CASE MANAGERS FOR SENIORS: EDUCATIONAL NEEDS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Case management is widely recognized as an important component of an effective model for delivering health and social services in the community. In Canada, case management is increasingly being adopted as a method of providing long‐term services to older clients. Professionals working in community‐based, long‐term care require training specific to their roles as case managers for seniors. Gerontology educators can respond to case managers’ learning needs by developing and providing innovative programs. This article reports on an assessment of the training needs of health and social service personnel who perform case management functions on a long‐term basis with elderly clients in Canada, the extent and type of case management training currently provided by Canadian agencies, and an outline of curriculum options designed to address case manager training needs.     

END-OF-LIFE DECISION MAKING: PRACTICES,BELIEFS AND KNOWLEDGE OF SOCIAL WORKERS IN HEALTH CARE SETTINGS

The aim of the present study was to examine the involvement, beliefs, and knowledge of social workers in health care settings in the process of making decisions regarding life-sustaining treatments. A convenience sample of 68 social workers participated in the study (65 F and 3 M; mean age = 42.4 ; SD = 10.0 . Fifty-two participants worked at hospitals and 16 at nursing homes. The area in which social workers reported being more involved were activities related to family members. The extent of social workers' involvement was related to their beliefs regarding their role and their knowledge about life-sustaining treatments. Findings of this study emphasize the need for developing educational programs aimed at expanding social workers' knowledge in order to increase their autonomy and professional involvement in end-of-life decision making.     

MINDFULNESS IN SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY: APPLICATIONS FOR INTERVENTION AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

Although the use of mindfulness is increasing in other areas of applied psychology, school psychology has yet to embrace it in practice. This article introduces school psychologists to the burgeoning field of mindfulness psychology and to the possibilities that it offers to their discipline. A background on the Western scientific study and application of mindfulness provides a theoretical foundation to those unfamiliar with the topic. We then discuss the application of mindfulness technologies to various forms of service provision in the professional practice of school psychology. The innovative and novel avenues that mindfulness psychology offers to psychological science     

CONGREGATION AS EDUCATOR: PROBLEM AND POSSIBILITY FOR THE PROFESSIONAL CHURCH EDUCATOR

This essay examines movements in history that have shaped the field of religious education and the contextual realities of Asia. The plurality of influences also means a plurality of forms in which the field can and should take shape—in terms of contents, approaches and methodologies. The author argues for reclaiming a “more holistic approach” to religious and theological education that explicitly embraces the plurality of faiths in contemporary Asia.     

GERONTOLOGICAL NURSING EDUCATION: A PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL CHALLENGE FOR FUTURE BACCALAUREATE FACULTY AND STUDENTS

Investigators in this study wanted to know if student nurses were increasing their factual knowledge and changing their attitudes about the elderly, as well as, desire to work with them. Respondents included two groups of undergraduates from a main campus (n = 87) and two from a satellite campus (n = 47) of a Baccalaureate College of Nursing (BSN) in a southern university during 1992‐1995. E. D. Palmore's (1990) quizzes (FAQ1, FAQ2, FAMHQ) were used as pre‐tests (upon entering the junior year) and post‐tests (upon completion of the senior year). E. D. Palmore's (1988) “documentation” and “classification” of items were used to calculate knowledge and attitude scores. Feelings about working with the elderly were part of demographic data, as were “determinants” in E. D. Palmore's (1982) “Theoretical Model.” Mean scores within groups were by dependent t tests. Grand Means for comparison between campuses were by independent t Jests at a ≤ .05 level of significance. Students from the main campus scored significantly less on the FAQ2, significantly more on the FAMHQ for knowledge, with significantly less negative attitudes on post‐tests. Subjects from the satellite campus scored significantly higher on FAQ1 for knowledge, with somewhat less negative attitudes on post‐tests. From 25% to 52% of all students checked “really like” working with the elderly on post‐tests. Recommendations include evaluation and revisions of BSN curricula for gerontological content, assisting faculty to enhance expertise in gerontology, and encouraging students to pursue career tracks in gerontology.     

MENTORING: A CENTER FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY (CPDT) TALE

A paradigm shift has occurred in teacher training institutions in recent years. Many universities are abandoning traditional teacher training programs and are opting to offer this training through professional centers. These centers are grounded in research on best practices and usually incorporate more field experiences which results in the need for quality mentors. One South Texas university has five years of experience with such a program. Problems encountered have included cost, rewards, training, selection, collaboration and time constraints. Solutions to many of these have come from careful budgeting, legislation, research, increased community involvement, and state initiatives.     

IN-SERVICE TRAINING OF PROFESSIONAL AND PARA-PROFESSIONAL STAFF ININSTITUTIONS FOR THE AGED

An Institutional Resident Quality of Life Project conducted at six institutions throughout Israel during 1994-1997 aimed to: (1) identify and test elements in the life domains of institutional residents that affect their quality of life, and (2) introduce changes in staff attitudes and behavior toward the residents. The article deals with the supplementary training for staff in one of the participating institutions in the project, and the evaluation of this training program. The growing number of elders in the modern world demands accelerated development of community and institutional services. In turn, the growth of these services requires the training of professional and para-professional personnel, with an emphasis on the latter group in light of the more pressing need for day-today caregiving that para-professionals provide. Considerable efforts have been made in Israel in recent years to recruit such workers, train them before they are employed, and deal with various problems once they are on the job. The data gathered during the course of the project illuminated the significant effect of staff-resident relationships on the residents' quality of life. The supplementary training of the staff, moreover, was found to contribute to the improvement of these relationships. A decision was made, therefore, to develop ongoing training programs for professional, and especially, para-professional staff.     

VIII. THE SITUATION FOR CHILDREN WITHOUT PARENTAL CARE AND STRATEGIES FOR POLICY CHANGE

Research that clearly demonstrates the negative effects of institutionalization, particularly for young children, has been critical for changing policy. However, actually putting science into action requires advocacy, persistence, and perseverance. Policy makers and advocates must be informed about the research and use it effectively. This paper proposes a number of key components for translating research into policy and programs: analyzing the situation, using evidence to build the case for action, developing policies, building program capacity in child welfare and early childhood development, creating a family‐based child welfare system, and developing a system of monitoring and accountability. Much of the knowledge in this paper comes from experiences, desk reviews, and case studies of successful practices. Research provides the basis, but moving research to practice depends on collaboration between researchers who understand the key policy perspectives and policy makers who understand the research.     

当代政治意识与民族传统文化意识的扭结——从天安门诗歌到“哀思文学”潮流

1976年的天安门诗歌运动是时代政治气候压抑下民族情绪郁积的产物。天安门诗歌一方面表现出民族当代民主政治意识的苏醒 ,一方面又表现出民族传统文化意识的积淀。其文化指归、情感意向、表现形式都呈现出复归传统的倾向。新时期之初的哀思文学是天安门诗歌的自然承续 ,其内在情感、意识、话语等都与天安门诗歌一脉相承。当代意识与传统意识的虬结共生是这时期文学潮流的突出特色。正是这一矛盾的共生体触动和催发了“伤痕—反思”文学的产生     

老舍的精英意识及其流变

被誉为"平民作家"的老舍其实具有独特的精英意识。因其不同的生存语境,这种精英意识在不同阶段的小说中呈现出动态的流变。寄予在"二李"身上实干的精英意识,与老舍独处英伦,渴慕西方文化的境遇有关。小蝎和大鹰精英意识的缺失则隐含了老舍对现实境遇的失望和愤怒;瑞宣和钱默吟经过精神裂变,成长为民族精英,则说明经过民族战争的洗礼,老舍的文化更新意识得到了释放和升华。     

THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOL EARLY CHILDHOOD INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE: A CATALYST FOR REFLECTIVE TEACHING AND PRACTICE

This paper describes the incorporation of online psychological consultation regarding child behavior in an early childhood teacher education program. The authors discuss psychological consultation in terms of current theory and philosophy in early childhood teacher education in general, and in terms of the professional objectives of this specific program. The experiences and thinking that eventually resulted in the choice of an online vehicle for the delivery of psychological consultation are also discussed. Specific psychological education objectives addressed through this consultation are illustrated in excerpts from actual interchanges between the consulting clinical psychologist and student teachers. The paper concludes with reactions regarding this seminar addition from supervisors and student teachers.     

PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS' AWARENESS AND EXPRESSION OF EMOTIONS: ASSOCIATIONS WITH PROPOSED STRATEGIES FOR BEHAVIORAL MANAGEMENT IN THE CLASSROOM

This research examined whether prospective teachers’ emotion regulation styles, dispositional empathy, and conceptions of competent student emotion and behavior were predictive of their attitudes about bullying and proposed responses to peer conflict. Overall, participants perceived physical bullying as more serious than verbal and relational bullying. Prospective teachers also expressed higher levels of sympathy for victims and a greater likelihood of intervention in response to physical bullying. Regression analyses demonstrated that valuing emotional competence and the role of teachers in supporting its development were meaningfully associated with expressed support for victims and with proposed responses to the perpetrators of this type of classroom aggression. Interestingly, those respondents who reported higher levels of situationally specific sympathy for victims (and not dispositional empathy) also reported that they would be more likely than their counterparts to intervene on their behalf. The emotional reactivity component of dispositional empathy was, however, positively associated with regulated responses to peer conflict involving a difficult child. The emotion regulation variables, although associated with the outcome measures in correlational analyses, were not unique predictors of prospective teachers’ bullying attitudes.