The contribution of volunteers in social care services for older people

Faced with unprecedented challenges, the adult social care sector in England has seen increasing attention given to the potential of volunteers to contribute to service provision. This article reports the findings of a qualitative study that explored the contribution made by volunteers to social care services for older people. The article draws attention to the difficulties associated with recruiting and training volunteers to work in the sector, particularly during a period of reduced public expenditure, which is putting the sector under strain. Given the challenges faced, the article considers whether it is appropriate to involve volunteers in care work

‘Extra hands’ or the ‘icing on the cake’?:The boundaries of the volunteer role in formal care settings in England

The adult social care sector in England has been encouraged to increase the role of volunteers in service delivery. To understand the volunteer role in care delivery and its impact upon paid care work, we undertook 94 qualitative interviews in seven care settings for older people in England. While the boundaries between care worker and volunteer were clearly established in some organisations, they were more indistinguishable in others. We discuss how both clear and murky boundary making, especially regarding ‘emotional’ and ‘bodily’ aspects of care, can contribute towards paid care work’s invisibility, lack of recognition and poor remuneration

Exploring the role of volunteers in social care for older adults

Purpose This paper aims to report the findings of a study that explores the contribution volunteers make to social care for older adults, identifying lessons for the social care sector and policymakers. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory multiple case study design was used to capture the perspectives and experiences of managers of services, volunteer co-ordinators, volunteers, paid care staff and older people. Seven diverse social care organisations took part in the study drawn from three locations in the South West of England. Findings This study identified three distinct models of volunteer contribution to social care services for older people. Although the contributions made by volunteers to services are valued, the study drew attention to some of the challenges related to their involvement. Research limitations/implications The organisations taking part in this small-scale study were all based in the South West of England, and the findings are therefore not generalisable but contribute to the growing evidence base related to this important field. Practical implications This study demonstrates the importance of the volunteer co-ordinator role and suggests that it is properly funded and resourced. It also confirms the importance of volunteers receiving appropriate training and support. Originality/value Given the increasing involvement of volunteers in the provision of social care, this paper provides lessons to ensure the role of volunteers in social care enhances rather than diminishes the quality of care provided

AEsOP: Applied Engagement for Community Participation

AEsOP (Applied Engagement for Community Participation) is a serious game that was developed as part of a study to examine whether interactive video games can have a quantifiable positive impact on levels of civic engagement with public authorities. The game was created with the objective of providing a tool that can be used to engage with communities including those that traditionally are underrepresented, lack ‘voice’ or feel underacknowledged by police and perhaps where trust relationships with public authorities may need improvement. The game was thus developed with a double focus: as engagement tool as well as a setting for research. This chapter discusses the conceptual thinking that went into the game as well as how the practical challenge of improving community-police relationships informed the design of the game

Error Rate of the Kane Quantum Computer CNOT Gate in the Presence of Dephasing

We study the error rate of CNOT operations in the Kane solid state quantum computer architecture. A spin Hamiltonian is used to describe the system. Dephasing is included as exponential decay of the off diagonal elements of the system's density matrix. Using available spin echo decay data, the CNOT error rate is estimated at approsimately 10^{-3}.Comment: New version includes substantial additional data and merges two old figures into one. (12 pages, 6 figures

Sequential bottlenecks drive viral evolution in early acute Hepatitis C virus infection

Hepatitis C is a pandemic human RNA virus, which commonly causes chronic infection and liver disease. The characterization of viral populations that successfully initiate infection, and also those that drive progression to chronicity is instrumental for understanding pathogenesis and vaccine design. A comprehensive and longitudinal analysis of the viral population was conducted in four subjects followed from very early acute infection to resolution of disease outcome. By means of next generation sequencing (NGS) and standard cloning/Sanger sequencing, genetic diversity and viral variants were quantified over the course of the infection at frequencies as low as 0.1%. Phylogenetic analysis of reassembled viral variants revealed acute infection was dominated by two sequential bottleneck events, irrespective of subsequent chronicity or clearance. The first bottleneck was associated with transmission, with one to two viral variants successfully establishing infection. The second occurred approximately 100 days post-infection, and was characterized by a decline in viral diversity. In the two subjects who developed chronic infection, this second bottleneck was followed by the emergence of a new viral population, which evolved from the founder variants via a selective sweep with fixation in a small number of mutated sites. The diversity at sites with non-synonymous mutation was higher in predicted cytotoxic T cell epitopes, suggesting immune-driven evolution. These results provide the first detailed analysis of early within-host evolution of HCV, indicating strong selective forces limit viral evolution in the acute phase of infection

What is (Adult) Social Care in England? Its origins and meaning

The term ‘social care’ emerged in both official and academic publications in England in the 1990s but has not been defined in legislation. How the phrase has varied in usage over the last 20 plus years is outlined in this article. Whilst the element of ‘personal care’ has been present in the range of descriptions of ‘social care’, the policy context has changed dramatically, affecting the broader debate about priorities in public support for vulnerable adults. What ‘social care’ means as a policy rather than a practice has changed over time. The notion of indeterminacy provides a plausible explanation of changes in terminology and meaning in policies and practices

From regional pulse vaccination to global disease eradication: insights from a mathematical model of Poliomyelitis

Mass-vaccination campaigns are an important strategy in the global fight against poliomyelitis and measles. The large-scale logistics required for these mass immunisation campaigns magnifies the need for research into the effectiveness and optimal deployment of pulse vaccination. In order to better understand this control strategy, we propose a mathematical model accounting for the disease dynamics in connected regions, incorporating seasonality, environmental reservoirs and independent periodic pulse vaccination schedules in each region. The effective reproduction number, $R_e$, is defined and proved to be a global threshold for persistence of the disease. Analytical and numerical calculations show the importance of synchronising the pulse vaccinations in connected regions and the timing of the pulses with respect to the pathogen circulation seasonality. Our results indicate that it may be crucial for mass-vaccination programs, such as national immunisation days, to be synchronised across different regions. In addition, simulations show that a migration imbalance can increase $R_e$ and alter how pulse vaccination should be optimally distributed among the patches, similar to results found with constant-rate vaccination. Furthermore, contrary to the case of constant-rate vaccination, the fraction of environmental transmission affects the value of $R_e$ when pulse vaccination is present.Comment: Added section 6.1, made other revisions, changed titl

Optical and X-ray Transients from Planet-Star Mergers

We evaluate the prompt observational signatures of the merger between a massive close-in planet (a `hot Jupiter') and its host star, events with an estimated Galactic rate of ~0.1-1/yr. Depending on the ratio of the mean density of the planet rho_p to that of the star rho_star, a merger results in three possible outcomes. If rho_p/rho_star > 5, then the planet directly plunges below the stellar atmosphere before being disrupted by tidal forces. Dissipation of orbital energy creates a hot wake behind the planet, producing a EUV/soft X-ray transient as the planet sinks below the stellar surface. The peak luminosity L_X ~ 1e36 erg/s is achieved weeks-months prior to merger, after which the stellar surface is enshrouded by an outflow. The final inspiral is accompanied by an optical transient powered by the recombination of hydrogen in the outflow, which peaks at L~1e37-38 erg/s on a timescale ~days. If instead rho_planet/rho_star < 5, then Roche Lobe overflow occurs above the stellar surface. For rho_p/rho_star < 1, mass transfer is stable, resulting the planet being accreted on a relatively slow timescale. However, for 1 < rho_p/rho_star < 5, mass transfer may instead be unstable, resulting in the planet being dynamically disrupted into an accretion disk around the star. Super-Eddington outflows from the disk power an optical transient with L~1e37-38 erg/s and characteristic duration ~week-months. The disk itself becomes visible once the accretion rate become sub-Eddington, resulting in a bolometric brightening and spectral shift to the UV. Optical transients from planet merger events may resemble classical novae, but are distinguished by lower ejecta mass and velocity ~100s km/s, and by hard pre- and post-cursor emission, respectively. Promising search strategies include combined optical, UV, and X-ray surveys of nearby massive galaxies with cadences from days to months.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figures, 2 tables, submitted to MNRA