The influence of clinical problems, age and social support on outcomes for elderly persons referred to regional aged care assessment teams

Abstract Background: Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACATs) have been established throughout Australia during the past seven years. Early studies of their effect have concentrated on their impact on the rate of institutionalisation of disabled elderly, the clinical characteristics of referred cases and the relationship between disability and recommended care plan. Aims: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between age, clinical features and social characteristics of AC AT subjects with outcomes at 12 months after assessment. Methods: The examination of an arbitrary sample of persons referred to ACATs over a year by one generalist geriatrician with follow-up of all cases by the three ACATs associated with the study was carried out. All analyses were performed on raw data presented as categorical variables in the form of contingency tables. Results: The sample included 324 subjects who suffered from 2030 clinical problems with a mean of 6.5 per person aged 75 or over and 5.5 for those under 75. Cardiovascular and neurological disease were the commonest source of problems. Study of accommodation outcome at 12 months, for those subjects who survived this period revealed that, in the older group, over 60% of subjects with neurological disease were resident in nursing homes while the majority of all other groups remained in the community, as did two-thirds of those aged under 75. Admission to a nursing home was independent of social support for older subjects with neurological disease, but it played a significant role in those with cardiopulmonary or musculoskeletal disease. Conclusions: The study demonstrates that for one-year survivors there is an increased likelihood of admission to a nursing home of people aged 75 or over with neurological disease, while those under 75 were more likely to remain at home. The association was independent of whether spouse, family or friends were living with the subject. (Aust NZ J Med 1994; 24: 378–385.)     

The social sciences and successful aging: Issues for Asia–Oceania

Aim:   This paper presents social science understandings of successful aging for a broad audience in multidisciplinary gerontology in Asia–Oceania.
Methods:   The international literature on social science aspects of successful aging is reviewed with a focus on Asia and social improvement.
Results:   New positive approaches to aging research are identifying opportunities for maintaining capacities and well-being over the life course. Successful aging, productive aging, and active aging are key concepts. Increasing life expectancy and fertility control are major social achievements that underpin population aging as the mainstream social transformation facing the world. Asia will be at the forefront of this change and the consequences will vary greatly between cultures, nations, and subgroups within them. Older people generally maintain good quality of life and the capacity to 'age well' is influenced by life-long maturation and emotional, social, and economic resources. Good health can be enhanced through positive actions such as physical activity, good nutrition, and not smoking. Mental capacities can also be improved and maintained throughout old age. In advanced old age, the 'fourth age', the focus turns to ameliorating the effects of loss and to maintaining dignity.
Conclusions:   The social sciences contribute knowledge useful for improving life experiences for older people and aging societies. Population aging is central to national economic development. Public policy and individual action concerning aging can benefit all age groups. To better inform these developments it is important to address the serious shortfall of social science research on aging in the Asia–Oceania region.     

后现代心理学概观

后现代心理学家反对以往的心理学理论和流派把心理或行为看作是一个独立于研究者的“实体”。后现代心理学的典型特征是反对基础主义和本质主义。它认为心理现象并不是一种“精神实在” ,而是一种文化的社会建构。后现代心理学的理论基础是社会建构论 ,多元文化论、后现代女性心理学都是后现代心理学的重要形式。     

小学生应对同伴冲突自我监控训练的实验研究

目的探索提高小学生同伴冲突应对能力的方法。方法采用2×2因素实验设计,运用自我监控的问题解决模式对106名三、五年级小学生(实验组)进行同伴冲突应对能力的训练,另101名三、五年级小学生为对照组,采用儿童社交问题解决访谈提纲和小学生社交技能教师评定量表于实验前后对两组学生施测。结果经过自我监控训练后,在解决冲突的有效性上,三年级实验组有显著提高(9.58±1.60/8.12±2.36,t=3.846,P<0.01),在解决冲突的适应性上,三、五年级实验组均有显著提高(10.52±1.87/7.96±2.44,t=6.612,P<0.01;11.02±1.65/7.54±2.44,t=9.561,P<0.01);教师评定的结果表明,训练后三、五年级实验组处理冲突的能力均有显著提高(29.35±1.70/26.62±4.66,t=4.063,P<0.01;31.59±2.73/27.59±4.39,t=6.147,P<0.01)。结论自我监控训练是一种有效提高小学生同伴冲突应对能力的方法。     

新生儿脐炎85例脐部分泌物细菌学分析

目的：了解新生儿脐部感染细菌学状况，为临床提供预防及治疗参考。方法：调查我院1997年1月－2002年6月收治的有完善细菌学资料的新生儿脐炎85例，对所获得的98例致病菌的种类及药敏状况进行分析。结果：社会获得性感染主要致病菌为G^ 球菌（70．5％），金黄色葡萄球菌占比例较高。医院感染主要致病菌为C^-杆菌（51．4％），以大肠埃希菌占比例较高。两类感染所分离的细菌均具有多重耐药性，但对氨基糖苷类及喹诺酮类耐药率较低，其次是第三代头孢菌素类抗生素。结论：临床对新生儿脐部感染，特别是有严重感染中毒症状时，应首先考虑使用第三代头孢菌素类抗生素。     

To market! To market! A new dawn for community care?

The public sector in Britain has been subjected to over a decade of major reform aimed at breaking up public service monopolies, at containing costs while at the same time opening services up to greater consumer choice. Health and social services have not been exempt from this revolution in the organization and management of public sector services. The long-standing policy of care in the community is being subjected to market principles and the introduction of a ‘contract culture’ very similar to the NHS reforms introduced in 1991. This paper reviews the origins of these developments in the doctrines of ‘new public management’, a movement which has proved attractive to policy-makers in many countries. Local authority social services departments have been identified as the lead agency for the development of a mixed economy of care following a review of community care policy by the government's health adviser, Sir Roy Griffiths, and a subsequent white paper. This paper examines the limited empirical evidence available on how managers and providers are meeting the challenge bestowed upon them, and concludes that most authorities are moving ahead cautiously if at all. Only a handful of authorities studied have embraced the reforms with any degree of enthusiasm. The paper concludes with an assessment of the reforms from two perspectives: a pessimistic one and an optimistic one. There are many worrying features of the reforms, not least among these being a lack of clarity over their intended purpose. Tensions and contradictions are plentiful, which places in jeopardy the certainty of the reforms in becoming user led rather than provider driven. A more optimistic scenario is that the changes are leading to a loosening up of services and practices which have often suffered from sclerotic tendencies, paternalism and sometimes complacency. If the reform process is skilfully handled and not rushed and if the ends are clearly established and communicated then users and carers could prove to be the principal beneficiaries.     

Corticosterone release in response to repeated, short episodes of neonatal isolation : evidence of sensitization

Repeated isolation of neonatal rats produces persistent changes in physiology and behavior. In Experiment 1, we examined changes in plasma corticosterone (CORT) levels as a possible mechanism for the effects of isolation. Pups that were isolated from their mother and the nest for 1 h per day on postnatal days (PND) 2–9 were compared to control litters of pups that were either nonhandled or handled but not isolated. On PND 2, compared to nonhandled pups, handled pups had elevated CORT levels that returned to baseline levels within 30 to 60 min of return to the home cage. No significant elevation of CORT levels were found in handled pups on PND 9. The CORT levels of isolated pups were over twice those of nonhandled pups on PND 2 and four times those of nonhandled pups on PND 9. In Experiment 2, we investigated whether the increased CORT release in response to isolation on PND 9 was the result of the pups treatment on the previous six days as against an effect of maturation. Plasma CORT levels were measured in rat pups that were either isolated, handled or nonhandled on PNDs 2–8 during the conditions of isolation, handling and nonhandling on PND 9. There were no differences among the groups in basal plasma levels of CORT. Handling on PND 9 did not result in elevated CORT levels in any of the groups. All three groups showed a significant increase in plasma CORT levels after isolation on PND 9. However, the CORT response to isolation of pups previously isolated on PND 2–8 were significantly higher than pups that were either handled or nonhandled on PNDs 2–8. Thus, daily episodes of isolation potentiate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal response to stress.     

Medical education for minorities at a US medical school

The University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSM) has initiated new efforts to build a regional minority applicant pool and to expand its educational programmes to accommodate students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Specific interventions include: establishment of medical career planner position to coordinate region-wide outreach; pre-entry education; and support activities once enrolled. This study describes specific services and presents sociodemographic and performance data on 56 minority and 280 majority students entering the UWSM between 1981 and 1985. Economic status and educational background of minority students were significantly below that of majority students, several flexible academic policies enabled most students to achieve mastery in courses and to progress through the curriculum. The educational data base utilized in this study, and those at other institutions, can assume important roles in the identification of problem areas in the education of disadvantaged students and in evaluation of the interventions attempted.     

Adolescents who make suicide attempts repeatedly

Four hundred and six consecutive suicide attempts made by 15-19 year-old adolescents in 1973-1982 were examined. Two hundred and twenty-six cases were first, 180 repeated suicide attempts. Repeaters came from poorer social situations and less well integrated families than first-timers. Repeaters had many adapting problems typical of personality disorders and had previously been in psychiatric treatment. Their level of adaptive functioning (GAS) and overall functioning (DSM III: s axis V) were poorer than within first-timers. They were not psychotic more often than first-timers and did not make more difficult suicide attempts. Their psychiatric after-care was more intensive and prognosis with regard to subsequent suicide was poorer than within first-timers. At the end of follow-up time (approx. 5 years) 1% of first-timers and 4% of repeaters had committed suicide. Observed-expected ratio for first-timers was 0.58 and for repeaters 1.73.