Immigrant Homebuyers in Lawrence and Lowell, Massachusetts: Keys to the Revitalization of the Cities

This report describes the homebuying experience of immigrants in Lawrence and Lowell, Massachusetts and how it contributes to their lives and the life of the cities. Home ownership provides wealth to individuals and families. As a key financial resource, owning a home provides opportunities to secure the "good life" including education, business, training, health and comfort. As such, successive waves of immigrants in local communities have regarded the eventual acquisition of their first home as a major goal. In so doing, large segments of immigrants have morphed from renters to homeowners. In such instances, we often witness the transitioning of a poor community to one that is working-class emerging to a middle-class. This report is an in-depth description of such a metamorphous among immigrants in Lawrence and Lowell. The study reveals important contributions that immigrants homebuyers have made to the growth and economic health of the two cities

Pain assessment strategies in home care and nursing homes in Mid-Norway: a cross-sectional survey

-The prevalence of pain ranges from 27.8% to 86.5% in nursing homes and 42% to 50% in home care. Pain assessment is the first step toward effective pain management. The aim of this study was to explore the use of pain assessment strategies (verbal, numeric, and observation rating scales and standardized questions) in home care and nursing homes. The study was a descriptive cross-sectional survey. Health care providers who were responsible for the patients' medications replied to a questionnaire. In-home care and nursing homes in 11 randomly selected municipalities in Mid-Norway were included. Three hundred ninety-two individuals were included in this study (70% response rate): 271 (69%) from nursing homes and 121 (31%) from home care. The respondents working in home care had a higher educational level than those in working in nursing homes. Pain assessment instruments were not used frequently in nursing homes and home care. Verbal and numeric rating scales were used significantly more frequently in home care than in nursing homes. Registered nurses (RNs) in nursing homes used standardized questions significantly more often than did RNs in home care. RNs and social educators in home care self-reported less competence in treating the patients' total pain experience than did those in nursing homes. Workplace (working in home care) and regular training in the use of pain assessment tools explained more than 20% of the variation in the use of pain assessment tools. Regular training in the use of pain assessment tools is needed for health care workers in home care and nursing homes

Education in the working-class home: modes of learning as revealed by nineteenth-century criminal records

The transmission of knowledge and skills within the working-class household greatly troubled social commentators and social policy experts during the first half of the nineteenth century. To prove theories which related criminality to failures in working-class up-bringing, experts and officials embarked upon an ambitious collection of data on incarcerated criminals at various penal institutions. One such institution was the County Gaol at Ipswich. The exceptionally detailed information that survives on families, literacy, education and apprenticeships of the men, women and children imprisoned there has the potential to transform our understanding of the nature of home schooling (broadly interpreted) amongst the working classes in nineteenth-century England. This article uses data sets from prison registers to chart both the incidence and ‘success’ of instruction in reading and writing within the domestic environment. In the process, it highlights the importance of schooling in working-class families, but also the potentially growing significance of the family in occupational training

The evidence-base for stroke education in care homes

<b>Summary.</b> <b>Research questions:</b> 1. What are registered care home nurses’ educational priorities regarding stroke care? 2. What are senior care home assistants’ educational priorities regarding stroke care? 3. How do care home nurses conceive stroke care will be delivered in 2010? <b>Study design:</b> This was a 2-year study using focus groups, stroke guidelines, professional recommendations and stroke literature for the development of a questionnaire survey for data collection. Workshops provided study feedback to participants. Data were collected in 2005–2006. <b>Study site:</b> Greater Glasgow NHS Health Board. <b>Population and sample:</b> A stratified random selection of 16 private, 3 voluntary and 6 NHS continuing care homes from which a sample of 115 trained nurses and 19 senior care assistants was drawn. <b>Results:</b> The overall response rate for care home nurses was 64.3% and for senior care assistants, 73.6%. Both care home nurses and senior care assistants preferred accredited stroke education. Care home nurses wanted more training in stroke assessment, rehabilitation and acute interventions whereas senior care assistants wanted more in managing depression, general stroke information and communicating with dysphasic residents. Senior care assistants needed more information on multidisciplinary team working while care home nurses were more concerned with ethical decision-making, accountability and goal setting. <b>Conclusions:</b> Care home staff need and want more stroke training. They are clear that stroke education should be to the benefit of their resident population. Guidelines on stroke care should be developed for care homes and these should incorporate support for continuing professional learning in relation to the resident who has had a stroke

Rising to the challenge: supporting educators without arts experience in the delivery of authentic arts learning

Educators, policy makers and researchers have repeatedly affirmed the significance of a quality arts education in developing the capabilities necessary for 21st century citizenship. However, facilitating an Arts education can be extremely challenging, especially for the generalist classroom teacher who may not possess the necessary background learning across all five arts subjects. Revelations from the first phase of my doctoral research with Australian home educating parents identified a similar dilemma with the delivery of authentic Arts learning in home contexts. A significant proportion of the home educator study participants admitted to no educational or artistic training. My doctoral research project has sought to understand how Australian home educators approach arts education, of the challenges they face, and the way that existing knowledge and strengths are harnessed in delivering their children’s education. Moreover, using a Design Based Research approach, I have attempted to generate transformational research by working collaboratively with home educators to enact solutions to identified problems. This has resulted in the development and refinement of a website and online community aimed at supporting and enhancing home educators in the development of authentic arts learning, in addition to theoretical guidelines that can be applied to similar contexts. Thus, whilst home education is considered pedagogically distinct from institutional education, the findings of this project have highlighted that the challenges faced by home educating parents are very much like those faced by the generalist classroom teacher, and that similar means of support may be transferred across contexts

The Moderating Effect of Working from Home in The Relationship Between Motivational Factors and Project Performance: A Case Study of Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua (Perodua) in Malaysia

This research study investigates the direct empirical link between motivational factors and project performance among 277 employees who work in Perodua by utilizing working from home as a moderating variable to portray the automotive industry in Malaysia. It may have consequences for business practitioners who really want to evaluate the effectiveness of their work-from-home policy, especially from the angle during the Covid-19 pandemic and crisis. Furthermore, the research concluded that working from home was an important mediator in the relationship between motivational factors and project performance. The study's methodology is quantitative, and the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM SPSS) Version 22 package was used to explore the connection between motivational factors and project performance in relation to the moderating impact of working from home. The data was gathered by issuing an online questionnaire to employees who work in Perodua, which represents the automotive industry in Malaysia. The questionnaire, which used a 5-point Likert-type scale, was distributed via phone and email, and the link was also posted on social media, which attracted 277 responses. To highlight in particular, the result from this research study shows a significant relationship between working from home, job satisfaction, staff rewards, employee training and project performance. As expected, the moderating variable which is working from home gives the greatest contribution to project performance. Eventually, theoretical and practical consequences were explored based on study findings. There were some limitations and recommendations for future research

Training Students to do In-Home Behavioral Therapy with Toddlers from Low-Income Families

The purpose of this project was to develop an internship training program that offered in-home therapy for young children with significant emotional and behavior problems. The children lived in single-parent, low-income homes in unsafe neighborhoods of a large, urban area. A year-long, training and supervision program was implemented with ten second-year, graduate students enrolled in five different university programs that prepared mental health professionals. Students received specialized instruction in working with diverse families living in poverty and in an evidence-based treatment program. They initially observed veteran counselors implementing the treatment program in homes and gradually assumed responsibility for conducting sessions on their own. Students’ scores on a measure of counseling self-efficacy improved significantly from pre- to post-internship. Students reported high levels of satisfaction with the training program and significantly improved confidence levels in their counseling skills at the conclusion of their internship experience. The limitations of these preliminary outcomes for this pilot program are discussed along with the need for more research in this understudied area

Home-Based Therapy for Young Children in Low-Income Families: A Student Training Program

The purpose of this project was to develop an internship training program that offered in-home therapy for young children with significant emotional and behavior problems. The children lived in single-parent, low-income homes in unsafe neighborhoods of a large, urban area. A year-long, training and supervision program was implemented with 10 second-year, graduate students enrolled in 5 different university programs that prepared mental health professionals. Students received specialized instruction in working with diverse families living in poverty and in an evidence-based treatment program. They initially observed veteran counselors implementing the treatment program in homes and gradually assumed responsibility for conducting sessions on their own. Students’ scores on a measure of counseling self-efficacy improved significantly from pre-to post-internship. Students reported high levels of satisfaction with the training program and significantly improved confidence levels in their counseling skills at the conclusion of their internship experience. The limitations of these preliminary outcomes for this pilot program are discussed along with the need for more research in this understudied area

Providing nursing support within residential care homes

This study examines a joint NHS-Local Authority initiative providing a dedicated nursing and physiotherapy team to three residential care homes in Bath and North East Somerset. The initiative aims to meet the nursing needs of residents where they live and to train care home staff in basic nursing. * Hospital admissions and nursing home transfers were prevented. Care home staff and managers preferred residents to be able to stay in their home when they were ill, as did residents themselves. * Enhancing health-orientated education and training of care home staff was challenging at first but relationships improved, and the confidence and professionalism of care staff grew. * Residents’ nursing needs cannot simply be equated with their level of dependency. For example, a resident with dementia can be functionally independent yet have major, often un-communicated health needs. * The early detection of illness and resulting opportunity for early intervention was a major part of the team’s work. Residents were likely to benefit from improved quality of life. * Overall, estimates of costs and savings ranged from a 'worst case' scenario of £2.70 extra to a more likely scenario of £36.90 saved per resident per week. Savings were mainly in reduced use of NHS services, while the Primary Care Trust and Adult Social Services both funded the intervention, highlighting the need for partnership working to sustain funding. * The researchers conclude that any increase in cost should be measured against the benefits of promoting long-term quality of life, quality of care and providing a firm foundation for future workforce development