Oriented to rehabilitation facilities that are interested in maintaining and expanding their markets, this pamphlet presents publication excerpts that provide an understanding of the impact of organizational quality. The excerpts emphasize development of quality products and services through motivation of staff, effective communication, use of…

Supports for families of young children with disabilities--as provided by Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act--are vital, according to a study that assessed family outcomes at the end of early intervention near their child's third birthday. This report summarizes the main findings of the study in response to the five broad…

Researchers evaluated On the Right Track, which works to prevent secondary conditions for Texans with disabilities. The three main goals are: science (knowledge concerning the magnitude and severity of disabilities and secondary conditions); service (promoting healthy lifestyles by increasing awareness of the need for preventing secondary…

The study investigated the impact of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme on the phenomenon of female trafficking in South-South Nigeria. To this end, six research questions were raised. These revolved around: (i) resource situation and adequacy of training provided for repatriated trafficked victims in the service provider centre; (ii)…

Background: Recent research in the USA and UK indicates that person-centred planning (PCP) can lead to improvements in lifestyle-related outcomes for people with intellectual disabilities (ID). It is clear, however, that the introduction of PCP does not have an equal impact for all participants. The aim of the present paper was to identify factors…

This study evaluated the effectiveness of systematically integrating biopsychosocial interventions with coordinated delivery of care for outpatients recovering from stroke. Care coordination coordinates resources across the health care system and routinely addresses the psychological and social risks affecting patient outcomes, while monitoring…

The American population aged 65 years and older is growing rapidly, creating an increased demand for social workers. Reimbursement structures of Medicare and Medicaid present significant barriers for aging individuals seeking social work services as well as social workers wanting to provide services to the elderly. To build a case for the…

This study examined how change in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms relates to change in quality of life. The sample consisted of 325 male Vietnam veterans with chronic PTSD who participated in a randomized trial of group psychotherapy. Latent growth modeling was used to test for synchronous effects of PTSD symptom change on…

Can a multicomponent employment initiative that is located in public housing developments help residents work, earn more money, and improve their quality of life? The Jobs-Plus Community Revitalization Initiative for Public Housing Families (Jobs-Plus, for short) sought to achieve these ambitious goals in difficult environments. Operated as a…

This study evaluated effects on creativity of a Quality of Life Program for 55 older adults. Subjects participated in a variety of creative activities. An increase in scores (particularly in fluency and flexibility) by the experimental group supported a growth theory of lifelong creativity. (DB)

This study examined attitudes toward the Special Olympics of 41 experts in mental retardation and 40 parents of Special Olympics participants. Generally, both groups viewed the program as highly beneficial, particularly in terms of social adjustment and life satisfaction. However, some experts noted segregative aspects of the program and parents…

Discusses three measurement approaches to assessing quality of life for individuals with disabilities (quality of life as measure of life satisfaction across life domains, measure of adaptive functioning/environmental mastery, and measure of changes in response to services provided). Provides examples of approaches and discusses implications for…

Attrition in weight loss programs is a complex process, influenced by patients' pretreatment characteristics and treatment variables, but available data are contradictory. Only a few variables have been confirmed by more than one study as relevant risk factors, but recently new data of clinical utility emerged from "real world" large observational…

Objective: This study evaluated the effectiveness of a Participatory Empowerment Group (PEG) for Chinese type 2 diabetes patients in Shanghai. Method: A randomized waiting list control and pretest and posttest comparisons were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention by comparing blood sugar level and health-related quality of life.…

Previous research has established Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for panic disorder (PD) as effective in reducing panic severity and frequency. There is evidence, however, that such programs are less effective at improving overall end-state functioning, defined by a PD clinician severity rating of [less than or equal to] 2 and…