Rating the Suitability of Responsible Gambling Features for Specific Game Types: A Resource for Optimizing Responsible Gambling Strategy

A Delphi based study, rated the perceived effectiveness of 45 responsible gambling (RG) features in relation to 20 distinct gambling type games. Participants were 61 raters from seven countries,including responsible gambling experts (n = 22), treatment providers (n = 19) and recovered problem gamblers (n = 20). The most highly recommended RG features could be divided into three groups 1) Player initiated tools focused on aiding player’s behaviour 2) RG features related to informed-player-choice 3) RG features focused on gaming company actions. Overall, player control over personal limits were favoured more than gaming company controlled limits, although mandatory use of such features was often recommended. The study found that recommended RG features varied considerably between game types, according to their structural characteristics. Also,online games had the possibility to provide many more RG features than traditional (offline games). The findings draw together knowledge about the effectiveness of RG features for specific game types. This should aid objective, cost-effective, evidence based decisions on which RG features toi nclude in an RG strategy, according to a specific portfolio of games. The findings of this study will be available via a web-based tool, known as the Responsible Gambling Knowledge Centre (RGKC)

State-business relations in Russia in the 2000s: From the capture model to a variety of exchange models?

Using data from a 2009 survey of 957 manufacturing enterprises, this paper examines relations between the state and business as well as priority differences in the distribution of governmental support by federal, regional and local authorities. Regression analysis reveals that a “model of exchange” is the predominant pattern as opposed to “state capture” (in the case of big firms) or “grabbing hand” (in the case of SMEs), both of which were typical of the 1990s. However, there are some differences in priorities at different levels of government. The federal government in 2007-2008 provided more support to state-owned and mixed enterprises providing stable employment, while regional authorities more often supported firms that were pursuing modernization. These trends could pave the way for a shift in governmental policy at the regional level from ”state capture”/”grabbing hand” to the Chinese-style “helping hand” model.state capture; state-business relations; Russia

An evaluation of the role of the Admiral Nurse : a systematic evidence synthesis to inform service delivery and research

Two thirds of people with dementia live in the community and receive support from family members. There is a great deal of evidence to suggest that caring for a person with dementia impacts on the health and wellbeing of family carers. Despite this the provision of funded support for family carers is often limited or inadequate. Admiral Nurses, developed in the 1990s, were specifically designed by the charity for dementia (now Dementia UK) to support the family carers of people with dementia. Admiral Nurses are mental health nurses specialising in the care of people with dementia. They are mainly employed by local providers of care for people with dementia but dementia UK is involved in setting up new posts and providing ongoing practice development. There are currently around 100 Admiral Nurses employed in England. In addition the charity has a national helpline provided by experienced Admiral Nurses. The evidence synthesis presented here was commissioned by Dementia UK in order to establish what is currently known about the scope, nature and effectiveness of Admiral Nurse

Building an Ethical Small Group (Chapter 9 of Meeting the Ethical Challenges of Leadership)

This chapter examines ethical leadership in the small-group context. To help create groups that brighten rather than darken the lives of participants, leaders must foster individual ethical accountability among group members, ensure ethical group interaction, avoid moral pitfalls, and establish ethical relationships with other groups. In his metaphor of the leader\u27s light or shadow, Parker Palmer emphasizes that leaders shape the settings or contexts around them. According to Palmer, leaders are people who have an unusual degree of power to create the conditions under which other people must live and move and have their being, conditions that can either be as illuminating as heaven or as shadowy as hell. 1 In this final section of the text, I\u27ll describe some of the ways we can create conditions that illuminate the lives of followers in small-group, organizational, global, and crisis settings. Shedding light means both resisting and exerting influence. We must fend off pressures to engage in unethical behavior while actively seeking to create healthier moral environments

Addressing Barriers to Medication Adherence: An Evidence-Based Screening Instrument Validation Study

Adherence to a prescribed medication regimen is often critical to successful disease management. Cancer diagnoses often further complicate control of the comorbid diseases. Older cancer patients with multiple comorbidities receiving chemotherapy treatment are at increased risk for adverse health outcomes from uncontrolled disease when nonadherent to their medication regimen. The intent of this pilot study was to test the validity of an evidence-based screening instrument designed to identify patients at risk for medication nonadherence and uncontrolled illness. The W-BMA (Washburn-Barrier to Medication Adherence) screening criteria were applied to retrospective data of cancer patients with multiple co-morbidities. SPSS was used to analyze the data using classification trees to compare the W-BMA screen with the current screens used in the clinic alone. The W-BMA identified a significantly larger number of patients with barriers than the current screens alone. Barriers found by the W-BMA screening instrument are strongly related to uncontrolled illness, and, these barriers are often multi-layered, impacting adherence and the health of the patient. Incidentally, there was strong evidence that patients who have barriers addressed by oncology support services (nurse navigation and social work) often fare much better than patients who do not. The instrument studied in this pilot project requires additional analysis and refinement, however, there is strong evidence that proper use of the W-BMA screening instrument used as part of a comprehensive medication adherence program may improve adherence and lower risk of uncontrolled illness and adverse events

Click Here for Change: Your Guide to the E-Advocacy Revolution

Describes how organizations are using state-of-the-art technology to engage supporters and improve their advocacy efforts. Includes case studies and lessons on how to incorporate electronic approaches in campaign strategies

How care demands, caregiving appraisal and coping affect self-care management of informal caregivers of persons with dementia.

BACKGROUND: Caring for a person with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD) is very stressful. Chronic stress which increases the risk for the development of disease and chronic illness is prevalent in caregivers of persons with ADRD. However, how caregiving affects self-care management of caregivers of persons with ADRD has not been well defined. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to examine relationships among care demands, caregiving appraisal, coping and caregiver self-care management and to investigate whether care demands, caregiving appraisal and coping are predictors of caregiver self-care management. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was conducted among 45 primary informal caregivers of persons with ADRD in the southern part of the Midwest. Following an informed consent, paper-and-pencil questionnaires were administered for data collection. Quantitative data were analyzed with descriptive analysis, correlations, and multiple regressions, while responses to open-ended questions were analyzed using the principles of thematic analysis (Morse & Field, 1995). RESULTS: Three categories of predictors (caregiver demographic variables, care demands and active coping) uniquely explained caregiver self-care management. Care-recipients ADL/IADL dependency and duration of caregiving, reflecting care demands, explained the most variance for caregiver self-care, followed by caregiver demographic variables (education, female gender and financial status) and active coping. Total explained variance in each self-care activity was considerable, ranging from 37% to 57%. Our qualitative findings indicated that caregivers’ physical self-care and well-being were jeopardized given the needed care of care-recipients. In addition to self-care efforts by caregivers themselves, outside help and support as well as improved access to quality health care are essential to help caregivers improve health. CONCLUSIONS: Findings of this study help fill the gap in the literature by demonstrating the effects of caregiving on caregiver self-care management. This result is especially significant when viewed in conjunction with the high risk of chronic diseases among caregivers. Caregivers in poor health are more likely to stop caregiving. Interventions are imperative to help caregivers manage care-recipient’s needs so as to allow the needed time to the caregiver for essential medical treatment and follow-up as well as such health promotion activities as rest, sleep, relaxation, exercise, nutrition and socialization

International remittances: information for New England financial institutions

Each year, individuals in the United States send billions of dollars abroad. Most of these remittances are sent by immigrants to their home countries, and the majority of them flow through a handful of service providers who dominate this highly profitable business. As the immigrant population in the United States continues to grow, the volume of remittances climbs each year, reaching nearly $35 billion in 2004. Bankers and other financial professionals are taking notice, and financial institutions around the country are investigating ways to enter the market and capture a share of this growing source of revenue. To aid New England's financial institutions in their exploration of the remittance market, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston has developed this report, intended to enhance the overall understanding of remittances and to highlight the potential costs and benefits of establishing a remittance program.Emigrant remittances ; Banks and banking - New England