Parent Resource Packet - A Guide for New Parents

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A Phenomenological Assessment of Factors that Affect Medication Adherence Among Hypertensive Nigerian Immigrants

This qualitative study explored the perceptions that affect medication adherence among hypertensive Nigerian immigrants in Sacramento, California. The research questions focused on factors that influenced the adherence to hypertension medication; specifically, how the sample population explained the cause of hypertension and whether culture and religion impacted the cause and management of hypertension. A phenomenological approach was used to understand perceptions about medication adherence. A predefined group of 9 acted as a purposive sample and was given semi-structured individual interviews. Qualitative data analysis of the interviews was performed using Colaizzi\u27s 7-step method. Results from the study found the cause of hypertension was believed to be genetics, stress, and diet. Education was strongly cited as the reason for dispelling cultural beliefs toward hypertension cause and management of the illness. Reasons for nonadherence were linked mostly to forgetfulness and side effects of hypertensive medication on sexual performance in males. Participants reported that prayer did not affect medication adherence, but was used for psychological healing. Living in the United States was viewed as a both a positive and negative influence on the management of hypertension

The Global People competency framework: competencies for effective intercultural interaction

This Competency Framework explains the competencies that are needed for effective intercultural interaction. In contrast to the Life Cycle Model for Intercultural Partnerships (see the Global People Toolbook) which presents the competencies by stage (i.e. key competencies are identified for each stage of a project life cycle), the Competency Framework presents them by clusters. Intercultural competencies can be grouped into four interrelated clusters, according to the aspect of competence they affect or relate to: - Knowledge and ideas - Communication - Relationships - Personal qualities and dispositions We overview these four clusters in Section 2. In Sections 3 – 6, for each competency cluster, we list the key component competencies, along with descriptive explanations of each of them. We also provide case study examples from the eChina-UK Programme to illustrate one or more of the following: - How the competency manifests itself; - Why the competency is important or is needed; - How the competency can be displayed in behaviour; - What problems may occur when the competency is not present. The Competency Framework is thus useful for those who wish to gain a systematic, in-depth understanding of intercultural effectiveness and the competencies need to achieve it

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Living with MND: An Evaluation of Care Pathways Available to Adults with, and the Families or Carers of Adults with Motor Neurone Disease in Scotland

Main Findings Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is a progressive condition that damages motor neurones, the cells that control voluntary muscle activity, in both the spinal cord and the brain. It can cause difficulty in walking and movement, talking, swallowing and breathing and many muscles in the body can become affected. To find out what it is like to live with MND from the perspective of those with the condition we carried out a longitudinal study in which we interviewed 40 people with MND and their partners a number of times over a two year period. We found that: Control, or more particularly the lack of it was the overarching theme that occurred throughout the interviews. People wanted to be consulted, informed and involved in decisions about their health and their social care and where this happened people were more likely to report satisfaction with the service. The diagnosis of MND is a long and protracted process, one that was for many a very distressing experience. 45% of those we spoke to took over 12 months for a diagnosis, 19% over 18 months. Participants had difficulty getting professionals to take their symptoms seriously and once they entered the neurology system many people experienced delays and often the diagnosis was not confirmed by a neurologist. Physical access to hospitals was in some cases difficult. Car parking and the location of the clinic often made it hard for people to get to a hospital appointment. Health professionals had an important role. Good professionals were those who took time to create a sense of teamwork with the person with MND and their family. This was less likely to happen with hospital consultants and where this did not people felt insecure and not listened to. There was also some evidence of poor communication between professionals and medical notes were often not shared between different professionals. Where people accessed general wards they were rarely treated well. Informal carers provided much of the social care and support for those with MND, with spouses meeting most of the need. Whilst many people were happy with this arrangement meeting the need placed a great deal of strain on the families. Many people did not want to rely on care supplied by outside agencies as they did not trust the quality or the reliability of the care and neither did they want their home overrun with people. Housing adaptations and the provision of aids to daily living were for many a great cause of stress and strain and many people felt that they were not involved in the decision making process, felt out of control and unable to influence the situation. The rapidly progressive nature of MND can exacerbate this problem. Social Care and support provided by local authorities was very heavily criticised. There were inconsistencies between services, people felt excluded from decisions made about their care and their care needs and people did not have access to the necessary information to make an informed choice about which services to access. Specialist Care Nurses (SCN) played a vital role in the care and support of those with MND. Not only do they provide help and support directly they also help to act as a champion for the family and coordinate services and service provision. This service is however under great strain and there are a significant number of people for whom this service is not working because the service was too stretched and the resources were not available to allow the SCN to meet their needs