The Meaning of Type 2 Diabetes to a Sample of African American Adults and Their Adult Children

Research has explored how illness and its meaning can impact families (Scollan-Koliopoulos, 2004). However, there is limited literature on the interaction between parents who are ill and their adult children, and how family history influences communication about the illness. The purpose of this study therefore was to investigate the communication between African American parents diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and their African American adult children, especially because of the high rate of T2D in this population. More specifically, this study used the Family Systems Illness Model and Illness Narrative to investigate the meaning that T2D had in the lives of 20 African American families. The study sample was recruited from the Family and Community Health Study (FACHS), a longitudinal project on stress and health, producing interviews of 21 diabetic adults and their adult children. This study analyzed these data. A phenomenological approach was used in this qualitative study, which had a unique perspective as both the parent diagnosed with T2D and their adult child were present for the interviews. The results showed that T2D’s onset, course, outcome, and degree of incapacitation in relatives, as well as beliefs about T2D, impacted the meaning of the illness for both the diagnosed parents and their adult children in this sample. These findings underline the importance of family experiences with T2D as potentially contributing to better healthcare programs for individuals and families affected by this illness

Implicit Memory for Music in Alzheimer\u27s Disease

Short, unfamiliar melodies were presented to young and older adults and to Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD) patients in an implicit and an explicit memory task. The explicit task was yes–no recognition, and the implicit task was pleasantness ratings, in which memory was shown by higher ratings for old versus new melodies (the mere exposure effect). Young adults showed retention of the melodies in both tasks. Older adults showed little explicit memory but did show the mere exposure effect. The AD patients showed neither. The authors considered and rejected several artifactual reasons for this null effect in the context of the many studies that have shown implicit memory among AD patients. As the previous studies have almost always used the visual modality for presentation, they speculate that auditory presentation, especially of nonverbal material, may be compromised in AD because of neural degeneration in auditory areas in the temporal lobes

Stability of Art Preference in Frontotemporal Dementia

We examined aesthetic preference for reproductions of paintings among frontotemporal dementia (FTD) patients, in two sessions separated by 2 weeks. The artworks were in three different styles: representational, quasirepresentational, and abstract. Stability of preference for the paintings was equivalent to that shown by a matched group of Alzheimer\u27s disease patients and a group of healthy controls drawn from an earlier study. We expected that preference for representational art would be affected by disruptions in language processes in the FTD group. However, this was not the case and the FTD patients, despite severe language processing deficits, performed similarly across all three art styles. These data show that FTD patients maintain a sense of aesthetic appraisal despite cognitive impairment and should be amenable to therapies and enrichment activities involving art

A Model of Social Work Education: Providing Professional Training for Practitioners in Full-Time Employment

This article provides an evaluation and analysis of a professional social work course for experienced practitioners from the point of view of the course team and the participants at the Department of Applied Social Studies, University College, Cork. Although the initiative described is a unique one the issues examined may be relevant to wider social work training. Central themes of discussion include principles .2f adult education, attempts to bridge the theory practice divide, the use of group work and- Portfolio as learning contexts. An independent model of practice teaching is also ex~mined. The experience suggests that the development of a collaborative approach in education provides an enriching environment where the wealth of knowledge and experience of participants can be utilised in the teaching process

End of life clinician-family communication in ICU: a retrospective observational study - implications for nursing

Objective: The objective of this study was to identify practice issues that influence end of life communication and care of patients and families in the intensive care unit (ICU). Design: This study used a retrospective observational approach utilising a medical record review. Setting: An Australian metropolitan mixed medical/surgical ICU. Subjects: There are two parts to this study. The first part related to all of the patients who died in the ICU in one calendar year, a total of 97. The second part of this study related to a random selection of 25% of these patients, a total of 24. Results: This study showed that death in the ICU was often anticipated, and that whilst communication between family and medical personnel was evident in the medical record, the involvement or occurrence of communication between the nurse and the family was not recorded, and that nurses were included in only 25% of formal family meetings. Conclusion: Whilst this study confirmed that death is often predicted for critically ill patients, and opportunities for communication with the family or next of kin assists to achieve consensus on end of life decisions, the involvement of nurses, as primary care-givers is not well represented in the medical record, thus undermining the importance of the nurses role in direct patient care that extends to the family in the ICU

A Study of the Validity of Undergraduate Grade Point Average and Graduate Record Examination Scores as Predictors of Success in the Selection of Masters Level Graduate Students in Psychology

The purpose of this study was to assess the validity of the undergraduate grade point average (UGPA), the grade point average during the last two years of undergraduate work (LTYR), the Graduate Record Examination Verbal plus Graduate Record Examination Quantitative scores (GREM), the Graduate Record Examination Analytical Test score (GREAN) and the Graduate Record Examination Advanced Psychology Test score (GREAD) as predictors of graduate grade point averages (GGPA) in the Master of Arts degree program in Psychology at Western Kentucky University. The validity of the Graduate Record Examination Quantitative score (GREQ) as a predictor of grades received in the two required research methods courses, Psychometric Theory (GPAPT) and Experimental Design (GPAEXD) was also investigated. The subjects were 55 students who had completed at least two semesters of graduate work in the program. The findings indicate that UGPA and GREM are both valid predictors of GGPA and contribute about equally to the validity of the prediction. The addition of GREAN appears to add to the prediction but, for this sample, the addition of GREAD reduced its validity. GREQ was found not to be a valid predictor of grades received in the two required statistics courses

Outsourcing, Modularity, and the Theory of the Firm

Firms have increasingly moved productive activities from within to outside the firm through outsourcing arrangements. According to some estimates, the value of outsourcing contracts has been nearly 100 billion dollars per year since 2004. Firm outsourcing happens for a number of reasons, including to save labor costs, capture the benefits of regulatory arbitrage, and take advantage of economies of scale in the provision of firm needs. We review a number of outsourcing contracts for evidence that contract techniques are used to help modularize the relationship between the firm and its service provider. Consistent with what modularity theory might predict, some contract terms seem to work to thin the interactions between the firm and its service provider, and this thinning serves to make contracting for otherwise intrafirm services more feasible. Other contract terms serve to help the parties manage the fact that inevitably their relationship will be thick with interaction

The impact on the family of the loss of their home.

Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 40-07, page: . Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1983

Loss and grief in the workplace. What can we learn from the literature?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine how Australian workplaces, their managers and employees respond to those who are grieving at work, as a result of chronic or terminal illness, or caring for those with chronic or terminal illness. The review draws on Australian and relevant international literature and seeks to answer this question. Design/methodology/approach – A literature review was undertaken in preparation for an Australian study examining workplace supports for people who are grieving – because they are carers, have experienced a death, or are balancing their own illness with their work. Using a range of search terms, the literature was searched for relevant work between 1980 and 2010. The search found examples of workplace supports throughout the world and some developing Australian literature. Findings – Despite illness and death occurring at any stage of a person\u27s life, there is little research that identifies workplace issues associated with grief and loss. And while workplace legislation allows for minimal supports, there was evidence that some workplaces have begun to offer flexibility for work life balance. Practical implications – Effective workplace supports will involve individual and workplace responses, but also require legislative approaches in order to effect broad-based system change. Originality/value – The paper compares Australian and international literature about workplace supports and provides an overview of the issues arising

Outsourcing Modularity, and the Theory of the Firm

Firms have increasingly moved productive activities from within to outside the firm through outsourcing arrangements. According to some estimates, the value of outsourcing contracts has been nearly 100 billion dollars per year since 2004. Firm outsourcing happens for a number of reasons, including to save labor costs, capture the benefits of regulatory arbitrage, and take advantage of economies of scale in the provision of firm needs. We review a number of outsourcing contracts for evidence that contract techniques are used to help modularize the relationship between the firm and its service provider. Consistent with what modularity theory might predict, some contract terms seem to work to thin the interactions between the firm and its service provider, and this thinning serves to make contracting for otherwise intrafirm services more feasible. Other contract terms serve to help the parties manage the fact that inevitably their relationship will be thick with interaction