Living Arrangements of Older Persons: Analysis of the Activities of Constituent Entities of the Russian Federation

The growth of the number of older persons makes it necessary to create decent favourable conditions for their lives and activities, which contributes to forming the basis for their active longevity. Nowadays, in order to solve this kind of problems, an alternative form of social service, a «foster family for older persons» is widespread in many constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Legal relations in a foster family are regulated by the rules of different branches of law. The leading role is played by the legal framework of the constituent entities. Meanwhile, one can observe a lack of consistency in defining terms and notions, as there is no legal definition of a «foster family for an older person» in the federal legislation. The purpose of the research is to establish regional similarity in documents and to find possible solutions of the problems that arise when implementing this kind of social assistance in the Irkutsk region. The content analysis conducted by the author allowed her to study the regulatory framework of the activities of foster families for older persons; to consider the options for naming the alternative form of service and its main notions; assess social demographic characteristics of people that create a foster family; to define the main conditions for creating a foster family. According to the results of the research, key directions of the activities, aimed at improving regional regulatory legal acts, are identified, organizational events, aimed at providing a possibility for older persons to stay in habitual family conditions as long as possible, are programmed. The obtained conclusions can be used to formulate regulations of the federal legislation on foster families for older persons and other regulatory legal acts and methodological documents of both federal and regional levels, which, in the future, could reduce the number of problems that arise when implementing this kind of social assistance for older persons in constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

The role of artificial photo backgrounds of shelter dogs on pet profile clicking and the perception of sociability

With the increasing prevalence of technology, the internet is often the first step for potential pet owners searching for an adoptable dog. However, best practices for the online portrayal of shelter and foster dogs remain unclear. Different online photo backgrounds appearing on adoption websites for shelter dogs may impact adoption speed by influencing viewer interest. Online clicking behaviour on pet profiles and human-directed sociability, broadly defined, has been previously linked to increased adoption likelihood. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the relationship between photo backgrounds of shelter dogs and online clicking as well as perceived human-directed sociability. In a virtual experiment, 680 participants were asked to rank the sociability and friendliness of four different adoptable dogs on a scale from 0–10. The photo background of each dog was digitally altered and randomly assigned to four experimental background conditions: 1) outdoor, 2) home indoor, 3) in-kennel, and 4) plain coloured. As a proxy for adoption interest, a link to the dog’s adoption profile was presented on each slide and the clicking behaviour of participants on this link was recorded. Mixed logistic regression and Poisson models revealed that background did not affect participants’ link-clicking behaviour (chisq = 3.55, df = 3, p = .314) nor perceptions of sociability (statistic = 6.19, df = 3, p = .103). Across all backgrounds, only 4.74% of presented slides culminated in participant link-clicking. Sociability scores also did not predict link clicking. Assessment of participant-related factors and dog ID revealed that link-clicking and sociability scores of photographs were influenced by differences between dogs themselves and unaffected by participants’ awareness of study hypotheses. We conclude that artificial background types did not affect participant responses. The results demonstrate the importance of empirical data in making marketing decisions in animal shelters. Understanding which aspects of online marketing materials impact viewer interest will provide guidance for both animal shelter personnel and foster families to improve the speed of adoption of the animals in their care.

L’affidamento familiare: le strategie educative elaborate dagli affidatari

Foster care is a condition of welcoming children with families in serious difficulty, legally regulated, aimed at guaranteeing to minors a suitable space for growth, and to families of origin the possibility of overcoming the problems so as to consent the return of the children. It is a challenging educational condition, to be deepened with research. The complexity of the backgrounds of origin and the co-presence of multiple risk factors in fact generate in children and young people in foster care, important difficulties in development, which foster families have to cope with, also with the support of specialists, services and associations. However, the skills that caregivers come to build over the years are valuable, deserving of pedagogical insights, so that good practices of positive parenting can be valued and shared. In this paper we will report the results of a survey, carried out with a national sample of 323 foster families. The study makes it possible to investigate the reasons for the custody prevision, the relationships with families of origin, the difficult life trajectories of the children in foster care (transitions, placements, discontinuities, years of foster care, continuation of relationships after foster care). In this way it is possible to identify the needs highlighted by the minors, the relevant problems that emerge and the promising strategies adopted by the foster families.

The influence of feed quality on the development and productivity of bee queens

The research aimed to study the effect of additional protein feeding of foster families with buckwheat stalks. The research was conducted during the summer period in 2020 and 2021. Ten foster families were selected for the experiment. All families are chosen by the method of analogs. Bees were kept in beehives. The uterus of the Carpathian breed took part in the investigation. Control families were fed 200 g of sugar syrup (1:1) twice daily for 8 and 21 hours. Feeding began three days before inoculation of queen cells and continued until the time of their sealing. The experimental families were fed the same amount of sugar syrup. Still, they received an additional 0.5 kg of protein feed in the form of bee pollen from buckwheat, the average protein content of which was 22.0 ± 0.32 %. Bee pollen is obtained by selection with the help of mounted on the auxiliary families of hinged pollen catchers with a diameter of the inlet of the pollen catcher lattice 5 mm. Pruning was carried out during the flowering of buckwheat in the period from morning to 13 o'clock in the afternoon. Adding bee pollination to the feed of foster families improves the growth and development of queens. Balancing the diet by nutrients increases the reproductive performance of the uterus, which is directly proportional to the level of their protein supply. When growing queens, the introduction of additional protein components of feed into the diet of foster families in the form of buckwheat leads to an increase in the maximum load of honeycomb by 11.4 %. The level of development of the pharyngeal glands in the researcher's families was 49 % higher. Balancing the diet by nutrients increases the reproductive performance of the queens of the Carpathian breed of bees by 16 % compared to the control.

Perceived Impact of the COVID-19 Lockdown on the Family Context of Foster and Non-Foster Families

The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdown have had a far-reaching impact across all levels of society. In Spain, severe restrictions were placed on people’s mobility, and leaving the home was only possible under special circumstances. This study analyzes the impact of lockdown on the family context of foster and non-foster families, focusing particularly on their levels of cohesion, adaptability, and perceived stress. It also examines a series of variables that may have influenced foster families’ perceptions of their family context during lockdown. Data were gathered through an online survey that was completed by 347 individuals corresponding to 100 foster families and 247 non-foster families from different regions of Spain. Analyses were descriptive and exploratory in nature. The results appear to suggest that lockdown has had a greater impact on the family context of non-foster families. With respect to foster families’ experiences of lockdown, variables such as loss of employment and having a child with special educational needs would seem to be important. For both types of families, lockdown has provided an opportunity to improve certain aspects of their family context. Given that further lockdowns of some degree may be necessary in the future, it is important to ensure that families have access to the psychoeducational resources they need to maintain, as far as possible, a positive family context.

Overview of Hemoglobin Levels and Nutritional Status Based on Body Mass Index (BMI) and Upper Arm Circumference (LLA) Indicators in Foster Families in Uteunkot Village, Muara Dua District, Lhokseumawe in 2021

Hemoglobin is a protein found in red blood cells. Hemoglobin levels that are less than normal or anemia can cause complications in the form of fatigue and stress on the body's organs. Nutritional status is one of the factors that can affect hemoglobin levels. Measurement of nutritional status can be done through several methods including anthropometry and clinical laboratories. Among these methods, the most frequently used in the field is anthropometry using body mass index (BMI) and upper arm circumference (LLA). This study aims to determine the hemoglobin level and nutritional status of the assisted families located in Uteunkot Cunda Village, Lhokseumawe. This study is a descriptive study with a cross-sectional approach to determine the description of hemoglobin levels and nutritional status based on indicators of Body Mass Index and Upper Arm Circumference in the fostered family. The sampling technique used is total sampling with a total of 79 respondents. The results obtained were the average hemoglobin level of the respondents was 12.34 g/dL in the normal category. Nutritional status based on Body Mass Index, most respondents were in normal nutritional status as many as 27 respondents (34.2%). The most nutritional status based on upper arm circumference was malnutrition, namely 55 respondents (69.6%).

The Impact of Breakdown in Filiation: The Instance of Children Exiled From Reunion Island to Mainland France Between 1962 and 1984

The aim of this article was to show the consequences of breakdowns in filiation among people born between 1950 and 1970 on Reunion Island, who experienced particular traumas during their childhood. The research participants included 2,015 children exiled from Reunion Island to mainland France between 1962 and 1984 as part of a political project. Most of them we adopted, others were placed in foster families, foster homes, or farms. The forced exile was orchestrated by the French social services in charge of child protection (DDASS). Structured interviews were conducted for 13 people exiled when they were between 2 and 15years old. The interviews were transcribed and then analysed. The results show that these children were exposed to abuse in their filiation through a series of traumas. For them, this abuse is still active today as the French government has not yet acknowledged the suffering of these children. The participants displayed numerous psychic disorders linked to their abandonment. They are still experiencing difficulties in assuming their identity, and these difficulties are transmitted to the next generation. Analysis of the impact of these filiation breakdowns leads the present researchers to suggest a specific clinical setting, based on a focus group, in other words a group therapy aiming to generate a group narrative process.