Suchergebnisse

We live in an information society, or so we are often told. But what does that mean? This volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series offers a concise, informal account of the ways in which information and society are related and of our ever-increasing dependence on a complex multiplicity of messages, records, documents, and data. Using information in its everyday, nonspecialized sense, Michael Buckland explores the influence of information on what we know, the role of communication and recorded information in our daily lives, and the difficulty (or ease) of finding information. He shows that all this involves human perception, social behavior, changing technologies, and issues of trust. Buckland argues that every society is an "information society"; a "non-information society" would be a contradiction in terms. But the shift from oral and gestural communication to documents, and the wider use of documents facilitated by new technologies, have made our society particularly information intensive. Buckland describes the rising flood of data, documents, and records, outlines the dramatic long-term growth of documents, and traces the rise of techniques to cope with them. He examines the physical manifestation of information as documents, the emergence of data sets, and how documents and data are discovered and used. He explores what individuals and societies do with information; offers a basic summary of how collected documents are arranged and described; considers the nature of naming; explains the uses of metadata; and evaluates selection methods, considering relevance, recall, and precision.

"A concise, informal account of the ways in which information and society are related, and of our ever-increasing dependence on a complex multiplicity of messages, records, documents, and data

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore and compare the motivations and expectations that older people have when choosing to move into either a private or housing association (HA) extra care housing (ECH) scheme, and any effects this had on its residents.


Design/methodology/approach
This qualitative study is based on findings from four HA schemes in Tower Hamlets, London, and one private scheme in Warwickshire. Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with five women and three men of varying backgrounds, from schemes managed by different associations and companies. Interview transcripts were coded and analysed thematically.


Findings
All residents moved into ECH in response to deteriorating health. However, almost all residents had felt obliged to move by others, generally their children. Few residents had any expectations of ECH on arrival, but many developed high expectations of an increased sense of independence and security and of an improved social life. ECH appeared to be beneficial for residents' health and well-being.


Research limitations/implications
The inability to recruit an equal number of people from HA and private scheme, alongside the small sample size, may compromise the external validity of any conclusions drawn from any comparisons.


Practical implications
This research identifies a lack of knowledge about ECH among the general population and offers insight into areas of poor management within ECH schemes which could be improved.


Social implications
Inadequacies in the ECH model could be attributed to failures in the current health and social care system. Differences between expectations and perceptions of HA vs private schemes should be acknowledged and responded to.


Originality/value
This is a rare example of research exploring the relationships between ECH residents' motivations and expectations (Hillcoat-Nallétamby and Sardani, 2019), and between those in HA vs private schemes.

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence that volunteering before medical school with older people in a care home has on the perceptions of older people.


Design/methodology/approach
Eight medical students answered an anonymous questionnaire relating to their experiences of volunteering in a care home before medical school. This was combined with an analysis of the relevant literature.


Findings
All the students had initially volunteered to enhance their CV for medical school. After volunteering, they had a greater realisation of the variety of older people. They also gained a number of transferable skills related to communicating with older people, especially those with cognitive impairment. The greatest learning experience was around the issues to do with dementia.


Research limitations/implications
The research is based on eight students although they were from different areas.


Practical implications
It would be beneficial if care homes could be more proactive in encouraging prospective medical students to volunteer. Medical schools could also provide clearer advice or take a more active stance such as encouraging prospective students to volunteer with older people. Further research should be with a larger sample to gain insight into varying perspectives. It would also be useful to conduct research into older adults' attitudes towards the contribution of potential medical students to their own lives and to the home.


Social implications
Volunteering before medical school should be encouraged as it will enhance the chances of getting a place as well as being an eye opening experience and equip them with lifelong skills.


Originality/value
Original.