Case Management Workforce Supporting People With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Indications of a New Frontier of the Workforce Crisis

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 499-511
Author(s):  
Matthew D. Bogenschutz ◽  
Parthenia A. Dinora ◽  
Khalilah R. Johnson

Abstract Case management (CM) is one of the most commonly used services by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), but little is known about the workers who provide CM. This study used a mixed methods approach to gain understanding of the CM workforce in one U.S. state. An online survey was completed by 35 IDD service directors (87.5% of directors in the state); and 113 CMs and CM supervisors participated in semistructured interviews and focus groups. Results indicated an annual crude separation rate of 28.2%, and participants often complained that turnover resulted in caseload sizes that prevented optimal outcomes for people with IDD. A limited applicant pool, duties focused on regulatory compliance, and inadequate wages were cited as major challenges for CMs.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Merrill ◽  
Taren-Ida Ackermann

The use of the voice in everyday communication is vital for our understanding of human interaction. The singing of popular music often amplifies vocal features from speech, which can provide insights into vocal activity in the context of the intense emotional impact of music. Three studies with a mixed-methods approach aimed at evaluating rationales and features of disliked voices in the context of popular music. In an interview study (N = 20), rationales and features for disliked voices were identified using self-selected voices. In a group testing session (N = 48) and an online survey (N = 216), these disliked voices were presented to new participants, and the vocal features and evoked emotions by the singers were investigated, assuming that the participants did not have strong opinions about the voices. The results showed that participants justified their dislikes based on object-related/sound and emotional reasons, similar to findings from studies on musical taste. Specific features of disliked voices were confirmed in the following studies, including a specific feature of popular singing styles, the twang, perceived as a squeaky and nasal sound. Further disliked features include a pressed sound, imprecise and ordinary articulation and a uniform expression. Notably, a rough voice was no predictor of aesthetic judgments. Evoked feelings relate to vocal features with similar tension levels. The measures created in the current study will also be informative for studying voice perception and evaluation more generally, which is a tool to evaluate vocal expression and items to evaluate reasons for disliked voices.


2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carly B. Gilson ◽  
Christina M. Gushanas ◽  
Yi-Fan Li ◽  
Kaitlin Foster

Abstract Inclusion across education contexts is critical to acknowledge and inspire the full potential of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). In the early stages of a postsecondary education program's development, peers and faculty are integral stakeholders to promoting an inclusive campus life. We conducted a campus-wide survey at a large public university to evaluate the perspectives of 1,867 faculty and students regarding their views of inclusion in student life and their attitudes toward prospective students with IDD. We incorporated a mixed-methods approach to summarize these views by using correlations, linear regression, and qualitative analysis of open-ended responses. We offer recommendations for research and practice aimed at increasing inclusive opportunities for students with IDD and their peers on college campuses.


2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 208-220
Author(s):  
John M. Keesler

Abstract Trauma-informed care (TIC) is a systemwide approach that emphasizes organizational practices based upon principles of safety, choice, collaboration, empowerment, and trustworthiness. It is intended to influence an entire organization, with implications for clients and the workforce. The present study explored the extent to which IDD organizations utilize practices that align with TIC with their DSP workforce. Through an online survey, 380 DSPs (84% women; 82% white) responded to a trauma-informed organizational culture measure. Results demonstrated variability across items and significant differences between TIC principles with safety most strongly scored, and collaboration least strongly scored. Perception of organizational practices differed by ethnicity, with non-white DSPs having more favorable responses. Current practices with DSPs align with TIC, however, increased attention through explicit trauma-informed initiatives is warranted.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Willems ◽  
Erik Farin-Glattacker ◽  
Thorsten Langer

Background: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a rare neuromuscular disease characterized by degeneration of the anterior horn cells in the spinal cord, resulting in muscle atrophy, and proximal muscle weakness. SMA presents with a wide range of symptoms requiring multiple clinical specialists and therapists. Integrating care between disciplines can be challenging due to the dynamic course of the disease, and great distances between specialist centers and local providers. Insufficient care integration can lead to suboptimal quality of care and more difficulties for patients and families. This study aims to improve care integration through a Case Management intervention, and taking a mixed-methods approach, to evaluate its impact.Methods: An exploratory, controlled, two-armed study with baseline, post- and follow-up measurement and process evaluation is conducted to evaluate our intervention compared to usual care. Through a multi-perspective state analysis, we investigate the experiences of caregivers and healthcare providers concerning the actual healthcare quality of patients with SMA I and II. Semi-structured interviews and care diaries are used. We apply that data to conceive a tailored Case Management intervention supplemented by a digital platform. The intervention's effect is examined in comparison to a control group taking a mixed-methods approach. As primary endpoints, we investigate the caregivers' health-related quality of life and the quality of care integration. Secondary endpoints are the use of healthcare services (patients and caregivers) and costs. We assess the process quality from the perspectives of caregivers and healthcare providers through semi-structured interviews.Discussion: This is an exploratory, controlled study to assess the impact of a tailored Case Management intervention to improve the care of patients with SMA I and II. After the evaluation, results on feasibility, expected effect sizes, and process quality will be available. On this basis, future randomized controlled trials can be planned. If demonstrated beneficial, the experience gained within this study may also be valuable for care strategies in other regions and other (non-pediatric) patient groups with rare diseases and/or chronic, complex conditions.Clinical Trial registration:https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00018778, identifier: DRKS00018778.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Linehan ◽  
Tal Araten-Bergam ◽  
Julie Beadle-Brown ◽  
Christine Bigby ◽  
Gail Birkbeck ◽  
...  

Background: This protocol outlines research to explore the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on individuals who have intellectual and developmental disabilities and their caregivers. Evidence suggests that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities experience disparities in healthcare access and utilisation. This disparity was evident early in the pandemic when discussions arose regarding the potential exclusion of this population to critical care. Methods: An anonymous online survey will be conducted with caregivers, both family members and paid staff, to explore the impact of COVID-19 on this population in terms of demographics, living arrangements, access to services, the impact of social distancing, and also carer wellbeing. The survey will be developed by the research team, many of whom are experts in intellectual disability within their own jurisdictions. Using back-translation our team will translate the survey for distribution in 16 countries worldwide for international comparison. The survey team have extensive personal and professional networks in intellectual disability and will promote the survey widely on social media with the support of local disability and advocacy agencies. Statistical descriptive and comparative analyses will be conducted. Ethical approval has been obtained for this study from University College Dublin’s Human Research Ethics Committee (HS-20-28-Linehan). Dissemination: Study findings will be prepared in a number of formats in order to meet the needs of different audiences. Outputs will include academic papers, lessons learned paper, practice guidelines, reports, infographics and video content. These outputs will be directed to families, frontline and management delivering disability services, national-level policy makers, healthcare quality and delivery authorities, national pandemic organisations and international bodies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 205630512094069
Author(s):  
Samantha Close ◽  
Cynthia Wang

The platformization of crafting in an unequal world encourages discriminatory attitudes toward ethnic Others. Imagining that the “magic circle” of a subcultural platform can insulate users from racism is deeply misguided. We examine this thesis through a mixed-methods approach combining an online survey assessing perceived experiences of racism online and willingness to communicate with people of different ethnicities, discourse analysis of crafters’ online posts, and ethnographic interviews. As the e-commerce platform Etsy allowed “manufactured goods” to be sold in their marketplace as handmade, Western crafters channel their frustrations with a broken platform economy into racist sentiment against Chinese crafters. This study explores the implications of these Orientalist sentiments as a reinforcement of Western exceptionalism around originality and creativity, and it analyzes White fragility and the assumption of Whiteness within the crafting subculture.


Author(s):  
Shalini Felicity Wickremesooriya

Social inclusion is based on acceptance and belonging irrespective of any status, disability, or disadvantage. The ability to communicate empowers humans in their quest for social inclusion. However, children challenged by communication disorders struggle to form friendships and make inroads into social groups. Mothers, the primary caregivers in most instances, with their intimate knowledge of their children, are considered the best advocates. This study set out to identify strategies that mothers engage in to pave the way for successful social inclusion of children with communication disorders. An online survey was conducted in different geographical locations. Mothers with children aged 6-13 years who had received speech therapy or are currently receiving speech therapy were invited to participate. Data were analyzed using a mixed methods approach. Outcomes suggest that all mothers believe in social inclusion despite facing a range of inclusion and exclusionary practices. Undeterred by these responses, mothers advocate for social inclusion by engaging in a range of strategies.


Author(s):  
Britta Wittner ◽  
Luisa Barthauer ◽  
Simone Kauffeld

Social support is a crucial factor for first-generation students’ (FGS) integration at university and their educational success. FGS are often assumed to lack social support and integration, but research shows mixed results. By means of a mixed-methods approach (combination of interviews and online survey), we aimed to shed light on the characteristics in FGS social networks that classify them as high-quality networks in order to obtain a deeper understanding of the structure and setup of the social contexts from which FGS receive support. Using these characteristics, we constructed types of socially supported students and related them to academic success. For that, we conducted N = 40 semi-structured interviews linked to Qualitative Social Network Analysis at an urban German University. Prior to the interviews, the interviewees filled out an online survey (1) consisting of demographic variables and psychological scales. During the interviews (2), we followed a problem-centred interview approach for the first part and then (3) asked about the FGS’s support networks during the beginning of their bachelor’s degrees. All the interviews were coded by applying content analysis. Network maps were analysed using qualitative structural analysis (QSA). Both maps and codes were used to build three types of support as received by the students. These types were in turn connected to the results of the support forms in content analysis and the psychometric scales to estimate how students perceive different structures in their networks as supportive. The results revealed three types: small and dense bijou networks, medium networks with emotionally close alters (close-knit networks), and large and diverse networks (have-it-all networks). The types show different results for university success and perceived support for their networks.


2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 94-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hailee M. Gibbons ◽  
Randall Owen ◽  
Tamar Heller

Abstract This study examined perceptions of health and healthcare of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) receiving Medicaid Managed Care. Exploratory, semistructured interviews were conducted with 23 participants. Findings indicate that participants generally expressed being in good health and defined good health as (a) absence of pain, disease, and symptoms; (b) adherence to or not requiring treatment; (c) physical self-care; (d) mental or spiritual self-care; and (e) ability to perform the activities one wants to do. Participants conceptualized healthcare as (a) ensuring needs are met through access to services, (b) obtaining quality services, (c) navigating the healthcare system successfully, and (d) receiving humanizing healthcare. This study has implications for improving healthcare and communications between people with IDD and healthcare providers.


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