scholarly journals Developing linguistic and cultural competence: participants' evaluation of a Maltese language and culture awareness program

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 251-260
Author(s):  
NEVILLE SCHEMBRI

Malta is facing an increasing demand and decreasing supply of local nurses and engagement of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) personnel is becoming the main solution to mitigate such problems.  The case study examines the perceptions of CALD nurses about the content and utility of a Maltese language and culture awareness program. A qualitative methodology was adopted and data collected through focus group interviews  conducted with sixteen (16) participants. Qualitative content analysis using Framework Method  was used to analyse the data. Views on the training program have been divided between elements related to individual utility, service user utility, quality of delivery and areas for improvement. The results indicate that training can provide significant advantages in terms of enhancing cultural competence and cross-cultural encounters amongst CALD nurses working in elderly long term care and it is recommended that such programs are encouraged to be taken on board by organisations operating in similar health and social care services.

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-63
Author(s):  
Ralf Lottmann ◽  
Ingrid Kollak

AbstractThis paper presents results of the research project „Gleichgeschlechtliche Lebensweisen und Selbstbestimmung im Alter“ (GLESA) by the Alice Salomon University of Applied Sciences, Berlin, and the Berlin School of Economics and Law concerning the needs of gay and lesbian elders regarding long-term care. The main focus is on the expectations and perceptions of long-term care (facilities) of the interviewees living in a gay housing project in Berlin, Germany. The study is based on 26 interviews: with eleven gay, one lesbian and three heterosexual tenants – two of them lived in a shared community with long-term care services. Another eleven interviews were conducted with experts (five cis-female, four cis-male and two transgender) working in social and health services (social workers, carers and psychologists). The data was gathered via problem-centered interviews (Witzel 2000) and analysed with Mayrings‘ (2007) qualitative content analysis. Long-term care aspects were one out of five dimensions of the analysis. The study illustrates the discomfort of LGB elders regarding regular care services. The interviewees prefer LGB(T*I)-friendly facilities, in part because they demonstrate overt signs of diversity and promise a high competence of LGB(T*I) personnel in terms of self-determination, awareness, visibility and knowledge about LGBT*I communities. Finally, the authors advocate enhancing the concept of culture-sensitive long-term care according to diversity-sensitive aspects. A better understanding of diversity will help to better consider individuality and biographies in long-term care (facilities) and to support the social inclusion of LGB(T*I) elders in need of care.


2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 331-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Foster ◽  
Paul Henman ◽  
Jennifer Fleming ◽  
Cheryl Tilse ◽  
Rosamund Harrington

Internationally, over the past two decades the theme of personalisation has driven significant reforms within health and social care services. In the Australian context, the principles of ‘entitlement based on need’ and ‘personalisation’ frame the proposed National Disability Long-Term Care and Support Scheme (LTCSS). In this article, we critically examine the interpretations and ambiguities of need and personalisation. We consider the administrative complexities of applying these principles in practice and the uncertainties about the roles of state and the market, and use individual case examples to illustrate areas of potential tension. Whether principles translate to deliver personalised services and avoid harmful trade-offs between access, equity and choice is the true test of social policy.


2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralf Lottmann ◽  
Ingrid Kollak

Abstract This paper presents results of the research project „Gleichgeschlechtliche Lebensweisen und Selbstbestimmung im Alter“ (GLESA) by the Alice Salomon University of Applied Sciences, Berlin, and the Berlin School of Economics and Law concerning the needs of gay and lesbian elders regarding long-term care. The main focus is on the expectations and perceptions of long-term care (facilities) of the interviewees living in a gay housing project in Berlin, Germany. The study is based on 26 interviews: with eleven gay, one lesbian and three heterosexual tenants – two of them lived in a shared community with long-term care services. Another eleven interviews were conducted with experts (five cis-female, four cis-male and two transgender) working in social and health services (social workers, carers and psychologists). The data was gathered via problem-centered interviews (Witzel 2000) and analysed with Mayrings‘ (2007) qualitative content analysis. Long-term care aspects were one out of five dimensions of the analysis. The study illustrates the discomfort of LGB elders regarding regular care services. The interviewees prefer LGB(T*I)-friendly facilities, in part because they demonstrate overt signs of diversity and promise a high competence of LGB(T*I) personnel in terms of self-determination, awareness, visibility and knowledge about LGBT*I communities. Finally, the authors advocate enhancing the concept of culture-sensitive long-term care according to diversity-sensitive aspects. A better understanding of diversity will help to better consider individuality and biographies in long-term care (facilities) and to support the social inclusion of LGB(T*I) elders in need of care.


2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 704-724 ◽  
Author(s):  
STÉPHANIE J. M. NOWAK ◽  
CLAUDIA C. M. MOLEMA ◽  
CAROLINE A. BAAN ◽  
SIMON J. OOSTING ◽  
LENNEKE VAANDRAGER ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTResponsibility for health and social care services is being delegated from central to local authorities in an increasing number of countries. In the Netherlands, the planned transfer of responsibility for day care for people with dementia from the central government to municipalities is a case in point. The impacts of this decentralisation process for innovative care concepts such as day care at green care farms are largely unknown. We therefore interviewed representatives of municipalities and green care farms to explore what consequences they expected of decentralisation for their organisations and people with dementia. Our study shows that communication and collaboration between municipalities and green care farms is relatively limited. Consequently, municipalities are insufficiently aware of how green care farms can help them to perform their new tasks and green care farmers know little about what municipalities expect from them in the new situation. We therefore recommend that municipalities and green care farms keep each other informed about their responsibilities, duties and activities to ensure a tailored package of future municipal services for people with dementia.


2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 1100-1115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Forbes

Using institutional entrepreneurship theory, I examine the emergence of a novel partnership model in Scotland between 2002 and 2005 to deliver health and social care services. Utilising a qualitative methodology based on interviews and secondary data, I investigate how health and social care managers in a large urban city area acted as institutional entrepreneurs. By engaging in institutional work at a microlevel, mesolevel, and macrolevel, these managers overcame institutional pressure to implement a centrally mandated partnership model advocated by the then Scottish Executive. The study suggests that institutional entrepreneurship is a specific form of change management that can provide unique insights into the political and negotiative processes involved in implementing divergent change in the face of local and national resistance and offers guidance to policy makers and practitioners in framing and implementing change initiatives.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 800-801
Author(s):  
Lena Hammar ◽  
Marcus Johansson ◽  
Lena Dahlberg ◽  
Kevin J McKee ◽  
Martina Summer-Meranius

Abstract Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, spouse carers of persons with dementia (PwDs) found their care responsibilities overwhelming and had little time to focus on their own lives. To minimize the risk of being infected with Covid-19, older persons are recommended to self-isolate in their homes, while formal support such as respite care and day care centers are withdrawn. This study involved semi-structured interviews with 24 spouse carers of community-living PwDs, with the aim of describing their situation during the pandemic. The interviews were analyzed with qualitative content analysis. Results revealed that they commonly declined help because of the perceived risk of their spouse being infected with Covid-19 and thus also possibly causing their death. They described feelings of being trapped in their situation, as they experienced having no choice than take all responsibility for the care of their partner themselves, with cost of being unable to take necessary breaks. This was described as making an already strained situation almost unbearable, which led to conflicts with their partner. However, the spouses also described positive aspects due to strategic changes in health and social care provision to prevent the spread of the virus, such as greater staff continuity in home care services, and patient transportation service. These made the PwD less stressed and influenced their everyday life positively. It could be concluded that the extent burden during the Covid-19 pandemic calls for extensive development of tailored support to better tackle the rapid changes that can occur in a society.


Author(s):  
David Henderson ◽  
Iain Atherton ◽  
Colin McCowan ◽  
Stewart Mercer ◽  
Nick Bailey

IntroductionMany high-income countries are reorganising and integrating health and social care (long-term care) services. However, little evidence exists showing how these services interact. Demographic changes and austerity measures have led to increased demand for social care services at the same time as the  availability of formal and informal services has declined. The aim of this study was to identify risks for unplanned hospital admission taking account of social care receipt, multimorbidity and sociodemographic status. Objectives and ApproachThis retrospective, observational study included all individuals over the age of 65 in Scotland in financial year (Apr-March) 2015/16 (n = 879,027). The main outcome was time to first unplanned hospital admission. Kaplan-Meier curves were plotted to compare survival rates. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to determine risk factors for unplanned admission. Explanatory variables included: receipt of social care, multimorbidity, socioeconomicposition, age, and sex. ResultsMultivariate analysis showed that, after adjusting for: age, sex, multimorbidity, socioeconomic position, and any past unplanned admissions, receipt of social care was associated with a two-fold increased risk of having an unplanned admission compared to those without care (HR 1.98 95%CI 1.95-2.00). Increasing age, severity of multimorbidity, and lower socioeconomic position were also all associated with increasing risks of unplanned admission. Conclusion / ImplicationsOur results show those in current receipt of social care are also more likely to use unplanned hospital care compared with those that do not receive care. Current provision of social care services is unlikely to lead to reductions in unplanned hospital admission.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A G Henderson ◽  
Iain Atherton ◽  
Colin McCowan ◽  
Stewart W Mercer ◽  
Nick Bailey

Abstract Background little is known about the relationship between multimorbidity and social care use (also known as long-term care). The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between receipt of formal social care services and multimorbidity. Methods this retrospective data linkage, observational study included all individuals over the age of 65 in the population of Scotland in financial years 2014–15 and 2015–16 (n = 975,265). The main outcome was receipt of social care measured by presence in the Scottish Social Care Survey. Logistic regression models were used to assess the influence of multimorbidity, age, sex and socioeconomic position on the outcome reporting average marginal effects (AME). Findings 93.3% of those receiving social care had multimorbidity, 16.2% of those with multimorbidity received social care compared with 3.7% of those without. The strongest magnitudes of AME for receiving social care were seen for age and multimorbidity (respectively, 50 and 18% increased probability comparing oldest to youngest and most severe multimorbidity to none). A 5.5% increased probability of receiving social care was observed for the most-deprived compared with the least-deprived. Interpretation higher levels of social care receipt are observed in those with increasing age, severe multimorbidity and living in more deprived areas. Multimorbidity does not fully moderate the relationship between social care receipt and either age or deprivation.


Author(s):  
David Henderson ◽  
Iain Atherton ◽  
Nick Bailey ◽  
Colin McCowan ◽  
Stewart Mercer

Multimorbidity, the presence of two or more long-term conditions, is associated with numerous negative outcomes. Little is known, however, about the relationship between multimorbidity and social care use (also known as long-term care). This is important as many developed countries seek to integrate health and social care services as a means of improving quality of services at the same time as making efficiency savings. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between receipt of formal social care services, sociodemographic variables, and two proxy measures of multimorbidity. For this retrospective population-based observational study including all individuals over the age of 65 in Scotland in financial years 2014/15 and 2015/16 (n= 975,265), we linked the Scottish Social Care Survey (which holds information on those receiving social care from local authorities) to administrative NHS community prescribing and demographic records. The main outcome binary measure was presence or not in the social care survey. Two proxy measures of multimorbidity were derived from prescribing data. We used logistic regression models and report Average Marginal Effects (AME). Fifteen percent of all individuals received formal social care services. After adjustment for other modelled factors, multimorbidity showed an increasing magnitude of effect on receipt of social care (AME 16.4% (95% CI 16.2-16.6%) increased probability for 9+ medicines compared to 0-2 medicines, AME 18.8% (95% CI 18.5-19.1%) increased probability for 6+ BNF chapters compared to 0 BNF chapters). The magnitude of effect of deprivation on social care receipt was lower (AME 5.1% (95% CI 4.8-5.4%) increased probability in the most deprived area decile compared to the most affluent) after adjusting for multimorbidity and other demographic factors. This is one of the first studies to demonstrate an association between multimorbidity and receipt of social care. Increasing prevalence of multimorbidity has greater societal implications than previously described.


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