Effects of an Interview Guide on the Accuracy of Ratings for Applicants with Disabilities

The problem of bias in the employment interview for applicants with disabilities was addressed with research to identify if a decision aid can increase the decision making accuracy of interviewers. A survey designed to allow participants to rate applicants with five disabilities for three jobs (with three essential functions listed for each job) was used to assess rating accuracy of two groups. Participants who received the decision aid in the form of a Guide to Interviewing People with Selected Disabilities were expected to have more rating accuracy than those participants without access to the Guide. Accuracy was assessed by comparing participant ratings to target scores generated by an expert panel. Participants who received the Guide did not make more accurate ratings than the participants who completed the survey without access to the Guide, but it is likely that the results are a function of the limitations of the training rather than the Guide. Raters were significantly less accurate when rating the applicant with multiple sclerosis, as hypothesized. However, raters were also significantly less accurate for the applicant with a hearing impairment, despite their familiarity with the disability. The significantly lenient rating may be a function of the raters not considering the intense hearing requirements of the job tasks as seriously as did the experts. The practical implications for these findings are discussed with respect to interviewing applicants with disabilities

Influence of positive aspects of dementia caregiving on caregivers' well-being: a systematic review

YesBackground and Objectives: There is a growing evidence base that informal caregivers can identify positive aspects of providing care and that this may have a beneficial influence on their well-being. The aim of this systematic review was to explore how positive aspects of caregiving (PAC) affects the well-being of caregivers of people with dementia. Research Design and Methods: We searched electronic databases for quantitative studies exploring the association between PAC and caregiver well-being. Studies were included if they involved informal (unpaid) caregivers of people with dementia, at least 75% of whom had to be residing in the community. A narrative synthesis was used to explore patterns within the data. Results: Fifty-three studies were included in the narrative synthesis. Most studies utilized a cross-sectional design. The majority of samples consisted primarily of spouses and female caregivers. Twenty different PAC measures were employed and studies referred to a variety of constructs, such as satisfactions, gains, meaning, and rewards. PAC was associated with lower depressive symptoms and burden. Conversely, PAC was associated with better mental health, quality of life, satisfaction with life, and competence/self-efficacy. PAC was not associated with self-rated health or personal strain/stress. Discussion and Implications: The findings suggest that identifying PAC is associated with better caregiver well-being, although further longitudinal studies are required to explore how this relationship changes over time. Interventions that enable caregivers to gain a more positive experience of caregiving could be beneficial for their well-being

The Inbetweeners: Identifying And Quantifying The Unmet Mental Health Needs Of Children And Adolescents In Tallaght

Youth mental health is significant issue nationally as well as within South County Dublin. There is aperception amongst both service providers and parents that many children and young people are beingexposed to increasingly complex stressors and that the range of influences on their wellbeing are agrowing challenge. Whether this is the case or not, we do know that services are under pressure to respondeffectively, quickly and appropriately.This Report is the result of strong inter-agency working, bringing together statutory services with the community and voluntary sector, engaging with hospitals and community based providers, andoffering an opportunity for a number of disciplines and services to share their collective wisdom andinsights to better understand local dynamics.

‘Fix the issues at the coalface and mental wellbeing will be improved’:A framework analysis of frontline NHS staff experiences and use of health and wellbeing resources in a Scottish health board area during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract Background Frontline healthcare staff working in pandemics have been reported to experience mental health issues during the early and post-peak stages. To alleviate these problems, healthcare organisations have been providing support for their staff, including organisational, cognitive behavioural and physical and mental relaxation interventions. This paper reports the findings of a study commissioned by a Scottish NHS health board area during the initial outbreak of COVID-19. The study aimed to understand the experience of NHS staff relating to the provision of wellbeing interventions between March and August 2020. Methods Data were gathered from free-text comments of eight surveys completed by a wide range of staff across sites within one NHS health board in Scotland. We conducted a framework analysis of the data. Results Our findings show that despite the provision of relaxational and cognitive behavioural interventions to support staff wellbeing during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were barriers to access, including heavy workload, understaffing, inconvenient locations and the stigma of being judged. Organisational factors were the most frequently reported support need amongst frontline staff across sites. Conclusions While relaxational and cognitive behavioural interventions were well received by staff, barriers to accessing them still existed. Staff support in the context of organisational factors, such as engagement with managers was deemed as the most important for staff wellbeing. Managers play a key role in everyday organisational processes and therefore are in the right position to meet increasing frontline staff demands due to the pandemic and removing barriers to accessing wellbeing support. Healthcare managers should be aware of organisational factors that might increase job demands and protect organisational resources that can promote wellbeing for frontline staff

A participatory approach to understand what might be most meaningful to people living with dementia in a positive psychology intervention

ABSTRACTObjectives: This study aimed to understand which character strengths are most important for people living with dementia and therefore which strengths-based psychological interventions could be most meaningful and acceptable.Methods: A participatory design, utilising Delphi methodology, was incorporated into an iterative three stage framework: (1) literature reviewed for Positive Psychology (PP) interventions and patientpublic involvement to define the character strengths; (2) modified Delphi (N = 10) identified which character strengths are most important for living with dementia; (3) focus groups (N = 14) exploredwhich PP interventions are most acceptable and meaningful. Qualitative data from the focus groups was analysed using thematic analysis.Results: Love, kindness and humour were deemed the most important character strengths for living with dementia. Qualitative data from the focus groups was captured in three superordinate themes:(1) lack of opportunity not capacity; (2) key considerations of PP interventions for people living with dementia; and (3) potential benefits of PP interventions.Conclusions: Love, kindness and humour come naturally to people with dementia, but people may lack social opportunities to use these strengths. Therefore, a PP intervention promoting positive emotion, social relationships and connection to one’s values appears most meaningful and acceptable as this may provide a social context to use and maintain these strengths

Students in Action Initiative

The Students in Action Project in the School of Hospitality Management and Tourism was established in 2012 as a way of engaging students and working with stakeholders in a destination. The overall aim of the project was to immerse students in an active collaborative learning environment within the destination to identify ways in which tourism could be enhanced. In the 2014/2015 academic year the project involved over 300 students from a variety of programmes and modules working with local stakeholders in Wexford Town. To date the project has been successful in its aims to develop staff, student and community engagement and has generated positive impacts in terms of lecturer and student collaborations and has also provided substantial outcomes for the destination. Going forward, while posing challenges in terms of funding, timetabling and logistical issues, the project provides extensive opportunities for further enhancement of student engagement and collaborative learning

Boston Women's Fund Annual Report 2008

The Boston Women's Fund provides start-up and on-going funding for women's/girls' organizations or projects that address social and economic injustice. Our focus is on women with the least access to resources, who have been excluded from full participation in society because of their race, class, age, ability, immigrant status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religion. Women and girls organizing on their own behalf is a priority for the Fund. The Boston Women's Fund understands organizing as a collective action to challenge the status quo, demand changes in policy and practice, and educate communities about root causes and just solutions. The Fund recognizes that there are a variety of stages and strategies that lead to community organizing. Therefore, BWF supports strategies that build community, encourage collaborations with other organizations, increase skills and/or access to resources, and produce leadership from within the constituency directly affected.

Legal capacity and decision making: The ethical implications of lack of legal capacity on the lives of people with dementia

YesThe report entitled “Legal capacity and decision making: The ethical implications of lack of legal capacity on the lives of people with dementia” received funding under an operating grant from the European Union’s Health Programme (2014–2020)