency, productivity implications, and possible consequences for violations of the policy. A model social media policy is detailed, and unresolved issues are identified.     

Sixty years of “peaceful liberation” at the Tibet Museum in Lhasa: triumphant modernization at the rooftop of the world

In recent years, China has developed an increasingly ambitious public diplomacy program to enhance its soft power abroad. Although several scholars have sought to assess the effects of this program, little attention has been paid to the Chinese governmental conception of soft power and its use in propaganda. This article explores how the state's view of soft power is transformed into policy through the cultural bureaucracy and, conversely, how it limits the program's effectiveness. The article concludes that the limited success of soft power is due to the following main factors. First, although China's public diplomacy programs are planned and implemented in ways that reflect its domestic cultural policy, they are rarely successful even in their home markets. Second, China's conception of soft power focuses on top-down, State-centered image management, thereby overlooking the relational and context-dependent aspects of soft power.     

The potential of the SSI program to reduce poverty among the elderly

Is it more effective to reduce poverty among the elderly by increasing the benefits paid by the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program or by increasing eligibility for the program? This paper answers that question from a policymaker's perspective. At given program cost levels, we compare the potential reduction in poverty from increasing benefit levels to the potential reduction associated with a variety of policy proposals that would increase eligibility for the program. This paper employs a microsimulation model containing an eligibility and benefits calculator, a participation model, and an optimization algorithm. The data are from the Survey of Income and Program Participation supplemented by the administrative records of the SSI program. The results show that increasing eligibility by relaxing the restrictions of the means tests can be more effective in reducing poverty than raising benefit levels.     

Symbolic Interaction,Public Policy,the Really Really Other,and Human Terrain System Training

I discuss the relevance of symbolic interaction to a misunderstood public policy program, the Human Terrain System.     

Unpacking intergenerational (IG) programs for policy implications: A systematic review of the literature

Intergenerational care is a program where both the younger and older generations are receiving programmed care in an environment where activities and resources are shared between them. Anecdotally, an intergenerational care program takes on many forms. This paper presents a systematic literature review of intergenerational care models. Our findings are relevant to policy makers as the paper highlights the opportunities to create an age-friendly environment by introducing intergenerational models in Australia, where intergenerational care development is in its infancy. Future research will help articulate the personal, social, and economic value of intergenerational care.