Veiled entrapment: a study of social isolation of older Chinese migrants in Brisbane, Queensland

2007 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 719-738 ◽  
Author(s):  
DAVID IP ◽  
CHI WAI LUI ◽  
WING HONG CHUI
Keyword(s):  
Social Isolation ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
English Language ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Service Development ◽  
Service Needs ◽  
Chinese People ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Older Chinese

ABSTRACTThis paper presents the findings of a study of the support and service needs of older Chinese people in Brisbane, the capital city of Queensland, Australia. There were two specific objectives: to ascertain the problems encountered by older Chinese-Australians in their daily lives and social activities; and to develop policy and service development recommendations, with a view to mitigating their problems, meeting their unmet needs, improving their quality of life, and enhancing their participation in Australian society. The study used multiple methods, including a literature review, focus group meetings, and a community survey. The findings indicate that older Chinese people, and particularly women, experience significant restrictions in their activity patterns, social isolation and loneliness. Their lack of proficiency in the English language, and the difficulties they have in accessing language-support and interpretation services, limit their autonomous mobility and make them heavily dependent on their adult children, not least for transport. Their physical and psychological wellbeing is affected further by strained relations with their adult children, and these are compounded by financial concerns. The implications of the findings for welfare policy and practice are discussed at the end of the paper.

The Development of Speech-Language Pathology in Zambia: A Reflection on the Current Landscape and Two Contrasting Training Models

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (17) ◽  
pp. 63-72
Author(s):  
Suzanna Bright ◽  
Chisomo Selemani
Keyword(s):  
Multidimensional Poverty ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Service Development ◽  
Speech Impairment ◽  
Implementation Challenges ◽  
Training Models ◽  
The Disabled ◽  
Disability Prevalence ◽  
Service Gap ◽  
Communication Disability

Functional approaches to disability measurement in Zambia reveals an overall disability prevalence rate of 13.4%, 4% of whom are recorded as having “speech impairment” (Zambia Federation of the Disabled [ZAFOD], 2006). Further, multidimensional poverty assessments indicate that 48.6% of Zambia's approximately 16 million citizens are impoverished. Currently, there are three internationally qualified speech-language pathologists (SLPs) providing services within Zambia's capital city, Lusaka. Given these statistics, it follows that a significant number of Zambian's, experiencing communication disability, are unable to access specialist assessment and support. Over the past decade, Zambia has seen two very different approaches to address this service gap—firstly, a larger scale top-down approach through the implementation of a formal master's degree program and more recently a smaller scale, bottom-up approach, building the capacity of existing professionals working in the field of communication disability. This article provides an overview of both programs and the context, unique to Zambia, in which they have developed. Authors describe the implementation challenges encountered and program successes leading to a discussion of the weakness and merits to both programs, in an attempt to draw lessons from which future efforts to support communication disability and SLP service development in Majority World contexts may benefit.

The Use of Multimedia and its Impact on Bangladeshi EFL Learners at Tertiary Level

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 150
Author(s):  
Farzana Sharmin Pamela Islam
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Tertiary Level ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

As 21st century is the era of modern technologies with different aspects, it offers us to make the best use of them. After tape recorder and overhead projector (OHP), multimedia has become an important part of language classroom facilities for its unique and effective application in delivering and learning lesson. Although in many parts of Bangladesh, a South Asian developing country, where English enjoys the status of a foreign language, the use of multimedia in teaching and learning is viewed as a matter of luxury. However, nowadays the usefulness and the necessity of it are well recognized by the academics as well as the government. The study aims to focus on the difference between a traditional classroom void of multimedia and multimedia equipped classrooms at university level by explaining how multimedia support the students with enhanced opportunity to interact with diverse texts that give them more in-depth comprehension of the subject. It also focuses on audio-visual advantage of multimedia on the students’ English language learning. The study has followed a qualitative method to get an in-depth understanding of the impact of using multimedia in an English language classroom at tertiary level. For this purpose, the data have been collected from two different sources. Firstly, from students’ written response to  an open ended question as to their comparative experience of learning  lessons with and without multimedia facilities; and secondly, through  observation of English language classes at a private university of Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. The discussion of the study is limited to  the use of multimedia in English language classroom using cartoons, images and music with a view to enhance students’ skills in academic writing, critical analysis of image and critical appreciation of music. For this purpose, cartoons in English language, images from Google and music from You Tube have got focused discussion in this paper.

scholarly journals Socioeconomic Status and Physical Functioning: A Longitudinal Study of Older Chinese People

2017 ◽  
Vol 73 (7) ◽  
pp. 1315-1329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Yang ◽  
Hanna Konttinen ◽  
Pekka Martikainen ◽  
Karri Silventoinen
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Physical Functioning ◽  
Chinese People ◽  
Older Chinese

scholarly journals Migrants’ involvement in health policy, service development and research in the WHO European Region: policy and practice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne MacFarlane ◽  
Mamobo Ogoro ◽  
Claudia de Freitas ◽  
Vikram Niranjan ◽  
Santino Severoni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Policy ◽  
European Region ◽  
Service Development ◽  
Policy And Practice

Older people’s news dependency and social connectedness

2021 ◽  
pp. 1329878X2110064
Author(s):  
Caroline Fisher ◽  
Sora Park ◽  
Jee Young Lee ◽  
Kate Holland ◽  
Emma John
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
News Media ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Older Citizens

Social isolation has become a growing issue, particularly among older citizens. The ‘digital divide’ has been identified as one of the contributing factors leaving many older citizens behind. While increasing digital literacy among seniors has been identified as one of the remedies, less attention has been paid to the role of news media on the wellbeing and connectedness of older people. Through the lens of the uses and gratifications theory, this article reports on the findings of a survey of 562 news consumers aged 50 years and above who live in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. The analysis highlights the important role of news in reducing feelings of social isolation, particularly for those who spend more time alone and older people with cognitive impairment. Older participants who had difficulty concentrating and learning new tasks were also more dependent on news. We suggest this is due to the habitual, predictable and concise nature of news. These findings contribute to our understanding of the role of news in the wellbeing of older people and point to the need for policymakers and those in the aged care sector to ensure access to news for older citizens to improve the quality of life.

Blended learning: Barriers and drawbacks for English language lecturers at Vietnamese universities

2021 ◽  
pp. 204275302110482
Author(s):  
Thi Nguyet Le ◽  
Bill Allen ◽  
Nicola F Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Blended Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Learning Barriers ◽  
Teaching Time

Although blended learning (BL) has emerged as one of the most dominant delivery modes in higher education in the 21st century, there are notable barriers and drawbacks in using BL for English language teaching and learning in Vietnamese universities. This study reports on research into the use of BL, conducted through semi-structured interviews with 30 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) lecturers from 10 different universities across the two major cities of Vietnam. The findings revealed that EFL lecturers identified eight groups of barriers and four groups of drawbacks to the successful implementation of BL. The most significant barriers included: lack of infrastructure and technology, institutional policies and support; lack of knowledge, experience and investment in using BL; lack of technological competence and information technology (IT) skills and lack of teaching time to employ web-based technologies and online resources in classrooms. Meanwhile, the most crucial drawbacks were: lecturers’ workload, ineffective use of BL, time consumption and demotivation. The authors point to the underlying factors contributing to these barriers and drawbacks and make implications for how some of these can be effectively addressed through constructive changes to policy and practice.

scholarly journals School Readiness Assessments for Class Placements and Academic Sorting in Kindergarten

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 518-547 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Chris Curran ◽  
Michael H. Little ◽  
Lora Cohen-Vogel ◽  
Thurston Domina
Keyword(s):  
Language Arts ◽  
School Readiness ◽  
English Language ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Kindergarten Readiness ◽  
Academic Ability ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Placement Decisions ◽  
Class Placement

Kindergarten readiness assessments are commonly used in schools nationwide. Prior work shows that the use of such assessments for class placement decisions has increased in recent years. This article uses the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study of 2011 to explore whether the use of readiness assessments for such purpose predicts differential sorting of students across classrooms by prior academic ability. Results from multilevel models as well as other sensitivity analyses suggest that the use of readiness assessments for classroom placements is predictive of slightly higher cross-class ability sorting, particularly in English/language arts. The implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Understanding Social Isolation Among Urban Aging Adults: Informing Occupation-Based Approaches

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 188-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carri Hand ◽  
Jessica Retrum ◽  
George Ware ◽  
Patricia Iwasaki ◽  
Gabe Moaalii ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Isolation ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Information Access ◽  
Community Based Participatory Research ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Poor Health ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Aging Adults

Socially isolated aging adults are at risk of poor health and well-being. Occupational therapy can help address this issue; however, information is needed to guide such work. National surveys characterize social isolation in populations of aging adults but fail to provide meaningful information at a community level. The objective of this study is to describe multiple dimensions of social isolation and related factors among aging adults in diverse urban neighborhoods. Community-based participatory research involving a door-to-door survey of adults 50 years and older was used. Participants ( N = 161) reported social isolation in terms of small social networks (24%) and wanting more social engagement (43%). Participants aged 50 to 64 years reported the highest levels of isolation in most dimensions. Low income, poor health, lack of transportation, and infrequent information access appeared linked to social isolation. Occupational therapists can address social isolation in similar urban communities through policy and practice that facilitate social engagement and network building.

scholarly journals Early innovations in opioid use disorder treatment and harm reduction during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Noa Krawczyk ◽  
Adetayo Fawole ◽  
Jenny Yang ◽  
Babak Tofighi
Keyword(s):  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
English Language ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
Home Delivery ◽  
Opioid Use Disorder ◽  
Opioid Use ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
Long Acting

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has exerted a significant toll on the lives of people who use opioids (PWUOs). At the same time, more flexible regulations around provision of opioid use disorder (OUD) services have led to new opportunities for facilitating access to services for PWUOs. In the current scoping review, we describe new services and service modifications implemented by treatment and harm reduction programs serving PWUO, and discuss implications for policy and practice. Methods Literature searches were conducted within PubMed, LitCovid, Embase, and PsycInfo for English-language studies published in 2020 that describe a particular program, service, or intervention aimed at facilitating access to OUD treatment and/or harm reduction services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Abstracts were independently screened by two reviewers. Relevant studies were reviewed in full and those that met inclusion criteria underwent final data extraction and synthesis (n = 25). We used a narrative synthesis approach to identify major themes around key service modifications and innovations implemented across programs serving PWUO. Results Reviewed OUD treatment and harm reduction services spanned five continents and a range of settings from substance use treatment to street outreach programs. Innovative service modifications to adapt to COVID-19 circumstances primarily involved expanded use of telehealth services (e.g., telemedicine visits for buprenorphine, virtual individual or group therapy sessions, provision of donated or publicly available phones), increased take-home medication allowances for methadone and buprenorphine, expanded uptake of long-acting opioid medications (e.g. extended-release buprenorphine and naltrexone), home delivery of services (e.g. MOUD, naloxone and urine drug screening), outreach and makeshift services for delivering MOUD and naloxone, and provision of a safe supply of opioids. Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic has posed multiple challenges for PWUOs, while simultaneously accelerating innovations in policies, care models, and technologies to lower thresholds for life-saving treatment and harm reduction services. Such innovations highlight novel patient-centered and feasible approaches to mitigating OUD related harms. Further studies are needed to assess the long-term impact of these approaches and inform policies that improve access to care for PWUOs.

Rebranding Rwanda’s Peacekeeping Identity during Post-Conflict Transition

2019 ◽  
pp. 104-124
Author(s):  
Georgina Holmes ◽  
Ilaria Buscaglia
Keyword(s):  
Public Diplomacy ◽  
English Language ◽  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Nation Branding ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
The Government ◽  
National Newspaper ◽  
Middle Powers ◽  
International Peacekeeping

Drawing on recent theorising of 'nation branding', this article examines how mediatised security narratives are used as part of the current Government of Rwanda's public diplomacy strategy to establish post-conflict Rwanda's peacekeeping identity and brand image as a Troop Contributing Country. It does so by undertaking an analysis of media discourse published by the state-owned English language national newspaper The New Times between 2008 and 2018, and two 'twitter storms' that occurred in March 2017 and 2018 in response to the Central African Republic Sexual Exploitation and Abuse scandal involving French military peacekeepers and a second scandal involving Ghanaian police peacekeepers in South Sudan. Specifically, we ask, how does the Government of Rwanda use mediatised security narratives as a nation branding tool after genocide and civil war? We argue that mediatised security narratives are employed to erase Rwanda's negative brand informed by the frameworks of victimology, poverty and violence and reposition Rwanda as an emerging strategic player in international peacekeeping. The RPF achieves this by 'niche building' and mimicking the public diplomacy strategies of middle-powers in order to present Rwanda as a catalyst and facilitator of contemporary peacekeeping policy and practice.

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