Informal Caregiving Between Residents in LTC Facilities in India: Demanding or Rewarding Role

Research on caring for older adult with health problems by Informal caregivers (IC) in the community in developing countries like India is increasing. However, IC in institutions is largely unacknowledged. This exploratory study examines the perceived role, demands, and rewards of informal caring for residents in independent LTC facilities in South India. A total of 187 residents were interviewed in Tamil and Kannada using structured and open-ended questions on demographics, health, mental health, residents’ interactions, tasks performed and personal experiences. About 50% reported assisting other residents with ADLs, 30% helped with IADLs, and 75% provided emotional support. The caregivers’ appraisals as residents and their relationship with care-recipient was both positive and negative. In addition to socialization, personal accomplishment, caregivers reported emotional exhaustion, stress, and burnout. Implications related to paid and unpaid labor policy in LTC and reducing IC stress are discussed.

Wonderful Worth & Worthy Wonder: The revival of a forgotten concept to strike a balance in technological exhibition design

<p>As museums develop their roles as social and political forces, the role of the exhibition designer has evolved and become more complex. The new role demands increased consideration as new technologies impact the demand for recreational learning experiences (Lake-Hammond & White, 2015). Nearly thirty years ago Pulitzer Prize-winning author Stephen Greenblatt introduced the terms ‘resonance and wonder’ to describe the viewer’s experience and connection to the exhibits. Greenblatt asserted both ‘resonance and wonder’ as essential to an exhibition experience but stressed the need for a balance between the two (1991). The significance of Greenblatt’s perspective has become more prominent with the current shift in museum exhibitions that engage technological forms of representation. This study asserts that Greenblatt’s argument continues to be relevant today, as museum professionals arbitrate the balances and imbalances posed between resonance, now interpreted as worth, and wonder. The terms were first defined through thematic analysis to identify consistent elements that produce the concepts and further applied to the narrative analysis on perspectives of technological integration in museums. Using the broader contemporary definitions of ‘wonder and worth’ this research then applied what was learned from the literature to a physical context by analysing use of wonder and worth in two current exhibitions; Te Papa’s 2015 “Gallipoli: Scale of Our War” and Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum’s 2014 interactive pen design. In doing so the main finding suggested that the balance of wonder and worth can be achieved through encouraging a human connection and empathy which can be extended with the use of new technologies that are appropriate for the intent of the exhibit. These findings were delivered in the form of a manifesto to facilitate the exhibition design process, encourage consideration for the balance between wonder and worth and lessen the stigma around technological representation in museums.</p>

Wonderful Worth & Worthy Wonder: The revival of a forgotten concept to strike a balance in technological exhibition design

<p>As museums develop their roles as social and political forces, the role of the exhibition designer has evolved and become more complex. The new role demands increased consideration as new technologies impact the demand for recreational learning experiences (Lake-Hammond & White, 2015). Nearly thirty years ago Pulitzer Prize-winning author Stephen Greenblatt introduced the terms ‘resonance and wonder’ to describe the viewer’s experience and connection to the exhibits. Greenblatt asserted both ‘resonance and wonder’ as essential to an exhibition experience but stressed the need for a balance between the two (1991). The significance of Greenblatt’s perspective has become more prominent with the current shift in museum exhibitions that engage technological forms of representation. This study asserts that Greenblatt’s argument continues to be relevant today, as museum professionals arbitrate the balances and imbalances posed between resonance, now interpreted as worth, and wonder. The terms were first defined through thematic analysis to identify consistent elements that produce the concepts and further applied to the narrative analysis on perspectives of technological integration in museums. Using the broader contemporary definitions of ‘wonder and worth’ this research then applied what was learned from the literature to a physical context by analysing use of wonder and worth in two current exhibitions; Te Papa’s 2015 “Gallipoli: Scale of Our War” and Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum’s 2014 interactive pen design. In doing so the main finding suggested that the balance of wonder and worth can be achieved through encouraging a human connection and empathy which can be extended with the use of new technologies that are appropriate for the intent of the exhibit. These findings were delivered in the form of a manifesto to facilitate the exhibition design process, encourage consideration for the balance between wonder and worth and lessen the stigma around technological representation in museums.</p>

Addressing the dual role identity problem in foster parenting

<p>This thesis argues that the foster parent dual role identity problem is due to value conflict between two implicit models that currently inform contemporary understandings of the role. Both implicit models are outlined; the ‘parent’ model as an extemporaneous development of mid-19th century early modern foster care, and the ‘professional’ model as a formal response to changes in role demands in the mid-20th century. While neither model can independently account for exemplary foster parenting practices, a hybrid model that integrates aspects from both is problematic due to divergent sets of values that underpin each conceptualisation. In response to the dual role identity problem, this thesis proposes an alternative model that is informed by reflective practice and a relational ethics perspective. The aim of this procedural practice model is to support and explicitly guide foster parents through those practice dilemmas that are frequently underpinned by value conflict. In summary, this thesis will discuss the implications of this procedural model for practice and training programmes.</p>

Addressing the dual role identity problem in foster parenting

<p>This thesis argues that the foster parent dual role identity problem is due to value conflict between two implicit models that currently inform contemporary understandings of the role. Both implicit models are outlined; the ‘parent’ model as an extemporaneous development of mid-19th century early modern foster care, and the ‘professional’ model as a formal response to changes in role demands in the mid-20th century. While neither model can independently account for exemplary foster parenting practices, a hybrid model that integrates aspects from both is problematic due to divergent sets of values that underpin each conceptualisation. In response to the dual role identity problem, this thesis proposes an alternative model that is informed by reflective practice and a relational ethics perspective. The aim of this procedural practice model is to support and explicitly guide foster parents through those practice dilemmas that are frequently underpinned by value conflict. In summary, this thesis will discuss the implications of this procedural model for practice and training programmes.</p>

Exploring English Youth Academy Footballers’ Experiences through Role Strain Theory

Throughout adolescence and early adulthood, talented athletes must dedicate increasing personal resources to their sport. Recent empirical research found that applying Role Strain Theory (RST) was useful to contextualise international junior golfers’, acrobats’, gymnasts’ and Australian Rules footballers’ experiences of how they combined and coped with the competing role demands of sport and education. Findings demonstrated how role strain (RS) severity and regularity fluctuated during their youth careers but subsided during the latter teenage years. Surprisingly, limited research exploring how youth academy footballers simultaneously combine sport, education and social demands exists. This study determined the extent to which RS was experienced by six high performing male youth footballers who each had between four and five consecutive years’ experience within the foundation and youth development stage squads at an English professional football academy. Implications for most effectively supporting elite level youth players during crucial developmental and transitional career stages are provided.

Praise and recognition from supervisors buffers employee psychological strain: A two-sample investigation with tourism workers

BACKGROUND: Focusing on employees with psychological strain, this research draws on Frederickson’s ‘undoing hypothesis’ to examine praise and recognition from one’s supervisor as an organizational resource. OBJECTIVE: A model is tested in which psychological strain is a mediator in the positive relationship between role demands and employees’ intentions to take sick leave and seek medical advice, and positions supervisor praise and recognition as a buffer of psychological strain on such intentions. METHODS: The model was tested using two Australian samples in the tourism sector, consisting of motel workers (n = 104) and museum workers (n = 168). RESULTS: For museum workers, but not motel workers, there was a positive indirect effect of each role demand on sick leave intentions through psychological strain that weakened as a function of supervisor praise and recognition. The proposed moderated mediated model was supported for both samples in regards to intentions to seek medical advice. CONCLUSIONS: This research contributes new evidence regarding the antecedents of employees’ intentions to take sick leave and seek medical advice for work stress-related problems. It also contributes to the limited evidence regarding supervisor praise and recognition as a protective factor for employees exhibiting the symptoms of psychological strain.

A Study of Social Isolation, Multimorbidity and Multiple Role Demands Among Middle-Age Adults Based on the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

Given the increasing complexity and fluidity of parenting, caregiving, and paid work patterns, in tandem with an increased risk of multimorbidity in mid-life, this study examines the relationship between these three concurrent roles and social isolation among middle-aged persons across multimorbidity statuses. Drawing upon life course theory, we applied linear mixed models to analyze 29,847 middle-aged participants from two waves of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Findings reveal that participants experience greater social isolation over time, albeit the difference is extremely small. Among participants without multimorbidity, holding multiple roles is associated with lower social isolation. For those with multimorbidity, being employed full-time and providing intensive care are associated with social isolation. The occurrence of multiple roles demonstrates unique associations with social isolation among those with and without multimorbidity over time. Future research should study multimorbidity as a salient contextual variable. Moreover, enhanced support is needed for multimorbid middle-aged individuals with different role demands.

Do Gender and Gender Role Orientation Make a Difference in the Link between Role Demands and Family Interference with Work for Taiwanese Workers?

Based on the gender role orientation perspective, this study extends the resource depletion mechanism that links role demands to family interference with work by testing the moderating effects of gender and gender role orientation (egalitarian vs. traditional) on the relationships. Analysis of the data from 251 employees in Taiwan revealed two significant three-way interactive effects. Specifically, for men, the positive relationship between work demands and family-to-work conflict (FWC) was stronger for egalitarian than traditional individuals. For women, the positive relationship between family demands and FWC was stronger for egalitarian than traditional individuals. We also found a significant two-way interactive effect; that is, within the egalitarian group, the positive relationship between work demands and FWC was stronger for women than men. Our findings, thus, suggest both within-gender and between-gender variations in the links between work-to-family demands and conflict, jointly affected by the individual’s gender and gender role orientation. Contextualized within the cultural traditions of a Chinese society, we highlight the precarious position that egalitarian men and women (especially women) find for themselves in fulfilling work duties and family roles. The theoretical and managerial implications are also discussed.

Can I Buy My Health? A Genetically Informed Study of Socioeconomic Status and Health

Background A large literature demonstrates associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and health, including physiological health and well-being. Moreover, gender differences are often observed among measures of both SES and health. However, relationships between SES and health are sometimes questioned given the lack of true experiments, and the potential biological and SES mechanisms explaining gender differences in health are rarely examined simultaneously. Purpose To use a national sample of twins to investigate lifetime socioeconomic adversity and a measure of physiological dysregulation separately by sex. Methods Using the twin sample in the second wave of the Midlife in the United States survey (MIDUS II), biometric regression analysis was conducted to determine whether the established SES-physiological health association is observed among twins both before and after adjusting for potential familial-level confounds (additive genetic and shared environmental influences that may underly the SES-health link), and whether this association differs among men and women. Results Although individuals with less socioeconomic adversity over the lifespan exhibited less physiological dysregulation among this sample of twins, this association only persisted among male twins after adjusting for familial influences. Conclusions Findings from the present study suggest that, particularly for men, links between socioeconomic adversity and health are not spurious or better explained by additive genetic or early shared environmental influences. Furthermore, gender-specific role demands may create differential associations between SES and health.