Independence in assisted living

The aims of this study were to understand the meaning of independence for residents of assisted living and to identify factors influencing the operationalization of independence in this setting. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 17 providers and 55 residents in 17 assisted-living facilities in Georgia. Data were analyzed by using the grounded theory method. Findings show that assisted-living residents retained a strong value for independence and that independence had multiple dimensions of meaning. Whereas independence in most cases was reduced to performing everyday activities of daily living (ADLs), the multidimensional nature of meaning allowed residents with significant disability both to continue to perceive themselves as independent and to find satisfaction in their remaining abilities. Resident self-care requires significant effort from both residents and providers, but it also has far-reaching potential to help residents maintain intact identities and may hold the key to extending their stay in the assisted-living facility (ALF) environment.     

Irregular Four-level Response Surface Designs

Four-level response surface designs based on regular two-level fractional factorial designs were introduced by Edmondson (1991). Here, the methods are extended to include designs based on irregular two-level fractional factorials. These designs allow orthogonal blocking and require fewer experimental units than the regular designs.     

Career or family: What choices do college women have?

Much has been written about the problems of combining job and family. Among the best-known scholarly works is Goldin’s (1997) study in which she found that only 12–17 percent of college-educated women managed to attain both a career and a family. We re-examine these conclusions, first duplicating Goldin’s definitions of career but using a somewhat older group, then using alternate definitions of career. We reach far more optimistic conclusions about what lies ahead for today’s college women.     

Collaborating to Focus on Children in Australian Social Work Education

Social work educators across the world are engaged in developing a curriculum that prepares students to be effective practitioners in a range of settings that involve working with children. This paper reflects on collaborative strategies and research that have influenced the child wellbeing content of social work courses in Australia. It presents a critical analysis of the tensions and challenges that can occur in (this) collaborative work. It then discusses an outcome of this advocacy to influence the child wellbeing content of social work education, an undergraduate module aimed at increasing students' knowledge and skills in communicating with children. This paper argues that Indigenous children (such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children) are over-represented in child protection systems and out-of-home care services, and that this needs to be acknowledged and given increased attention in the education of social work students internationally.     

“They are the reason I come to work”: The meaning of resident–staff relationships in assisted living

This article aims to provide understanding of how direct care workers (DCWs) in assisted living facilities (ALFs) interpret their relationships with residents and to identify factors that influence the development, maintenance, quality, and meaning of these relationships. Qualitative methods were used to study two ALFs (35 and 75 beds) sequentially over seven months. Researchers conducted in-depth interviews with 5 administrative staff and 38 DCWs and conducted 243 h of participant observation during a total of 99 visits. Data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Results showed that the emotional aspect of caregiving provides meaning to DCWs through both the satisfaction inherent in relationships and through the effect of relationships on care outcomes. Within the context of the wider community and society, multiple individual- and facility-level factors influence DCW strategies to create and manage relationships and carry out care tasks and ultimately find meaning in their work. These meanings affect their job satisfaction and retention.     

Block designs for random treatment effects

A Bayesian design criterion for selection experiments in plant breeding is derived using a utility function that minimizes the risk of an incorrect selection. A prior distribution on the heritability parameter is used to complete the definition of the design optimality criterion. An example is given with evaluations of the criterion for different prior distributions on the heritability. Though coming from a genetic motivation this criterion should prove useful for any other types of experiments with random treatment effects.     

The Influence of Ethical Reasoning on Leader Effectiveness

In making decisions about ethical issues for their organizations, effective nonprofit executives differ substantially from ineffective nonprofit executives according to the study reported here.     

Values and rights: Content and form in social work education and practice

Social Work values have been the subject of extensive discussion relating to interpretation and their application in practice. A new discourse of rights now demands attention. It is argued that social work educators have not caught up with the central importance of rights. They have, as a consequence, failed to examine the difference between values and rights, and the importance of maintaining a balance between beliefs and compliance. This article argues that an analysis of the relationship between values and rights, and an awareness of the ways in which they crucially influence practice are vital to shaping the activity of social work in a world where, some have suggested, social work has become post-modern.