Suchergebnisse

I entered a doctoral program in social work to better understand how to use applied research to address emergent social issues. This case will describe the process of choosing and employing a methodology (ultimately a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods) to answer a newly emergent social question, "Who will care for people in the community who are no longer able to exercise decision-making capacity for themselves?" I knew of a program that recruited and trained volunteers to provide legal guardianship services to people in their community who were no longer able to make important decisions about their lives. Without assistance, people who have illnesses such as Alzheimer's disease may neglect their own health and safety and may jeopardize the safety of people in their community. Assuming legal guardianship is a very responsible task. Most people who chose to volunteer would prefer a less burdensome task, such as coaching, physical therapist assistant (PTA) work, or assisting with a fundraiser. I wanted to understand who accepted this very responsible volunteer task, why they chose to do this, and why they continued in this capacity. Understanding the demographic characteristics and motivations of these volunteers may help to replicate this program in other areas. This case study will help students understand the process of choosing a methodology that will address the research questions and how to engage both an academic audience and the public audience including the research participants in this study.

In her calm, carefully reasoned perspective on place, Andrea Jones focuses on the familiar details of country life balanced by the larger responsibilities that come with living outside an urban boundary. Neither an environmental manifesto nor a prodevelopment defense, Between Urban and Wild operates partly on a practical level, partly on a naturalist's level. Jones reflects on life in two homes in the Colorado Rockies, first in Fourmile Canyon in the foothills west of Boulder, then near Cap Rock Ridge in central Colorado. Whether negotiating territory with a mountain lion, balancing her observations of the predatory nature of pygmy owls against her desire to protect a nest of nuthatches, working to reduce her property's vulnerability to wildfire while staying alert to its inherent risks during fire season, or decoding the distinct personalities of her horses, she advances the tradition of nature writing by acknowledging the effects of sprawl on a beloved landscape. Although not intended as a manual for landowners, Between Urban and Wild nonetheless offers useful and engaging perspectives on the realities of settling and living in a partially wild environment. Throughout her ongoing journey of being home, Jones's close observations of the land and its native inhabitants are paired with the suggestion that even small landholders can act to protect the health of their properties. Her brief meditations capture and honor the subtleties of the natural world while illuminating the importance of working to safeguard it. Probing the contradictions of a lifestyle that burdens the health of the land that she loves, Jones's writing is permeated by her gentle, earnest conviction that living at the urban-wild interface requires us to set aside self-interest, consider compromise, and adjust our expectations and habits-to accommodate our surroundings rather than

Choosing to volunteer one's time in service to another is one of life's selfless endeavors. Social work practice often intersects with volunteers. Many social workers volunteer their time. Yet, when volunteerism is studied from a quantitative framework, findings may overlook what is so special in this prosocial act, the voices of the volunteers. This article reports on the qualitative findings in a pilot mixed methods research study exploring a group of volunteers who chose to assist incapacitated older and disabled adults in their community by acting as their legal guardians. Volunteer legal guardianship may serve as the only guardian option in many localities, and may be greatly needed as our population ages. Qualitative data from 15 first and second individual interviews ( n = 12) were analyzed using a thematic analysis process. Findings indicated a strong humanitarian and civic interest in helping their neighbors in their community. Moreover, volunteers performed a wide variety of tasks in their capacity as guardians along a continuum related to their professional background and skills, an important finding relative to informing recruitment and retention strategies. Volunteer guardians trained in human service–related professions tended to require little information or support throughout the process. Those without human service training tended to request more information and support. However, many became increasingly independent in the task as their experience and competence grew. Additional implications include an understanding of this previously unexplored volunteer task, which may encourage use of and support training of volunteer guardians in aging and allied services.

OBJECTIVES: Policy and legislation that prohibits workplace harassment and discrimination, including that which is disability related, has been in place in Canada for many years. The study objective was to examine associations between disability and workplace harassment and discrimination in the current Canadian context, as well as the intersection of disability with age, gender, and ethnicity. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from the 2014 Canadian Public Service Employee Survey was analyzed (n = 175,742) using logistic regression to investigate the relationship between self-reported disability and workplace harassment and discrimination in the last 2 years. Age, gender, and ethnicity were included as potential confounders and effect modifiers. Additive and multiplicative effect modifications were examined using linear binomial and logistic regression, respectively. RESULTS: Overall, 18 and 8% of the sample of Canadian public service employees reported workplace harassment and discrimination, respectively. The prevalence was higher for workers with disability (37 and 26%). Disability was significantly associated with an increased odds of harassment (odds ratio (OR) = 2.80; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.68–2.92) and discrimination (OR = 4.97; 95% CI, 4.72–5.23) in models adjusted for confounders. Significant positive additive effect modification was observed for (1) age in the harassment and discrimination models and (2) ethnicity in the discrimination model. CONCLUSION: Findings from a 2014 census of the Canadian federal public service suggest that additional efforts are needed to address workplace harassment and discrimination beyond those already in place. Consideration should be given to workers with disability, as well as the intersectional impacts for older workers, visible minorities, and Aboriginal peoples.

Hunger in the United States has become commonplace. Food pantries are now regularly used by millions of people. Once thought to be used by the destitute, today they are frequented by families, students, the elderly people who hold full-time jobs, and people who thought they would never have to seek assistance to have enough to eat. Viewing food pantries as a major foodways resource, this study focuses on how a New England food pantry seeks to give not just food but also integrity, respect, and hope. It employed a client satisfaction survey as part of an evaluation of the effectiveness of their food pantry and used the data for organizational transformation. This study shows how organizations can destigmatize the requesting food process and provide services in a humane way that treats hungry people as neighbors and friends, not burdens and failures.

Mental health research projects address sensitive issues for vulnerable populations and are implemented in complex environments. Community-Based Participatory Research approaches are recommended for health research on vulnerable populations, but little is known about how variation in participation affects outcomes of partnered research projects. We developed a conceptual model demonstrating the impact of community engagement in research on outcomes of partnered projects. We collected data on key constructs from community and academic leaders of 21 sampled partnered research projects in two cycles of an NIMH research center. We conducted empirical analyses to test the model. Our findings suggest that community engagement in research is positively associated with perceived professional development, as well as political and community impact.

Community partners and stakeholders currently engaged in community part­nered participatory research (CPPR) can provide personal and professional insight into the processes and outcomes sur­rounding the CPPR model. This insight may indicate alternative solutions or methods of care delivery that can improve the model and existing interventions. We conducted in-person and phone inter­views with five community partners who are currently involved in CPPR. The inter­views were audio- and video-recorded, transcribed, and major themes identified. Interviewees recounted their experiences with CPPR and reported various levels of personal (ie, behavioral) and professional growth as a result of their involvement. Interviewees also indicated that CPPR can highlight various aspects of existing interventions (eg, leadership structure, stakeholder representation, methods of provider-to-patient communication, and provision of resources) that may benefit from re-evaluation. Engagement in CPPR may offer various personal and professional benefits for individuals (ie, community partners) involved in stages of development, implementation, and dissemination. The benefits affect these individuals in several ways, from personal growth (eg, emotional maturity, behavioral progress, increased familial resiliency) to professional growth (eg, progression of one's career/role/responsibilities, orga­nizational growth, learned skills). These maturations have secondary effects (eg, increased community resilience, strength­ened relationships, community-based mentorships) impacting the communities in which these community partners serve. Ethn Dis. 2018;28(Suppl 2):311-316; doi:10.18865/ed.28.S2.311.

Objective: To assess the feasibility of a novel, partnered technology development process to co-create mobile health applica­tions (apps) addressing community health priorities, using psychoeducation of cogni­tive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles for enhancing resilience as an example.Design: Stakeholder engagement, work­groups, pilot feasibility study using mixed methods during October 2013 through January 2016 over three phases: 1) defining the vision of the project and increasing technical capacity, 2) co-development and pilot testing of the app, and 3) planning for sustainability.Setting: An academic-community partner­ship in South Los Angeles, California.Participants: Eight stakeholders; 30 pilot participants from the community.Main Outcome Measures: Qualitative analysis of audio-recordings of the app development process and stakeholder inter­views, surveys of stakeholders' perception of the development process, app use data, and feedback from pilot participants.Results: The participatory technology development process resulted in creation and pilot-testing of a resiliency-focused text messaging app. Of the 1,107 messages sent, 23 out of 30 (77%) app users responded to explore interactive content. Stakeholders reported increased perceived competency in creating mobile apps and that the process fostered a culture of co-leadership. There was also sustained engagement in mobile app development by stakeholders beyond the initial project period.Conclusions: This is the first study, to our knowledge, to demonstrate the feasibility of participatory technology development, an approach involving direct participation in the development, tailoring and maintenance of a mobile app by a broad set of stakehold­ers with high representation from racial/ ethnic minorities from an under-resourced community. Participatory technology devel­opment is a promising approach for creating sustainable, relevant and engaging health technologies across different technological, clinical and community settings.Ethn Dis. 2018:28(Suppl 2):493-502; doi:10.18865/ed.28.S2.493.