Memories of the Vietnam- American War: Contemporary Vietnamese Perspectives on Its Legacy

“Life is a reflection that ripples with each memory” – Barbara Tran This poignant quote comes from an interview with Barbara Tran, a Vietnamese woman who immigrated to the United States after the fall of Saigon in 1975.1 I use this quote to open the essay on this exhibition because, in less then ten words, this sentence highlights one of its central themes. Memory is a unique phenomenon that allows us to bring the past into the present, inevitably impacting the future. History is destined to repeat itself, and yet it is our capacity to remember and learn that leads to a ripple effect of change. It is sometimes easy to forget that memories are not stagnant and stuck in the past but evolve and operate in the present, shaping our decisions and outlook on life. The aim of this exhibition is to address the lingering impact of the Vietnam-American War (better known in the United States as the Vietnam War) through the perspective of Vietnamese artists

What’s Our Responsibility? How Individuals and Organizations Can Proactively Address Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is regarded by Interpol as the second largest and fastest growing criminal industry in the world. This letter is submitted in response to the topic of Human Trafficking addressed in Volume 2, Issue 1. In response to the ever-increasing attention to this problem, various programs focus on the rescue of survivors in anti-trafficking efforts - sometimes overshadowing efforts to prevent human trafficking and rehabilitate those harmed. A comprehensive, responsible approach requires a system of rescue and rehabilitation with a deliberate eye toward prevention. The basic human rights of survivors are at risk of being violated by “so-called rescue missions, despite the good intentions of would-be rescuers.” At the prevention level, a firm human rights approach is needed. When interventions shift their emphasis to prevention and tackle the innate contributors to inequality, then the roots of trafficking and slavery can be firmly extirpated. By taking a thoughtful and vested approach to tackling all areas of trafficking— including prevention, rescue, and rehabilitation—resources can be used more effectively, and communities are likely to have a more extensive impact in the fight against this hideous crime against humanity

The Role of the Opioid Crisis in Elder Abuse

As the opioid crisis has deepened over the past twenty years, its effect on individuals and families, including older adults, has grown. To find out how the opioid crisis might be impacting elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation in Maine, we conducted a mixed methods analysis of 2015-2018 Maine Adult Protective Services (APS) investigations to determine: 1) Did opioid-related investigations increase over time? 2) Do investigations involving opioid misuse or abuse differ from investigations that don’t involve opioids? 3) What themes or features of cases involving opioid misuse or abuse by clients and/or perpetrators emerge from the data? Key Findings: The annual number of opioid-related investigations increased 2015-2018, but the rate of increase was parallel to the general increase of elder abuse investigations over the time period. Opioid-related investigations ranged between 2.5-2.9% of all elder abuse investigations over the time period. Clients in opioid-related investigations tended to be younger than clients in non-drug-related investigations. Forty percent of clients in Opioid-related investigations were 60-69 years old compared to twenty-three percent of clients in Non-drug-related investigations. Opioid-related investigations were more likely to have three or more allegations and include an allegation of exploitation compared to Non-drug-related investigations. Common themes in the opioid-related investigations included: Clients with opioid prescriptions also exhibited signs of substance use disorder (SUD) or opioid use disorder (OUD); clients with opioid prescriptions had difficulties managing their prescriptions, including taking too much or too little, or needing to hide their medication to keep them away from family members or others.; clients with opioid prescriptions encountered barriers to obtaining the medications such as not being able to have their pharmacy deliver them, having to travel to appointments for pill counts, or being denied access to an opioid medication due to the behavior of a family member. In exploitation investigations, there were instances of the perpetrator stealing the client\u27s money or property to purchase drugs elsewhere as well as instances of stealing the client\u27s money and the client\u27s opioid prescription. Client use of opioids can put them at risk of exploitation through impaired physical and cognitive ability

What American Psychological Association Leaders Have to Say About Psychology of Religion and Spirituality

What do American Psychological Association (APA) leaders have to say about the new journal Psychology of Religion and Spirituality? A survey was sent to 204 current APA council representatives and divisional residents, yielding 63 completed questionnaires (31% response rate). Respondents generally affirmed the importance of religion and spirituality as topics of inquiry in psychology. Although not highly religious themselves, respondents recognize religion and spirituality as important aspects of human diversity. In considering the new journal, current APA leaders who responded to the survey are particularly interested in articles relating religion and spirituality to health and coping and articles considering cross-cultural and interfaith issues

Resolving Anger toward God: Lament as an Avenue toward Attachment

Psychologists have mostly overlooked the topic of anger toward God. The current study tested an intervention based on the biblical psalms of lament, a consisting of 20 devotional readings and weekly experiential assignments, delivered electronically over a four-week period. A total of 192 college students at Christian institutions across the United States completed the study, and were randomly assigned to the experimental condition, an attention control condition, or a no-contact condition. The expected findings--that the experimental intervention would cause decreased feelings of anger and complaint toward God, as well as increased intimacy with God over time--were not confirmed. However, those participants who reported maximum compliance with the intervention showed increased ratings on Communion with God. Implications are discussed

A Review of Mental Health Rehabilitation Technician Qualifications and Training Procedures

This report was prepared by Kimberly Irvin Snow, Nadine Edris, and Janice Daley of the University of Southern Maine\u27s Muskie School of Public Service and submitted to the Maine Department of Health and Human Service, Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services. Results of this report were also presented in a webinar on November 21, 2014. The authors investigated the training and certification processes used by other states for their mental health case management workforce. Ten states were selected for indepth comparative review because they provide a certification process for case managers, provide case management services similar to those of Maine, or require case managers to meet competency or training/education requirements

Economic Security of Older Women in Maine

The Economic Security of Older Women in Maine: Data Report provides a snapshot of how women compare to men on measures such as wages and income, caregiving status, living arrangements, and rates of disability—factors that can impact Maine women\u27s ability to meet their needs with the resources they have. The report, compiled by staff at the University of Southern Maine\u27s Cutler Institute, informs an initiative led by the Maine Women\u27s Lobby Education Fund and the Maine Council on Aging to identify gaps and pathways to support the health and economic security of older Maine women and all Mainers, now and in the future. A 2-page handout is available at: https://www.mainewomen.org/s/Older-women-economic-security.pd

Adult Day Services in Maine: Benefits, Challenges, and Opportunities

In Maine and nationally, adult day services tend to be underfunded and underutilized compared to other types of long term services and supports (LTSS). In part, investment in adult day services is hampered by a lack of standardized data collection and limited research on issues of accessibility, cost-effectiveness, and the impact of adult day services on the broader health system. Lack of uniformity in state regulatory frameworks for licensing, program design, service delivery, and other administrative requirements further complicates cross-state comparisons. Considering these limitations, a key goal of this report is to provide a more detailed and comprehensive understanding of the current capacity and role of adult day services providers in Maine, the regulatory environment in which they operate, barriers and challenges to access and operations, and potential opportunities for expanding access. For more information, please contact Elizabeth Gattine, [email protected]

Adults Using Long Term Services and Supports: Population and Service Use Trends in Maine, SFY 2016

All of us have likely either used, will use, or know someone who uses long term services and support (LTSS). They enable us to live with dignity and as much independence as possible and offer us the opportunity to remain involved and productive in our communities. The need for LTSS can arise suddenly after injury or illness or a life-long condition. But how ever the need arises, the impact is the same—services such as personal care, work support, home health care, and residential care provide not just for individual health and comfort, but also for interaction, inclusion, and engagement with each other. While many of us have provided help with daily living for our family and friends or have relied on our own family ourselves, there are times when formal support from professional caregivers is necessary. Private health insurance and Medicare do not typically cover extended LTSS, leaving payment for services up to the individual. Medicaid, known as MaineCare in this state, on the other hand, does cover this type of care for adults meeting financial and medical eligibility requirements. This chartbook describes the MaineCare LTSS available to adult members, the number of members who used them in state fiscal year 2016, and the amount of spending on these services as a proportion of all spending on adult MaineCare members. In addition, this book provides demographic trends regarding Maine’s older adults; Census estimates on poverty, housing, and employment among Maine’s adults with disabilities; characteristics of Maine adults using nursing, residential care, or home and community based services; and an analysis of MaineCare spending and service utilization among adults using different types of LTSS. The information on the services available, the trends in use, and the dollars spent on them presents a snapshot of the LTSS system in State fiscal year 2016, and it can help us plan for the system we want for ourselves and our family and friends in the future