Carer experience of end-of-life service provision : a social network analysis

Objective To identify the position of formal service providers in the networks of those providing end-of-life care in the home from the perspective of the informal network. Methods Using third-generation social network analysis, this study examined the nature and strength of relationships of informal caring networks with formal service providers through individual carer interviews, focus groups of caring networks and outer network interviews. Results Service providers were usually highly valued for providing services, equipment, pain management and personalised care for the dying person plus support and advice to the principal carer about both caring tasks and negotiating the health system. However, formal service providers were positioned as marginal in the caring network. Analysis of the relative density of relationships within networks showed that whereas relationships among family and friends had similar density, relationships between service providers and family or friends were significantly lower. Conclusion The results supported the Circles of Care model and mirror the perspective of formal service providers identified in previous research. The research raises questions about how formal and informal networks might be better integrated to increase their effectiveness for supporting in-home care

The 10K Initiative: Towards Meaningful Relationships and Network Centred Aged Care

It is well accepted that as people age their social worlds often shrink. Additionally, living in an aged care facility can disrupt people’s social worlds, resulting in loneliness, isolation and misery for many. Being connected, having a positive identity, continuing to contribute to the fabric of society are essential to positive healthy ageing, increased life expectancy and overall life satisfaction fundamental to wellbeing. As such, a whole of population approach focussing on social networks and relationships is a move towards social and collective responsibility for the wellbeing of our increasingly ageing population. To achieve this requires a re-imagination of aged services and communities to embrace network centred care and improve our elders wellbeing and enjoyment of life. The 10k initiative was an innovative community development and network centred approach to aged care and was a collaboration between Southern Cross Care, The GroundSwell Project and Western Sydney University. The study took place in an aged care facility in the Western Suburbs of Sydney NSW. The goal of the project was to develop an effective community development model for the aged care sector with applicability to residential aged care. Methods involved social network mapping, interviews and focus groups with residents, families, staff and community members before, during and after placement of an embedded community development worker. This report documents the identified barriers and opportunities associated with a community development model. New knowledge has been generated detailing what is required to address our elders shrinking social worlds and to increase their overall wellbeing through maintaining and expanding social networks and relationships while they are living in an institutionalised setting

Death Literacy Index: A Report on its Development and Implementation

The Death Literacy Index (DLI) provides a means to measure and research public health palliative care initiatives, including those under the umbrella of Compassionate Communities, by exploring the ways in which community members’ knowledge and practice are enhanced through these initiatives. Within public health palliative care, the Compassionate Communities approach views the community as equal partners in the long and complex task of providing quality health care at end of life. Over the past decade there has been growing acknowledgement that communities have been marginalised in the increasingly professionalised EOL care service sector. In contrast Compassionate Communities draw upon the social connections, reciprocity and trust available when social capital is present in a community. Thus, the DLI is designed to be used by community practitioners and researchers alike. This report provides an overview of the concept of death literacy and the development of the DLI. The DLI was developed from personal narratives of carers, with input from a wide range of professionals and experts and was tested on a national sample of Australians. The report includes detailed information about the development of the Index, reliability and validity statistics, four case studies demonstrating the uses of the DLI and a series of data tables for understanding the norms and baseline data about death literacy in Australia

The place of qualitative research in helping voices be heard

Seriously engaging with the task of allowing voices to be heard requires diverse strategies such as reports, performances, websites, and public forums to allow the participants to speak directly to the public. The participants and their advocacy groups can often advise on the best strategies. In PAR, part of the action can be the dissemination of the findings, especially in ways that are useful to similar groups. Research that aims to help voices be heard must recognise dissemination as an integral part of the research process. Ollerton's (2009) Photovoice project is a delightful example. As part of the project the young people with disabilities exhibited their photos of their experiences with social barriers at a civic centre exhibition attended by local councillors and politicians, and also set up their own website. They travelled as a group to another city to present their findings about their concerns at a conference to the disability movement, and are currently contributing to the government Review of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport. The joy of qualitative research is that it can take seriously the task of listening and finding ways for people to express themselves, especially those who are often omitted from research because nobody asked, or they think nobody is interested or the participation is too difficult. But it cannot be taken for granted that a qualitative method will give voice. This chapter addresses some of the issues to be considered but no doubt there are others, and each project faces its own challenges. Holding on to the goal of helping voices be heard guides us to the decisions on the left of the table rather than those on the right

Changes in trust in environmental organisations and the implicataions for their legitimising strategies

This article examines trust in environmental organisations as sources of information on climate change, in light of the highly charged political debate in Australia. Trust is understood in terms of expectations of others’ behaviour and is underwritten by various sources of legitimacy. A total of 1355 respondents were surveyed in 2010 and again in 2011, allowing tests for significant changes over time to be conducted. The results showed a decrease in belief in climate change, and a decrease in trust in environmental organisations, which was slightly greater for those who voted for opposition parties. Over the same period, overall trust in government scientists did not change, although significant increases and decreases were found on the basis of voting behaviour. Changes in trust suggest that the reputations of environmental organisations, in particular, are being tarnished, and that these organisations may need to increase their attention to legitimising strategies

Assessment of alternative water options in Adelaide : the MARSUO and optimal water resource mix projects

Adelaide will need to diversify and integrate its water sources to ensure its future water security. The present research found that stormwater and groundwater were more acceptable supply alternatives than recycled waste water and desalinated water. Further, community education markedly changed opinions of water sources and transparent processes and trust in the treatment and monitoring may be more important than the choice of water sources

Dimensions of bonding social capital in Christian congregations across Australia

The research aimed to identify the structure of social capital within Christian churches in Australia. The focus is the social capital that exists within the congregation as opposed to its connections to the wider community or society, that is, to use Woolcock and Narayan (2000) terminology, the bonding rather than the bridging social capital. A total of 3363 church attendees were surveyed to identify the different ways that social capital can be generated such as through participation, informal friendships or congregational projects in any sphere of church activity including questions about both the respondents’ own actions and their perceptions of the congregation and demographic questions including denomination. The dimensions of Bonding were identified through exploratory factor analysis and then refined and confirmed through structural equation modelling. The three factors related to an underlying Bonding construct were Collective Agency, Congregational Unity and Personal Connections. A fourth factor in the model was the desire for Homogeneity, which was related to Congregational Unity but not significantly related to Bonding

How ecotheological beliefs vary among Australian churchgoers and consequences for environmental attitudes and behaviors

Worldviews play an important part in shaping and driving people’s more specific environmental attitudes and behaviors. In a religious context, attention to eco(theo)logical worldviews, defined as foundational beliefs about the relationships between God, the Earth and humanity, helps researchers and environmental practitioners alike to better understand the religious frameworks which may foster or impede environmental action. This study draws on data from the 2011 Australian National Church Life Survey to examine churchgoers’ beliefs about the presence of God in nature and human dominion over the environment. Australian churchgoers strongly affirmed the presence of God in the natural world, but were less affirming of dominion theology. Dominion varied between church traditions, but beliefs about the presence of God did not. The beliefs predicted a range of measures of environmental attitudes and behaviors. The results regarding dominion are consistent with findings from other countries, and the research extends previous limited work on the sanctification of nature to a concept of the presence of God in the natural world

Policy and practices relating to the active engagement of older people in the community : a comparison of Sweden and Australia

This article compares policy and practices for engaging older people in community life in Sweden and Australia. Barriers and support for active engagement through paid work, social activism, volunteering and aged services are compared. Both countries face issues of ageing populations, services for rural areas and people with small needs. Issues for Sweden were the absence of age discrimination legislation, availability of funds and lack of recognition of the growing levels of volunteering. Issues for Australia concerned the new managerialist approach to services, with associated complexities of access and limited social activism

Climate change, politics and religion : Australian churchgoers' beliefs about climate change

A growing literature has sought to understand the relationships between religion, politics and views about climate change and climate change policy in the United States. However, little comparative research has been conducted in other countries. This study draws on data from the 2011 Australian National Church Life Survey to examine the beliefs of Australian churchgoers from some 20 denominations about climate change—whether or not it is real and whether it is caused by humans—and political factors that explain variation in these beliefs. Pentecostals, Baptist and Churches of Christ churchgoers, and people from the smallest Protestant denominations were less likely than other churchgoers to believe in anthropogenic climate change, and voting and hierarchical and individualistic views about society predicted beliefs. There was some evidence that these views function differently in relation to climate change beliefs depending on churchgoers’ degree of opposition to gay rights. These findings are of interest not only for the sake of international comparisons, but also in a context where Australia plays a role in international climate change politics that is disproportionate to its small population