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This study investigated the risk of heatwaves for people with disabilities and other socioeconomic attributes using Health Care Bigdata in South Korea. The Health Care Bigdata provides detailed information on heat-related illness (HRI) patients in 2011–2020 from seven major cities. We employed the Distributed Lag Nonlinear Model (DLNM) to measure heat waves' relative risk. Our findings are four-fold. First, the relative risk (RR) of disabled people was 5.075 (95% confidence interval 4.476–5.674), significantly surpassing that of non-disabled people, 3.296 (2.517–4.075). Second, among various personal characteristics studied, disability influenced RR the most, exceeding impacts from elderly (4.457: 3.748–5.166), low-income (3.909: 3.004–4.813), and outdoor (4.052: 2.940–5.164). Third, the disabled young group (5.305: 4.414–6.195) was more vulnerable than the non-disabled elderly group (4.287: 3.576–4.999). Lastly, no significant difference in relative risk was observed between the mild (4.413: 3.855–4.971) and severe disabled groups (4.013: 3.121–4.905). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Children suffering from disabilities require special care that may influence their family environment and result in parental stress. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a stress-management program for parents with disabled children. Methods: The experimental procedure included a pre-test, post-test and 6-month follow-up evaluation of the stress levels, and adaptation and parental coping strategies. Seven 90-min long group sessions were held once a week in the experimental group and their satisfaction with the program was assessed. The principal aspects of the program were stress and coping strategies conceptualization, relaxation training, control of breathing, cognitive restructuring of a sense of guilt, training on coping skills, problem-solving, rewarding activities, improving self-esteem, assertive communication, the importance of humor and optimism, and value of social support. Results: Significant differences were seen between the pre- and post-test scores of the majority of the evaluated variables, except for the use of avoidance strategies, in the experimental group. In addition, compared to the control group, the experimental group showed significant improvements in various indices after the intervention. Conclusion: The development of a stress management training program is more effective than no treatment for parents of disabled children. Family intervention programs can improve parental response to stress factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to gain an understanding of the relations between the design of bathrooms and the use of the toilet with privacy when residents are unsteady, visually impaired and/or have dementia. The background is that earlier studies and own experiences in Norway indicate that the way bathrooms are designed is crucial for users to be as independent as possible when using the toilet. This article does not include studies on the access to toilets and washbasins for residents who are able to stand on their own. Neither have we studied the use of diapers. The scientific approach includes historical analyses of the rise of privacy when toileting and analyses of bathroom design practices in 20 Norwegian nursing homes. Our investigations show that the expectation that individuals should rid themselves of urine and faces in locked, private rooms arose in connection with the industrialization, democratization and hygienic modernization of Western countries. Analyses of contemporary nursing homes show that many institutions do not have design to facilitate privacy: there are no adjustable toilets, no crutch or walking stick holders, no flushing mechanisms within reach from a sitting position, no toilets that are visible from the residents' bed, poor contrasts; the toilet paper, soap dispensers and paper towels are out of reach from a sitting position; there are few handles, few adjustable sinks and more than 70 cm between the toilet and the sink. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite multiple risk factors for mortality among People Who Inject Drugs (PWID), more research is warranted that examines sub-populations within PWID. Mortality data from PWID participating in longitudinal HIV prevention research in Denver were obtained from The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Risk factors for both all-cause and acute-toxicity related mortality were analyzed using Cox proportional hazards regression. Two-thousand seven individuals were interviewed at baseline. Eighty-six individuals died during the time frame of the study, 58 of which were due to acute-toxicity. Disabled (HR = 3.3, p < 0.001), gay/lesbian-identified (HR = 2.6, p = 0.03), white race/ethnicity (HR = 2.4, p = 0.003), and use of a shared cooker (HR = 2.1, p = 0.01) were important adjusted risk factors. These suggest that drug and HIV interventions should utilize techniques that can address the needs of marginalized populations in addition to HIV drug risk behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physically disabled persons represent a special group of the transportation disadvantaged who have suffered many deprivations. The study explores the travel patterns and some of the challenges being encountered by the physically disabled in Jos, Nigeria. Using the questionnaire and focus group discussion methods, the study found that the respondents are of low social and economic statuses. Walking, with enormous time and energy costs, is the most common means of travel among the group. Commercial vehicle drivers apparently hardly attend to the transportation needs of the group even when they can afford the fare. The physically disabled persons view this 'injustice' as a reflection of a whole gamut of perceived discriminatory policies of the 'able' society to isolate and disempower them. There is therefore a deep-seated feeling of resentment among the physically disabled towards society's perceived apathy, marginalization and discrimination that manifest even in access to transportation. They believe that the social and physical environments are deliberately hostile to them. Any plans to alleviate the transportation problems of the disabled and integrate them into the mainstream of the economic and social activities of the larger society should address, fundamentally, these perceived marginalization and injustices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Family members play a major role in providing care for older people and long-term dependent patients, especially in developing countries where there is a lack of specialized nursing homes and specialized home-visiting programs. Family members are rarely provided with sufficient information or training to provide home care for their dependent relatives. There are inadequate home caregiving educational resources directed to Arabic-speaking caregivers, either in written or in audiovisual presentations. Objectives The aims of the present study were (i) to present the process of designing a caregiving educational program entitled ‘there is a dependent patient in our home’, with an intention to be culturally and linguistically appropriate for a specific Arab-speaking population, and (ii) to present the experience of disseminating the program through YouTube, to be accessible for a wide range of caregivers. Materials and methods The program was a product of a process involving seven phases, starting with a review of the literature and ending with disseminating 17 short ‘caregiving’ videos on YouTube, the most popular video-sharing website. The program presented necessary skills, instructions, and information that enabled caregivers to provide safe and competent daily caring activities for their functionally dependent relative or older adults at home. Results The program was registered in the Jordan National Library. After 2 months of broadcasting it on YouTube, the number of views exceeded 6800. Many constructive comments were received from caregivers. Language, simplicity, and attractiveness of the program were judged as the areas of satisfaction by the viewers, whereas lack of a few topics such as verbal communication with patients and dealing with daily caregivers’ burden and stressors were the main reasons of dissatisfaction. Conclusion This program was an endeavor to provide the Arabic library with a home caregiving resource. Adequate advertisement of the program would encourage health providers to search for and use the currently available social media as means of delivering educational services to family caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a framework for automatic simulated accessibility and ergonomy testing of virtual prototypes of products using virtual user models. The proposed virtual user modeling framework describes virtual humans focusing on the elderly and people with disabilities. Geometric, kinematic, physical, behavioral and cognitive aspects of the user affected by possible disabilities are examined, in order to create virtual user models able to represent people with various functional limitations. Hierarchical task and interaction models are introduced, in order to describe the user's capabilities at multiple levels of abstraction. The use of alternative ways of a user task's execution, exploiting different modalities and assistive devices, is supported by the proposed task analysis. Experimental results on the accessibility and ergonomy evaluation of different workplace designs for the use of a telephone and a stapler show how the proposed framework can be put into practice and demonstrate its significant potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several countries are considering web-based voting as an alternative to, or a replacement of, traditional voting methods. It is argued that electronic voting could increase voter participation and help strengthen democracy, as e-voting would increase accessibility for large sections of the population, particularly with regard to groups that previously have experienced difficulties with the traditional voting setup. With a focus on usability and accessibility, this paper reports on a study evaluating several electronic voting prototypes in Norway, involving technical aspects as well as expert evaluation and user testing in the field, with users from a wide range of disabled user groups participating in the study. Technical testing regarding accessibility standard compliance, testing with the personas method and user testing revealed that many rather basic universal design principles were either not fully understood or not prioritized for implementation by the solution providers. However, despite various accessibility difficulties, the participants generally showed a positive attitude towards web-based elections. Through the findings of this study, the authors highlight factors that are important to consider in the development and testing of web-based voting systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to determine how sexual lives and family functions of women with low educational and income status who had family members with disability were influenced. The study included subjects with disability comprising 12.29% of Turkish population who have disabilities. Using the sampling formula in which the size of universe was known, the sample included the families with 183 children with disability and women. Study was conducted in the center of the province Kayseri with children with disability in families with low socio-economic status, attending a school and with the families living in a neighborhood with low socio-economic status. Low income level determined unhealthiness and 56.8% of the participants reported to have problems in sexual relation. Sexual lives and family functions of women with low educational status and income level were determined to be negatively more affected because of an additional problem; having a member with disability in the family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction The aim of this systematic review was to study factors which promote or hinder young disabled people entering the labor market. Methods We systematically searched PubMed (by means of MESH and text words), EMBASE, PsycINFO, Web of Science and CINAHL for studies regarding (1) disabled patients diagnosed before the age of 18 years and (2) factors of work participation. Results Out of 1,268 retrieved studies and 28 extended studies from references and four from experts, ten articles were included. Promoting factors are male gender, high educational level, age at survey, low depression scores, high dispositional optimism and high psychosocial functioning. Female and low educational level gives high odds of unemployment just like low IQ, inpatient treatment during follow up, epilepsy, motor impairment, wheelchair dependency, functional limitations, co-morbidity, physical disability and chronic health conditions combined with mental retardation. High dose cranial radiotherapy, type of cancer, and age of diagnosis also interfered with employment. Conclusions Of the promoting factors, education appeared to be important, and several physical obstructions were found to be hindering factors. The last mentioned factors can be influenced in contrast to for instance age and gender. However, to optimize work participation of this group of young disabled it is important to know the promoting or hindering influence for employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of TSG: Tijdschrift Voor Gezondheidswetenschappen is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

If Solomon is correct in labeling businesses as community citizens because they “are part and parcel of the communities in which they live and flourish, and the responsibilities that they bear are ... intrinsic to their very existence as social entities,” then it follows that other community citizens have reciprocal duties toward them that they, as community citizens, have to any other community citizen. One of these duties is not to harm needlessly another community citizen without its permission. One issue affecting business is genetically engineering children to have characteristics, e.g., deafness, which render them disabled in work environments. Since business is a very large part of society, citizen responsibilities toward it in regard to intentionally creating deaf children should be examined. It is my contention that designing disabled offspring is unethical on the grounds that it causes undue injury to businesses without their permission in any form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research shows that the traditional job interview is a poor indication of a candidate's potential. However, when employers structure the interview process, they are more effective at predicting success, forming consistent evaluations, and reducing discrimination. The current study tested whether the structured interview also serves to reduce biases involved in interviewing applicants who have a physical disability. In the non-structured interview, results showed that there was a leniency bias, where raters evaluated disabled candidates more positively than equally qualified non-disabled candidates. Structured interviews reduced this effect. These findings add to the support for the structured interview as a way of increasing fairness in employee selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blind Australians find great difficulty in recognising bank notes. Each note has the same feel, with no Braille markings, irregular edges or other tangible features. In Australia, there is only one device available that can assist blind people recognise their notes. Internationally, there are devices available; however they are expensive, complex and have not been developed to cater for Australian currency. This paper discusses a new device, the MoneyTalker that takes advantage of the largely different colours and patterns on each Australian bank note and recognises the notes electronically, using the reflection and transmission properties of light. Different coloured lights are transmitted through the inserted note and the corresponding sensors detect distinct ranges of values depending on the colour of the note. Various classification algorithms were studied and the final algorithm was chosen based on accuracy and speed of recognition. The MoneyTalker has shown an accuracy of more than 99%. A blind subject has tested the device and believes that it is usable, compact and affordable. Based on the devices that are available currently in Australia, the MoneyTalker is an effective alternative in terms of accuracy and usability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To examine suicidal behavior and depression prevalence among a group of Medicare patients under age 65 with functional impairment and recent significant health care services use. An observational study of baseline characteristics of participants in a randomized controlled trial. A Medicare demonstration ( N=1,605) that enrolled primary care patients in 8 counties in New York, 6 counties in West Virginia, and 5 counties in Ohio. All demonstration participants under age 65 ( n=164). Participants were required to have impairment in at least 2 activities of daily living or 3 instrumental activities of daily living, and to have had recent significant health care use. None. The Paykel questionnaire for suicidal ideation and attempts, the Mini-international Neuropsychiatric Interview Major Depressive Episode module, and the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale were administered at baseline; 14.8% of the patients indicated suicidal ideation during the past year, 4.9% reported a suicide attempt during that time, 25.9% indicated at least 1 lifetime suicide attempt, 34.6% had a major depressive episode in the last month, and 58.3% had clinically significant depressive symptoms during the previous week. These levels of suicidal ideation and behaviors and of depression are far higher than those found in studies of nonelderly American adults, and may indicate the need for routine screening in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A communication device is proposed for use as an acceleration sensor for the seriously disabled. This device is mainly for disabled people with problems such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or a cerebral infarction, who have communication difficulties because of a physical disability. A feature of this device is that the sensor can readily be mounted on the user’s body. The mounting of the sensor on the body is easy, unlike a conventional touch sensor. Another feature is that even though the physical disability of the user is serious, this device can be operated by slight movements of a part of the body. In addition, we have developed an adaptive word processing software for seriously disabled people. A feature of this software is that the arrangement and size of the buttons and the window on the display can be optimized based on the user’s physical ability. In a field test, we confirmed that our communication device incorporating this adaptive word processing software was applicable to disabled people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frail and physically or mentally disabled patients frequently have difficulty in tolerating formal colonic investigations. The aims of this study were to evaluate the accuracy of minimal-preparation CT in identifying colorectal carcinoma in this population and to determine the clinical indications and radiological signs with the highest yield for tumour. The CT technique involved helical acquisition (10-mm collimation, 1.5 pitch) following 2 days of preparation with oral contrast medium only. The outcome of 4 years of experience was retrospectively reviewed. The gold standards were pathological and cancer registration records, together with colonoscopy and barium enema when undertaken, with a minimum of 15 months follow-up. One thousand seventy-seven CT studies in 1031 patients (median age 80 years) were evaluated. CT correctly identified 83 of the 98 colorectal carcinomas in this group but missed 15 cases; sensitivity and specificity (with 95% confidence interval) 85% (78-92%) and 91% (90-93%), respectively. Multivariate analysis identified: (a) a palpable abdominal mass and anaemia to be the strongest clinical indications, particularly in combination (p<0.0025); and (b) lesion width and blurring of the serosal margin of lesions to be associated with tumours (p<0.0001). Computed tomography has a valuable role in the investigation of frail and otherwise disabled patients with symptoms suspicious for a colonic neoplasm. Although interpretation can be difficult, the technique is able to exclude malignancy with good accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 quarantine in Mexico has meant that household members spend more time inside the home, increasing the demand for direct and indirect care by minors, the elderly, chronically ill and disabled. This forced a reconfiguration of the provision of these services by household members. The aim of the document is twofold: first, to describe socioeconomic and demographic aspects of Mexican households around care activities during the quarantine and second, to estimate the determinants of the provision of care in the quarantine. The information was obtained from the Survey of Care and COVID-19 in Mexican Homes during Quarantine (SCCMHQ). The propensity score-matching technique is used as a quasi-experimental procedure to estimate the causal effects of a treatment variable (presence of minors, elderly, chronically ill, disability, or domestic service in the home) in Mexican households. The Probit model shows that age and economic dependency are determinants of caregiving for treatment groups with minors, disability and chronic disease. In addition, sex, home income, and current employment situation are significant for treatment groups with a disability, paid domestic work, and minors, respectively. A positive "net" effect of the treatment variables in the probability of care provision was also observed. Particularly, the existence of minors at home was highly effective to promote direct and indirect care. The confinement solution is characterized by a balance between genders, except in the case of households with disabilities. This shows that a cultural and functional change is possible in the distribution of care responsibilities, which can be consolidated through public policies., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.)

A precondition for the discharge from an institution of the chronically disabled mentally ill is the availability of adequate alternative facilities and services, optimally meeting their social and mental health needs and allowing as much quality of life as possible at the lowest possible cost. Only a few studies have found alternative care to lead to better outcomes than treatment in good-quality hospitals with respect to illness course and social disablement. Therefore, it is an important question whether extramural care and of what type is better and possibly less expensive than traditional inpatient treatment and for which patients. Health data collected at the national and regional levels provide a basis for continuous monitoring of utilization of services. Such data, however, usually have the limitation of being aggregate in nature and not including contacts with social services. These deficits can be avoided by using cumulative case registers, recording if possible all contacts of the socially disabled mentally ill with intramural and extramural mental health and social services and covering a defined catchment area. Because the disabled mentally ill, depending on their own resources and those of their family and the community at large, have basic needs differing in each individual case, as well as various specific needs determined by the illness which they cannot meet on their own, it is necessary to provide a variety of facilities and services and to coordinate their work. Evaluation and cost-effectiveness investigations of complex packages of care yield generalizable results only if the forms of care under study are defined precisely enough. A precondition of a satisfactory causal analysis of the effectiveness of care programmes and services is sufficient external and internal validity and the use of a design allowing all relevant intervening variables to be controlled for. Because of the problems posed by quasiexperimental designs and controlled case studies in the evaluation of the care of the chronically mentally ill, an observation design will be discussed that allows a more or less reliable analysis of cause and effect, thanks to the inclusion of relevant intervening variables and the partialling out of their effects on outcome. In the evaluation of community services for the disabled mentally ill, it must be taken into account that outcome and costs depend on the system aspect in as much as during the transition from intramural to extramural care severely disabled patients with a greater need of care, consequently producing higher costs, are discharged from hospital to community care in increasing numbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In exchange for freedom and privacy lost during institutionalization, residents should be provided with reasonable protection from harm. However, the dynamics of institutionalization, factors contributing to sexual abuse, and attitudinal barriers inhibiting the integration of people perceived as disabled, merge to increase the likelihood that sexual abuse will occur in psychiatric hospitals, developmental centers and other places of confinement. Sexual victimization and sexual rights are significant, though largely ignored, disability issues. The vulnerability of institutionalized people labeled mentally ill and developmentally disabled (many of them with histories of abuse) is discussed and recommendations for increased safety offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Sexual Abuse Prevention Strategies and Programs for persons with Development Disabilities' provides a brief overview of the problem of sexual abuse and persons with developmental disabilities. This problem not only speaks to the need for more prevention education, it centers around the larger, community issue: the public's generally uninformed, limiting attitudes about persons with developmental disabilities being credible witnesses, not being sexual people, not being able to learn self-protection skills. Recommendations for changes include community education to dispel these and other myths, and more availability of this critical education to special education students and adults. The article goes on to describe current, effective sexual abuse prevention programs today, with complete references. Common strategies for teaching prevention education are discussed. A thorough resource list concludes this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Henan Province is not only one of the provinces with the most population, but also one of the provinces with the most disabled people in China. The characteristics of the disabled people, the distribution law of six types of the disabled, and the reason causing the disabled are comprehensively discussed in terms of ecology. It provides the scientific basis for the government of all levels to make policies on the disabled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A communication aid is described that enables up to four severely physically disabled people to write via a television screen. The equipment is designed for use in a classroom situation and allows a conversation to take place between these people under the control of the users themselves. The equipment can be operated by single, double or triple switch units of a variety of types and has been evaluated in a number of special schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vaginal calculi are rarely encountered and are often misdiagnosed as bladder calculi because of the difficulty in achieving an appropriate diagnosis. Most vaginal calculi result from the presence of a urethrovaginal fistula; those occurring in the absence of such fistulas are extremely rare. We present a case of a 42-year-old bedridden woman with mental and physical disabilities who had been misdiagnosed for a decade as having a bladder calculus. We removed the calculus nonsurgically and the analyzed the components. Results demonstrated the presence of a primary vaginal calculus. Vaginal calculi may occasionally occur in disabled women, but further investigation of the etiology of such calculi is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Wiener Medizinische Wochenschrift is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study examines the quality of life (QOL) of community living elderly people aged 55-74 with chronic, episodic or sporadic pain in the hip or knee and of a reference group without pain (total n=306). Firstly, it was hypothesized that the experienced QOL is lower in people with more chronic pain. Secondly, the potential mediating and moderating roles of disability and of coping with problems in general on the relationship between pain chronicity and QOL were assessed. A Visual Analogue Scale was used to assess global QOL. Physical as well as psychosocial disability was assessed with the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP). Coping with problems in general was assessed with the Utrecht Coping List. As expected, a significantly lower QOL was found in people with more chronic pain (p=0.045). The difference in QOL between the group with chronic pain and a reference group without pain was 10%. A multivariate regression model showed that physical and especially psychosocial disability are mediators in the relationship between pain chronicity and QOL and that ’seeking social support‘ as a coping style is a more important predictor of the experienced QOL than either pain chronicity or physical disability. No moderating role of the style of coping with problems was found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]