Barriers and Supports in Empowering Parents Care for Children with Cancer

Cancer that occurs in children does not only affect children, but also parents. Parents experience anxiety, stress, fear of losing their children, and helplessness in caring for their children, so that parents are less than optimal in caring for their children. Parent empowerment can increase parents' knowledge, confidence, and ability to care for their children. Previous research found several obstacles to parent empowerment carried out by nurses so that parent empowerment was not optimal in its implementation. Knowing barriers and supports in implementation of parent empowerment in caring for children with cancer can support implementation of parent empowerment to be more optimal. The purpose of this study was to explore barriers and supports in parent empowerment in caring for children with cancer based on the nurse's perception. The design of this study was qualitative research design with a phenomenological approach. The data was collected by in-depth interview method using semi-structured interview guidelines on six nurses who were selected by purposive sampling technique. The data analysis was carried out by thematic analysis with the analysis stage according to Colaizzi. The results of this study were resulted in four themes, namely parental attitudes, parental characteristics, attitudes of nurses, availability of nurses and facilities. This study concluded that implementation of empowering parents to care for children with cancer became more optimal by knowing the barrier and supports in empowering parents care for children with cancer and nurses could make more effective planning in caring for children with cancer.

Gifted Education in Hong Kong: A School-Based Support Program Catering to Learner Diversity

Purpose: This study explores the contributions and effectiveness of the Jockey Club “Giftedness into Flourishing Talents” Project (Project GIFT) in supporting learner diversity in gifted education, including meeting the educational and psychological needs of highly capable and gifted students in Hong Kong. Design/Approach/Methods: This study investigates the effectiveness of Project GIFT in supporting the development of diversity in learning in 20 project schools. Through close cooperation with project schools, Project GIFT comprised six developmental areas: school development, curriculum development, teachers’ professional development, parent empowerment, student development, and financial support. To further assess the usefulness of the school-based support provided by Project GIFT, this study examines the implementation of school-based gifted education in two project schools based on the aforementioned components. Findings: This study reveals Project GIFT’s significant role in promoting school-based gifted education in Hong Kong schools. Indeed, it was the first cross-institutional and research-based educational program in gifted education that intervened at both Level 1 (whole class) and Level 2 (pullout) of the three-tiered policy stipulated by the Hong Kong Education Bureau. One of the few gifted education programs implemented in Asia, Project GIFT focused on six key components to specifically support high-ability and gifted students with diverse educational and affective needs. This study shows that Project GIFT significantly enhanced diversity in learning, its collaboration with two key schools resulting in the successful enhancement of school development, professional development, curriculum development, student development, parent empowerment, and financial support. Originality/Value: The article fills the research gap by examining the effectiveness of a school-based gifted education program focused on enriching and differentiating curricula for different regular and pull-out programs. In doing so, this article attests to the success of the program in addressing the educational and psychosocial needs of gifted students at local schools in Hong Kong.

Early intervention physical therapy using “Parent Empowerment Program” for children with Down syndrome in Pakistan: A feasibility study

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the Parent Empowerment Program (PEP) to help caretakers deliver a home program to promote developmental activities and gross motor function in their children with Down syndrome. METHODS: Parents attended a 14-month program with training sessions 1–4 times a month. Outcomes were measured using a change in the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-88) at baseline and assessment one. RESULTS: Forty-eight families participated in the PEP. Children’s mean age was 16.2 ± 10.8 months. There were significant changes in GMFM-88 scores between baseline and assessment one; t (30) =-9.158, p< 0.001; 95% CI -14.6 – -22.9. Previous hospitalization significantly affected GMFM scores. CONCLUSION: This study describes a clinically applied research that focuses on program design, development and evaluation. Findings indicate that the PEP is effective in improving gross motor function in children with Down’s syndrome in Pakistan. Parents were satisfied with the program outcomes and were able to cope with the requirements at home. The PEP had favorable outcomes and may be an effective method to support PT services in resource poor countries.

Intervensi Keperawatan pada Orangtua BBLR dalam Upaya Mengatasi Ansietas Orangtua melalui Pemberdayaan Orang Tua

Bayi berat lahir rendah atau BBLR adalah bayi yang lahir dengan berat badan lahir kurang dari 2.500 gram tanpa memandang masa kehamilan. Kondisi BBLR dan kebutuhan bayi akan perawatan khusus, dapat menimbulkan gangguan psikologis bagi bayi dan orangtua, hal ini terjadi karena secara psikologis orang tua belum siap untuk menghadapi kondisi bayinya. Kelahiran BBLR dan perawatan bayi diruang intensive merupakan kejadian yang tidak diharapkan orangtua dan dapat menimbulkan kecemasan. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk membuktikan keefektifan intervensi keperawatan dalam mengatasi ansietas orangtua yang memiliki BBLR melalui pemberdayaan orangtua (parent empowerment). Jenis penelitian yang gunakan pada penelitian ini adalah quasi eksperimen dengan pre post test without control group. Populasi dan sampel dalam penelitian ini adalah semua orangtua yang memiliki bayi BBLR dengan jumlah 40 orangtua dengan menggunakan teknik total accidental. Alat ukur penelitian yang digunakan pada penelitian ini untuk mengukur ansietas orangtua dengan kuesioner Depression Anxiety Stress Scale yang terdiri 14 pertanyaan terkait ansietas, dikembangkan oleh Lovibond pada tahun 1995 dengan dengan hasil uji cronbach alpha 0.9483. Analisis univariat pada penelitian ini menggunakan distribusi frekuensi, sedangkan analisis bivariat menggunakan uji Wilcoxon. Hasil analisis uji statistik didapatkan p value 0,016, hal ini menunjukan bahwa ada perbedaan tingkat ansietas orangtua yang mempunyai BBLR di ruang Perinatologi RS Se-Kabupaten Kendal sebelum dan sesudah pemberdayaan orangtua Kata kunci: ansietas, BBLR, perberdayaan orangtua NURSING INTERVENTION OF LBW IN EFFORT TO OVERCOME ANXIETY OF PARENTS THROUGH EMPOWERMENT OF PARENTS ABSTRACTLow birth weight babies or LBW are babies born with birth weight less than 2,500 grams regardless of pregnancy. LBW conditions and the baby's need for special care, can cause psychological disorders for babies and parents, this happens because psychologically parents are not ready to deal with the condition of their babies. LBW births and baby care in the intensive room are events that are not expected by parents and can cause anxiety. The purpose of this study is to prove the effectiveness of nursing interventions in overcoming anxiety (anxiety) of parents who have LBW through parent empowerment. This type of research used in this study is a quasi-experimental with pre-post test without control group. The population and sample in this study were all parents who had LBW babies with a total of 40 parents using total accidental sampling techniques. The research measuring instrument used in this study to measure parental anxiety is the DASS (Depression Anxiety Stress Scale) questionnaire consisting of 14 anxiety-related questions developed by Lovibond in 1995 with the results of the Cronbach alpha 0.9483 test. The univariate analysis in this study uses the frequency distribution, while the bivariate analysis uses the Wilcoxon test. The results of the statistical test analysis obtained P value 0.016, this shows that there are differences in the level of anxiety of parents who have LBW in the Perinatology Room of Kendal District Hospital before and after parent empowerment. Keywords: anxiety, low birth weigh, parent empowerment

Parent Perspectives of an Occupational Therapy Telehealth Intervention

Occupational therapy services delivered via telehealth can support families of young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in everyday routines such as mealtime, bedtime, and play. The aim of the current study was to understand the lived experiences of parents who participated in a 12-week, telehealth-delivered occupational therapy intervention (Occupation-Based Coaching). We used semi-structured interviews and subsequent thematic content analysis to understand how parents perceived the mechanism of service delivery (i.e., videoconferencing) and the content of the intervention. Themes that emerged from the data included Compatibility with Everyday Life, Collaborative Relationship, and Parent Empowerment. Parents expressed how telehealth fit within their daily lives, how telehealth supported a collaborative relationship with the occupational therapist, and how the content of the intervention built a sense of empowerment.