Being a safe place: a qualitative study exploring perceptions as to how a rural community hospice could respond to enactment of voluntary assisted dying legislation

Background There is a lack of research to guide the implementation of voluntary assisted dying legislation within a hospice setting. Furthermore, there is limited published information related to the expectations of the community and staff to assist decision making regarding voluntary assisted dying in a community hospice. The aim of this study was to explore the expectations of staff, volunteers and members of the community as how a rural Australian community hospice could respond in relation to imminent enactment of Voluntary Assisted Dying legislation. Methods A total of 63 Hospice staff and volunteers and community members participated in 11 workshops. This qualitative study used the interpretive description method to analyse the workshop transcripts. Results While there was not a consensus view on community expectation, there was agreement among the participants for respect for a patient’s individuality and choices. Furthermore, care offered in hospice needs to remain non-judgemental and patient focused regardless of whether voluntary assisted dying policy was implemented or not. Both opportunities and risks associated with implementation were identified by the participants. Conclusion There was common ground around the respect for the dying person and the ideal of a “safe place” despite opposing views on what this may mean in practice. There is a need for clarity in organisational responses around policy, risk management, education, and staff support.

THE EFFECTS OF CREATIVE MEDITATION ON PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AND AWARENESS CAPACITY DURING COVID 19 PANDEMIC

Creative meditation is an effective, innovative and safe psychotherapeutic intervention that may improve psychological health and well-being during the Covid 19 pandemic. Creative meditation creates a safe place for self-awareness and self-expression, allowing the discovery and development of personal resources, converting vulnerabilities into resources and facilitating personal development. The aim of the present study is to investigate the immediate effect of creative meditation on emotional distress and awareness capacity (acceptance and mindfulness). 22 students participated in a short experiment of a single online creative meditation session with pre and post surveys. An immediate significant variation in the participants’ emotional experience was observed. Creative meditation helped participants to feel a positive affective state which facilitated awareness and creative emotional and cognitive expression. Statistical results revealed a decrease of general affective distress, and a lower level of negative emotions (sadness, anxiety, frightened, concerned). The personal resources could be first actualized through this emotional experience and then it could be invested into meaningful actions.

‘A Safe Place Where I Am Welcome to Unwind When I Choose to’—Experiences of Brief Admission by Self-Referral for Adolescents Who Self-Harm at Risk for Suicide: A Qualitative Study

Evidence is lacking on how to manage imminent suicidality in adolescents with self-harm. Brief Admission by Self-referral (BA) is a crisis-management intervention, developed for adults with self-harm at risk for suicide. Structured, individualized and based on responsible autonomy, BA aims to provide a respite while minimizing negative effects of hospitalization. This qualitative interview study illuminates adolescents’ experiences of BA, adapted for this target group. Nineteen adolescents aged 14 to 19 years, described BA as helpful for timely rest and recovery to save themselves from impulses to self-harm. The individual contract, which is a prerequisite for access to BA, was perceived to give access to professional support in a safe environment, also among adolescents not using their contract. Being trusted with responsibility to self-admit was also hard work with struggles of self-doubt. Challenges included experiencing distrust from staff and fear of not being able to abstain from self-harm, which BA is conditioned upon. However, this condition was also perceived to induce self-motivation and growth. BA appeared well-adapted to the target group, fulfilling needs of predictability, autonomy, and opportunity for recovery to prevent self-harm. Suggestions for improvement included continually informing staff about important features of BA. To further evaluate benefits and challenges of BA, future research may evaluate clinical and health-economic outcomes and perspectives from parents and caregivers.

IoT as Non-Phaarmaceutical Interventions for the Safety of Living Environments in COVID-19 Pandemic Age

The outbreak of the Sars-Cov-2 pandemic has changed our perception of safety in shared and public living environments including healthcare facilities, shops, schools, and enterprises. The Internet of Things (IoT) represents a suitable solution for managing anti-pandemic smart devices (e.g., UV lights, smart cameras, etc.) and increasing citizens’ safety in public health crises. In this paper, we highlighted how IoT technologies can be exploited as non-pharmaceutical interventions presenting the SAFE PLACE project as an implementation of this concept. The project meant to design and develop an IoT system to ensure the safety and salubrity of shared environments. Advanced algorithms will be exploited to detect and classify humans’ presence, gathering, usage of personal protective equipment, and considering carefully the privacy protection of individuals.

UNDERGROUND WELBECK: INTAGIBLE SPACES John Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, 5th Duke of Portland (1800–1879)

The life of the 5th Duke of Portland is a story about the mental obsession to find a haven of absolute stillness, a worry-free place, and somewhere to feel safe (Pl L1/2/8/3/13: Four letters to Fanny Kemble, 1842–1845. In these letters, the 5th Duke refers to the subsoil as “shelter” and the “only safe place”, found in Manuscripts and Special Collections, Archives Nottingham University). Perhaps it is there, in the space that unfolded away from the visible world, that he found the strength to overcome his difficulties and to understand the scale of space and its intangibility; he was aware of the relationships and interaction between the human body, inhabited space, and the mind, and this information helped him in his hiding process. After his appointment as the heir to his immense estate, a series of investments on an unprecedented scale began almost immediately, which have been considered, both technically and conceptually, to be pioneers of domestic and landscape architecture during the nineteenth century. Welbeck Estate represents the construction of a double city, one that is visible and another that is concealed, but it is also a reflection of how our body and our mind interfere, dialogue, and create an architectural space that is framed in a cognitive process. Space and time were unfolded and folded into themselves in order to build this fascinating scenery, which represents the duke’s life.

Fostering therapeutic security in insecure times: Populism and the new rise of nationalism

A sense of security is a key issue in attachment theory and its derivation, attachment narrative therapy. This article focuses on an analysis of threats to security that result from the socio-cultural context in which psychotherapy and supervision are conducted. Europe is perceived as a relatively safe place. However, growing populism and nationalism are affecting the context in which psychotherapy is being carried out, by reducing the sense of security of patients, therapists and supervisors alike. The article explores this phenomenon. An example of supervision will be provided, carried out by Arlene Vetere shortly after the brutal murder of a prominent Polish politician. Consideration will be given to the agreement of views between the supervisee and the supervisor, as well as its significance to the supervision. The manner in which security is built within supervision rooted in attachment narrative therapy will also be analysed. The thesis posited is that a sense of security is not an innate personal characteristic but results from actively working towards it and a description of such actions is also offered in the article.

KEPUASAN HIDUP REMAJA DI ERA NEW NORMAL

This study aims to determine the level of life satisfaction of adolescents in the new normal era. The sample in this study were teenagers aged 15-18 years, amounting to 80 teenagers. The method used is descriptive quantitative method. The results of this study found that adolescents have the highest level of satisfaction in family life of 79.75% (calculation of 49.5% and 30.25%) in the new normal era. After life satisfaction in the family, adolescents also feel satisfied in the surrounding environment which is 72%, then adolescent self-related satisfaction is 57.25%. The lowest satisfaction of adolescents is in school life of 26.25% (calculation of 21.0% and 5.25%), followed by friendship life which is 50.75% so it can be concluded that the highest life satisfaction of adolescents in the new normal era is in family life. This is because in the new normal era, teenagers spend a lot of time at home so that it is an opportunity to gather and share with family members and a safe place during the Covid-19 period. Keywords: Life satisfaction, teenager, new normal era. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui tingkat kepuasan hidup remaja di era new normal. Sampel dalam penelitian ini ialah remaja yang berusia 15-18 tahun yang berjumlah 80 remaja. Metode yang digunakan ialah metode deskriptif kuantitatif. Hasil penelitian ini menemukan bahwa remaja memiliki tingkat kepuasan paling tinggi dalam kehidupan keluarga sebesar 79.75% (kalkulasi dari 49.5% dan 30.25%) di era normal baru. Setelah kepuasan hidup dalam keluarga, remaja juga merasa puas dalam lingkungan sekitar yakni sebesar 72%, selanjutnya kepuasan terkait diri remaja sebesar 57.25%. Kepuasan terendah remaja ada pada kehidupan sekolah sebesar 26.25% (kalkulasi dari 21.0% dan 5.25%), dilanjutkan dengan kehidupan pertemanan yaitu sebesar 50.75% sehingga dapat disimpulkan bahwa kepuasan hidup remaja di era new normal yang paling tinggi berada dalam kehidupan keluarga. Hal ini karena pada masa era new normal remaja menghabiskan banyak waktu dirumah sehingga kesempatan untuk berkumpul dan berbagai dengan anggota keluarga serta tempat yang aman selama masa Covid-19 Kata Kunci: Kepuasan hidup, remaja, era new norma.