Delivering Health Care to Aborigines

The people have the right and duty to participate individually and collectively in the planning and implementation of their health care.¹     

The double victim: The sexually abused child and the judicial system

The American judical system continues to dampen the willingness of juvenile victims of sexual abuse to testify against their alleged abuser. A recent example of this continuing double victimization appears in the U.S. Supreme Court decision ofCoy v. Iowa (1988). The rights of minor sexual abuse victims are explored through case law, statutes, legal literature and historical references as they impact the minor during the judicial process. It is difficult to achieve justice for sexually abused children in a judicial system designed for adults; thus, the sexually abused child remains a double victim in our contemporary judicial system.     

The importance of selected housing features at various stages of the life cycle

The spatial environment of the home is an important factor in the consideration of satisfactory housing for families. With the increasing demand for housing, it has become common to simply provide the basic structure without addressing the various wants and needs of individuals and families. It is the purpose of the study reported here to evaluate the importance of specific housing features based on stage in the family lifecycle. Results show that those features with the highest importance involve low maintenance, aesthetics, and environmental quality. Implications for home designers, educators, and consumers are discussed.Kathleen Ann Lodl is an Instructor in the Department of Consumer Science and Education, 128 Home Economics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583-0801. Her research interests include housing design, residential alterations, and female-headed households. She is currently working on a Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska.Betsy S. Gabb is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Textiles, Clothing and Design, 226 Home Economics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, NE 68583-0802. Her research interests include housing design and residential space use. She received her Ed.D. from the University of Nebraska.E. Raedene Combs is a Professor in the Department of Consumer Science and Education, 134 Home Economics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583-0801. Her research interests include housing designs for special populations and families at risk. She received her Ph.D. from Purdue University.     

Death in Public Child Welfare

Child welfare workers are in a unique position to help children and youth in out-of-home care who have experienced the death of a significant person. This article discusses the response of children to death from a developmental perspective and offers suggestions on how child welfare workers can use an ecological perspective to help youngsters cope with their grief.     

Letting Go: A Mother's View

Parents whose son or daughter has a mental handicap face a difficult decision about when is the right time to 'let go'. Many are highly ambivalent, torn between their own wish to keep their son or daughter with them and their concern that he or she might need to leave home in order to develop greater independence. Making the break raises fundamental questions about relationships within the family and family members' needs for one another. This article explores these questions through the use of an interview with one mother, whose son had left home two years earlier. Some comments on the issues raised are also provided, including some recommendations for local practice.