Natalie Smith, Jenny Tew and Prina Patel
– The purpose of this paper is to outline the development, structure and implementation of the Choices, Actions, Relationships and Emotions (CARE) programme.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to outline the development, structure and implementation of the Choices, Actions, Relationships and Emotions (CARE) programme.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper will present some of the background to the programme, its aims, structure and delivery methods and the nature of the treatment population to date. It will also reflect on some of the lessons learnt through the development and implementation of the programme and the challenges faced in evaluating its impact. Plans for its future evaluation and development are discussed.
Findings
Female offenders represent a distinct group with particular treatment and responsivity needs. These have traditionally been accommodated in programmes developed for male offenders, adapted slightly to meet their needs. CARE represents a distinct approach, designed specifically for the needs of female offenders with a history of violence and complex presentations.
Originality/value
CARE is a relatively new programme and this is the first paper to outline its structure and content.
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Gül Seçkin, Susan Hughes, Cassie Hudson, David Laljer and Dale Yeatts
Purpose: The aim of the study is to consider the use of the Internet as a potential facilitator of positive health-related perceptions. Specifically, we propose that online health…
Abstract
Purpose: The aim of the study is to consider the use of the Internet as a potential facilitator of positive health-related perceptions. Specifically, we propose that online health information seeking fosters positive perceptions of health. Using path modeling, we theorized several mechanisms through which information seeking could be conducive to positive health perceptions, which we conceptualized into the following four dimensions: (1) sense of empowerment in managing health, (2) self-reported ability to take better care of health, (3) sense of improved health-related quality of life, and (4) self-reported improvement of health.
Methodology: Our sample consisted of respondents who have used the Internet as a resource for health information (n = 710), drawn from the largest national probability-based online research panel. Our comparison subsample consisted of older respondents (age ≥ 60; n = 194). We used Internet-specific measures and employed structural equation models (SEM) to estimate the direct, indirect, and total effects of health-related use of the Internet on subjective health perceptions. Based on our review of the literature, competent health communication with healthcare providers and sense of empowerment in managing personal health were modeled as mediator variables. We assessed whether the proposed mediational relationships, if significant, differed across our indicators of positive health perceptions and whether any differential associations were observed among older adults. We run parallel models for each indicator of positive health perception.
Findings: Provider-patient communication informed by the Internet resources were perceived to impart a greater sense of empowerment to manage health among our respondents, which in turn, was associated with perceived contributions to better self-reported ability to provide self-care, increased health-related quality of life, and improvement in self-reported health. The SEM results revealed a good fit with our full sample and subsample.
Research Implications: Conceptualization of the multidimensional aspects of online health information seeking with separate multi-indicator analyses of the outcome variable is important to further our understanding of how technology may impact the pathways involved in influencing health perceptions and as a result health outcomes.
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Kirti Gaur and Usha Ram
– The purpose of this paper is to assess the prevalence and socio-economic determinants of common mental disorders among youth in India.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess the prevalence and socio-economic determinants of common mental disorders among youth in India.
Design/methodology/approach
The study utilizes data from “Youth in India: Situation and Needs 2006-2007”. One-way analysis of variance is used to compare different groups. Poisson regression models are used to test the relationship of household, parental, and individual factors with mental health problems.
Findings
An estimated 11-31 million youth suffer from reported mental health problems in India. Results suggest that the household and individual factors like place of residence, wealth quintile, age, education, and occupation are the most important determinants of mental health problems among Indian youth. Parental factors lose their statistical significance once individual factors are controlled.
Research limitations/implications
Little is known about correlates of mental health among youth. Strengthening on-going programmes and creating awareness about mental health issues through various programmes may help improve scenario. The two limitations of the study are: first, data covering all the states would have given a broader and clear picture of the issue; and second, due to cross-sectional nature of the data the study is not able to look into the cause-effect relationship.
Originality/value
There are few studies which have explored mental health problems covering smaller areas in India. This is the first and the largest study conducted on a representative population of Indian youth to determine the correlates of reported mental health problems using General Health Questionnaire-12.
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Mukesh Pal, Hemant Gupta and Yogesh C. Joshi
Women empowerment becomes an important policy discussion in development economics and modernization theory. The empowerment of women can lead to an increase in the quality…
Abstract
Purpose
Women empowerment becomes an important policy discussion in development economics and modernization theory. The empowerment of women can lead to an increase in the quality viz-a-viz the capacity of human resources accessible for economic development. The purpose of this study is to evidence the impact of social and economic dimensions on women empowerment through financial inclusion in rural India.
Design/methodology/approach
To reveal the research objective, the study has utilized a primary survey of women respondents from the Gujarat state of India by a simple random sampling method and applied a logistic regression approach to identify the relationship between the need of a bank account (determinant of financial inclusion) as a dependent variable and social and economic dimensions of women empowerment such as earning status, participation in financial decision-making, recipient of social welfare schemes and perception towards the safety of saving as independent variables.
Findings
The results of this study show that earning status, participation in financial decision-making at household level and recipient of social welfare schemes by women have a significant impact on women empowerment through financial inclusion; however, safety of their savings is observed as an insignificant variable, yet the odd value is very high (2.437) in the present study.
Originality/value
The present study is the first of its kind to examine the social and economic status of women and its impact on their requirement of a formal bank account for the overall empowerment of women in rural India.
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Heather Yemm, Elizabeth Peel and Dawn Brooker
This paper aims to report the findings of a survey study exploring perceptions about cognitive impairment. These findings are relevant to public health campaigns and education…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to report the findings of a survey study exploring perceptions about cognitive impairment. These findings are relevant to public health campaigns and education programmes.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey exploring respondents’ views and knowledge about mild cognitive impairment (MCI) was circulated via UK networks. A total of 417 respondents completed the survey, including people living with cognitive impairment (n = 10), care partners (n = 23), older adults (n = 83), younger adults (n = 83), general health-care professionals (n = 96), dementia specialist health-care professionals (n = 48) and dementia specialists (n = 40).
Findings
Respondents were more confident in their knowledge about dementia than cognitive impairment but wanted more information about both conditions. Younger adults were uncertain about many aspects of MCI, and were the most likely to view MCI as a normal part of ageing. Diet (45.1%, n = 188) and personal behaviour (63.8%, n = 266) were the least endorsed possible causes of MCI, suggesting a lack of awareness of lifestyle choices as risk factors for MCI.
Originality/value
The results highlight the need to provide education and awareness raising about MCI to enable people to seek help in a timely manner and be able to make informed lifestyle choices that may reduce their risk of MCI and dementia. Implementing education about MCI and dementia in schools is a key target, as younger people were the most uncertain or misinformed about these topics. It is clear that further public health initiatives around MCI are both warranted and welcomed by the general public.
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Michael Clark, Charlie Murphy, Tony Jameson-Allen and Chris Wilkins
Social exclusion and isolation of older people and their mental health are likely to be more significant, interlinked issues for society as countries experience an ageing…
Abstract
Purpose
Social exclusion and isolation of older people and their mental health are likely to be more significant, interlinked issues for society as countries experience an ageing demographic profile. The authors urgently need to identify effective ways of addressing these challenges that can be easily mobilised to meet diverse needs in different settings. The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of sporting memories (SM) work as one approach to help meet this need. This SM work entails the use of sports-based reminiscence to engage with older people experiencing mental health problems. To date this has especially focused on people living with dementia in institutional and in community settings.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper sets out the SM idea and discusses lessons learnt from case studies of its application to meet the inclusion and mental health needs of different older people in institutional and community settings.
Findings
The evidence from the application of SM work to date is that it is an effective and flexible means of engaging people to improve their social inclusion and mental well-being. It can be readily deployed in various care and community settings.
Research limitations/implications
The evidence to date is of case studies of the use of SM work, and, although these are now extensive case studies, further research is needed on the costs and impacts of SM work.
Practical implications
SM work is a flexible and readily adoptable intervention to engage older people and help improve their social inclusion and mental well-being.
Social implications
SM work can be an important part of meeting some of the challenges society faces with an ageing population profile.
Originality/value
This is the first paper to set out the SM work.
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Rachael Frost, Kate Walters, Jane Wilcock, Louise Robinson, Karen Harrison Dening, Martin Knapp, Louise Allan and Greta Rait
Post-diagnostic dementia care is often fragmented in the United Kingdom, with great variation in provision. Recent policies suggest moving towards better community-based care for…
Abstract
Purpose
Post-diagnostic dementia care is often fragmented in the United Kingdom, with great variation in provision. Recent policies suggest moving towards better community-based care for dementia; however, little is known on how this care is delivered. This study aimed to map the post-diagnostic dementia support provided in England a decade after the introduction of a National Dementia Strategy.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-methods e-survey (open Nov 2018–Mar 2019) of dementia commissioners in England recruited through mailing lists of relevant organisations was conducted. The authors descriptively summarised quantitative data and carried out thematic analysis of open-ended survey responses.
Findings
52 completed responses were received, which covered 82 commissioning bodies, with representation from each region in England. Respondents reported great variation in the types of services provided. Information, caregiver assessments and dementia navigation were commonly reported and usually delivered by the voluntary sector or local authorities. Integrated pathways of care were seen as important to avoid overlap or gaps in service coverage. Despite an increasingly diverse population, few areas reported providing dementia health services specifically for BME populations. Over half of providers planned to change services further within five years.
Practical implications
There is a need for greater availability of and consistency in services in post-diagnostic dementia care across England.
Originality/value
Post-diagnostic dementia care remains fragmented and provided by a wide range of providers in England.
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Michael Clark, Charlie Murphy, Tony Jameson-Allen and Chris Wilkins
The purpose of this paper is to describe the findings from a pilot and a follow-on study in which care assistants in care homes were trained to use sporting memories work to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe the findings from a pilot and a follow-on study in which care assistants in care homes were trained to use sporting memories work to better help and engage with residents with dementia and low mood. Care homes have to support increasingly more fragile people and often the range of activities in the homes do not offer the best engagement between residents and staff to benefit the residents. This is for reasons of time to run activities in a busy home, and because of the need to find financially viable means of running a range of activities. Care assistants in care homes are a group of non-professionally educated workers and are often overlooked for training beyond basic health and safety training to help them improve their work and the care they provide. This work sought to explore whether sporting memories work was viable as an activity to offer in care homes via the training of care assistants.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper discusses the evidence from a pilot and then follow-on project in care homes in one city area. In the pilot observation was made of a training session and follow up interviews were undertaken with care home managers to see how the implementation of sporting memories was going. In the follow-on project the support to those undertaking the training was modified to include three learning network sessions. Data were collected on the experience of participants and their use of sporting memories work.
Findings
The findings were that care assistants could be trained in using sporting memories work and they often found it easy to use and fulfilling for them and people they cared for. This was despite the care assistants who participated often not having much interest in sports and little experience in this kind of work. However, practical barriers to maintaining the use of sporting memories work did remain.
Research limitations/implications
The evidence to date is of case studies of training staff in care homes in the use of sporting memories work, which provides good grounding for proof of the concept and key issues, but further research is needed on the costs and impacts of sporting memories work in care homes. The lack of direct feedback about experiences of care home residents of sporting memories work and its impact on them is a further limitation.
Practical implications
Sporting memories work is a flexible and readily adoptable intervention to engage older people in care homes and the evidence to date is that care assistants in care homes can be trained to use this approach to engaging older people. Practical challenges still remain to using sporting memories work in care homes, notably the issue of time for staff to do the work, but it is an approach for care homes to have available to them to match up to the interests of residents.
Social implications
Sporting memories work can be an important part of meeting some of the challenges society faces with an ageing population profile and to enhancing the care home environment and care assistants can be trained to use the approach.
Originality/value
This is the first paper to discuss training care home staff in the use of sporting memories work.
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Nadezhda Koberskaya and Bogdan Kobierskij
This study aims to compare two national dementia plans and analyse the approach of each state to the issue.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to compare two national dementia plans and analyse the approach of each state to the issue.
Design/methodology/approach
Comparative analysis, legal analysis, policy analysis
Findings
Although research is central to both plans, the practical implementation of the Russian and UK plans differs. The Russian action plan on dementia is advisory in nature and does not propose specific programmes for research funding. Two plans have different approach to the role of education and risk factors.
Research limitations/implications
Lack of information on Russian regional strategies does not allow to compare regional differences between two countries.
Originality/value
This study illustrates several weak points in the UK and Russian dementia policies, which should be addressed to tackle the dementia problem in both countries.