Hoarding cases involving older adults: the transition from a private matter to the public sector

Hoarding interventions with older adults require significant resources from multiple public agencies, yet recidivism occurs frequently. To improve services through better coordination, some communities have formed multiagency hoarding teams (MAHT), which include aging services. MAHTs requested this mixed methods study to understand the progression of cases through the public sector. Quantitative data collected on 52 cases involving adults ages 60+ identified steps in this process. Qualitative data collected from MAHT members were the basis for case studies illustrating the progression of cases through the public sector. Findings have implications for social workers involved in local service coordination, training, and policy.     

African Students in America: Reconstructing new meanings of "African American" in urban education

The presence of newly arrived students from countries on the continent of Africa poses specific challenges for inner-city schools, but their presence also provides the unprecedented opportunity to bring African and African American students together around their shared heritage and to restore connections that were severed long ago by slavery. In many school settings with African and African American students, strained relations are the norm. Myths, misperceptions and negative stereotypes keep these two groups of students apart. Regrettably, negative stereotypes about Africans and about African Americans are reinforced, rather than acknowledged as pernicious, at school, at home and by the media. Afrocentricity, a theory that situates people of African descent as subjects, not objects, promotes the importance of knowing one's history and culture, and delineates the elements of the African worldview, can be an effective tool for building positive relationships between these two groups. Afrocentric activities were used to help students develop a shared understanding of their common heritage and values. Results of this study indicate that, by providing positive images of Africa, Africans and African Americans, and by giving the students the opportunity to develop a new understanding of their shared history and culture, both groups of students benefited and their relations improved. Some of the benefits the students mentioned include respect for self and others of African descent, new friendships, a new interest in Africa, and the courage to learn more about Africa, Africans and African Americans.     

Show Me the Way to go Home: A Narrative Review of the Literature on Delayed Hospital Discharges and Older People

Correspondence to Jon Glasby, Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham, Park House, 40 Edgbaston Park Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2RT, UK. E-mail J.Glasby{at}bham.ac.uk Summary This Research Note reports findings from a narrative reviewof the literature on the rate and cause of delayed hospitaldischarge in the UK. In addition to summarizing our knowledgeto date in this important area, the Research Note raises a seriesof questions about aspects of current hospital discharge policyand practice (and in particular, the recent reimbursement policyto charge social services departments for delayed discharges).     

Approaches to worker rehabilitation by occupational and physical therapists in the United States: factors impacting practice

Work-related rehabilitation services have changed in nature and scope since their inception in the late 1970s. A review of the literature reveals a large body of published data concerning the various approaches used by therapists in this practice area, but a limited number of comparison studies documenting the value of one approach over the other. This national survey of physical and occupational therapists in the US was conducted in 2002, and examined the prevailing trends in service provision, and factors that determine the nature of services provided to clients. Results indicate that services continue the move to onsite service provision and an emphasis on prevention, but that select services, such as onsite job analysis and comprehensive, inter-disciplinary programs are being used to a limited degree. Research that examines the relative contributions of selected work-related services to successful and efficient return to work outcomes is necessary to identify best practice approaches. Therapists and insurance providers should work more closely in exchange of data that will ensure optimal program design and funding.     

Disaster impact and recovery: what children and young people can tell us

Christchurch's earthquakes revealed children's vulnerability to disaster but also their ability to respond and play an active role in recovery. We argue that children's voices need to be heard and given priority in the recovery process because the disaster impacts on them and their families in ways that are not recognised or well understood. We report the findings of a study undertaken with 94 Christchurch children. Its aim was to give voice to children's experiences of post-earthquake Christchurch and in doing so contribute to post-disaster recovery. The experiences of these Christchurch children offer other children, parents, government and agencies valuable insights into how to manage the recovery process in ways that best meet children's needs. In the post-disaster recovery period, decision-makers need to recognise children as authentic actors in the recovery process and should commit to hearing children's voices throughout the rebuilding. Children and young people's resilience and positive commitment to Christchurch are assets that should be capitalised on in the longer-term recovery process.     

Missed Opportunities in the Patient-Focused Drug Development Public Meeting and Scientific Workshop on Female Sexual Dysfunction Held at the FDA,October 2014

There were numerous missed opportunities at the October 2014 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) meeting on female sexual dysfunction (FSD). They included opportunities to hear from a diverse range of patients and to engage in evidence-based discussions of unmet medical needs, diagnostic instruments, trial end points, and inclusion criteria for clinical trials. Contributions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) nomenclature, based on extensive research, were dismissed in favor of language favoring a seemingly clear but scientifically unsupportable distinction between women's sexual desire and arousal. Numerous participants, including patients recruited by their physicians, acknowledged travel expenses paid for by interested pharmaceutical companies. Conflicts of interest were manifold. The meeting did not advance the FDA's understanding of women's sexual distress and represents a setback for our field.     

Barriers to a healthy lifestyle post gestational-diabetes: An Australian qualitative study

Background

Overseas-born-women from certain ethnicities are at high risk of type-2 diabetes and related metabolic disorders. This study explored the barriers and facilitators to long-term healthy lifestyle recommendations among Australian-born and overseas-born-women who attended health promotion sessions at a tertiary Australian Hospital for gestational diabetes 3–4 years previously.

Lessons learned implementing community‐based comprehensive case management for families surviving homicide

Family members of homicide victims often experience a wide range of adverse reactions to the homicide. This study reports on the Traumatic Loss Response Team, a project conducted by a community‐based, mental‐health agency to provide comprehensive case‐management services to meet homicide survivors' complex needs. To conduct the study, we abstracted service/process data from open client cases in 2013 (most recent year with available data) and conducted interviews with the project's implementing agencies. Interviews revealed both initial challenges and factors facilitating successful implementation. Main challenges to overcome included gaining credibility and trust from police and issues around overlap of services provided to families by numerous agencies that may become involved in a homicide. Partners view the project providing a range of important services to families, including intermediary/buffer between families and police. Concerning service data, of the 131 cases open in 2013, most were referred directly by police and involved community violence, an adult victim and a firearm. Most of the 164 clients receiving services were female, adult, African‐American and parents of the deceased. Grief support was the most common of numerous services provided. We hope that this study will catalyse sharing of similar data and experiences among organizations providing services to homicide survivors.     

CHANGING CHARACTERISTICS OF WOMEN ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCILS IN AUSTRALIA: 1982 – 1993

Between 1982 and 1993 the number of women serving on local government councils, the political arena in which women have been most successful, more than doubled. Data from two Australia wide surveys, one in 1982, the other in 1993, indicate that in the period between the two studies there were also some significant changes in the characteristics of women entering local government, with the 1993 respondents better educated and more likely to be in the paid workforce than their earlier counterparts. Some aspects of the commonly held stereotype of female councillors as middle aged, middle class housewives with adult children are challenged by these data, particularly with respect to workforce participation. While this indicates that female councillors are in some ways more heterogeneous than the stereotype suggests, their characteristics remain unrepresentative of those of many women in the community. This paper attempts to provide a picture of women who serve on local government councils, drawing on survey data collected Australia wide in 1982 and 1993. It examines the extent to which the characteristics of female councillors have changed over the period between the two surveys and the extent to which these women conform to the commonly held stereotype of women in local government, and considers the relevance of this to the issue of representation.