Beyond resettlement: long-term care for people who have had refugee-like experiences

Describes the health needs of survivors of war and conflict in the immediate and long-term resettlement periods. Background Since 1945, more than 700 000 refugees and displaced persons, survivors of conflicts in over 60 countries, have resettled in Australia. Every general practitioner (GP) will have patients who have had refugee-like experiences. Objective To describe the health needs of survivors of war and conflict in the immediate and long-term resettlement periods Discussion In the immediate post-settlement period, refugees and asylum seekers will need assessment, catch-up primary healthcare and, in some cases, psychological support. Although refugees are generally a resilient group, enhanced support may be needed over key life periods: childbirth, rearing of young children and entering frail age. Asylum seekers (who do not have permanent visas) often face structural impediments to healthcare access and may be unable to meet basic health needs; GPs need to be aware of the enhanced need for psychological safety in addition to catch-up healthcare in this population. &nbsp

Māori farming trusts - A preliminary scoping investigation into the governance and management of large dairy farm businesses.

This preliminary scoping study investigates areas for possible improvement in the governance and management of large Māori dairy farm businesses. Building on the innovative practices of their tūpuna – including Rawiri Taiwhanga, the country’s first commercial dairy farmer – Māori are defining their own aspirations, realities and goals in the dairy farming world (Durie 1998, 2000). This report outlines these, and their accompanying challenges, as expressed by individuals and collectives currently engaged in Māori Dairy farm businesses. The Māori way of doing business is described in this study as having a ‘Quadruple Bottom Line of Profit, People, Environment and Community’ business objectives. More specifically, ‘Māori farms often have an inverted Quadruple Bottom Line. People, Environment and their Community often come before Profit….but without Profit none of it happens.’ Māori strategic plans and business values place emphasis on relationships, responsibilities, reciprocity and respect. These are exemplars of a Māori world-view, which explicitly acknowledges particular historic and cultural contexts (Tapsell and Woods 2010). The strategic management plans of the Māori Farming Trusts illustrate the spiral or matrix of values ‘He korunga o nga tikanga’ envisaged by Nicholson, Hēnare and Woods (2012). They prioritise the development of social capital to create competitive advantage. Such strategic plans reflect Māori vision and aspirations. These are to sustain and grow the land base; to provide leadership and guidance for the whānau; to develop capacity and resources within the Trusts and to perform better as businesses.DairyNZ Ltd, Ministry for Primary Industries (NZ

The Impact of Vigorous Physical Activity on Preschool and Kindergarten Children’s On-Task Behavior and Focus

This study aims to investigate the impact of daily moderate to vigorous physical activity on preschool and kindergarten-aged children’s on-task behavior and focus. The research took place over four weeks in a Montessori early childhood classroom with 15 children aged three to six. Each day, children participated in 12-15 minutes of physical activity, including running, jumping and marching, vigorous enough for them breathe hard. The researcher used both quantitative and qualitative data tools to examine effects on ability to focus and to be on-task during the following two hours. The increased movement had a positive impact on the children’s transition to the next activity and on the rate of children being on task for up to two hours. Continued research is needed to determine effectiveness on focus

An Exploration of Identification of Leadership for Gifted Students

Leadership has been designated a talent area in federal and state definitions of gifted students who require differentiated programs since the Marland Report came out in 1972, yet it remains the least discussed of the curricular areas for gifted students. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions and attitudes of administrators of gifted programs in Colorado and Idaho concerning identifying students gifted in leadership. Public K-12 school districts in Colorado and Idaho were surveyed using a researcher-created survey including questions targeting attitudes and twelve questions specific to leadership traits. Response rate was 51%. In general, respondents indicated it was possible to identify gifted student abilities in K-12 students and the two states agreed with each other in 89% of the leadership skills questioned. Colorado showed a philosophical preference in the nurture, or the developmental philosophy of leadership, over nature, or the inherent philosophy of the construct, whereas Idaho showed no preference. The results suggest that Leadership curriculum should be planned, implemented, and evaluated along a K -12 developmental continuum with multiple opportunities given for leadership development especially in programs for the gifted

AS THE CREEK TRICKLES: LAND USE DEBATES IN THE ROCK CREEK DRAINAGE

Rural areas in Montana are increasing in population as more and more people move to or buy second homes in these areas in search of scenic amenities and a better quality of life. Academics, policy makers, and the general public are concerned that such development pressure may have negative consequences for important habitat, ecosystems, rural communities, people’s livelihoods, and social networks. Rock Creek, Montana is a small, rural area that has seen a large increase in population in the last twenty years. Population increase and development pressure in the area has led to many debates about proper land use on both private and public land. This research offers a qualitative case study of Rock Creek that explores the relationships between class, livelihood, differing senses of place, and land use discourses

Narratives of Caring in the Elementary Art Room

Caring is an essential part of any classroom environment, but most investigations about caring in schools do not include the voices of art educators. How art teachers perceive and model caring has not been addressed in previous literature. Looking through a theoretical lens shaped by Dewey, Vygotsky, and feminist theory, specifically an ethic of care, this study examined three elementary art teachers\u27 caring practices and beliefs. Narrative analysis was used to find connections and points of departure in the participants\u27 stories of caring in their classrooms with existing literature. By sharing art teachers\u27 stories of caring, the findings from this study can add to previous understanding about how educators craft caring environments for their students

Medicine Goes to School: Teachers as Sickness Brokers for ADHD

Christine Phillips explores the roles of teachers as brokers for ADHD and its treatment, and the strategies used by the pharmaceutical industry to frame educators' responses to ADHD

The VOICE Study: Valuing Opinions, Individual Communication and Experience: Building the evidence base for undertaking patient-centred family meetings in palliative care - a mixed methods study

Background: Despite family meetings being widely used to facilitate discussion among patients, families, and clinicians in palliative care, there is limited evidence to support their use. This study aims to assess the acceptability and feasibility of Patient-Centred Family Meetings in specialist inpatient palliative care units for patients, families, and clinicians and determine the suitability and feasibility of validated outcome measures from the patient and family perspectives. Methods: The study is a mixed-methods quasi-experimental design with pre-planned Patient-Centred Family Meetings at the intervention site. The patient will set the meeting agenda a priori allowing an opportunity for their issues to be prioritised and addressed. At the control site, usual care will be maintained which may include a family meeting. Each site will recruit 20 dyads comprising a terminally ill inpatient and their nominated family member. Pre- and post-test administration of the Distress Thermometer, QUAL-EC, QUAL-E, and Patient Health Questionnaire-4 will assess patient and family distress and satisfaction with quality of life. Patient, family, and clinician interviews post-meeting will provide insights into the meeting feasibility and outcome measures. Recruitment percentages and outcome measure completion will also inform feasibility. Descriptive statistics will summarise pre- and post-meeting data generated by the outcome measures. SPSS will analyse the quantitative data. Grounded theory will guide the qualitative data analysis. Discussion: This study will determine whether planned Patient-Centred Family Meetings are feasible and acceptable and assess the suitability and feasibility of the outcome measures. It will inform a future phase III randomised controlled trial. Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12616001083482 on 11 August 201