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Although research studies are important for social work students, the students rarely like research classes or see their value. At the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, one group of BSW students was encouraged to carry out the required research in their field work setting, the Hadassah University Medical Center. Students used data mining, that is, the analysis of existing data, to answer their research questions. As a preliminary step, the instructor and interested social workers selected a number of projects that were important to the department. After consulting with the instructor, the hospital's social work research coordinator and social workers in the hospital, the students selected 7 projects. By using data mining, students had access to the data relevant to their projects. Research tasks included coding and analyzing data and then interpreting findings. At the end of the course, they presented their findings in a clinical conference and prepared written reports for the seminar instructor and the social work department.

Objective: To examine the associations of patients' characteristics, hospitalization factors, and the patients' or family assessment of the discharge planning process, with their evaluation of adequacy of the discharge plan. Method: A prospective study. Social workers from 11 acute care hospitals in Israel provided data on 1426 discharged patients. At 2-week postdischarge, 407 patients and 659 family members evaluated the discharge planning process (information received, involvement, influence) and adequacy. Results: More family (77%) than patients (62%) assessed the discharge planning to be adequate. Discharge process variables contributed more than patient or hospitalization characteristics to evaluation of adequacy but had a negligible mediation effect. Factors significantly associated with higher adequacy of plans were: hospital ward, receiving information, high family involvement, and discharge destination among patients; receiving of information and high patient and family involvement among family respondents. Conclusions: Social workers should actively involve patients and family in discharge planning. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)

It is well-known and documented that the premature birth of an infant and its subsequent hospitalization in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is a source of considerable stress for parents. However, little is known about the parents' emotional state and functioning during the months following the infant's discharge from the NICU. The present study compares parental stress and perceptions of parental competence among mothers and fathers of preterm infants two months after discharge from the NICU in Israel with those of parents of full-term infants. The findings show that even at this point in time parents of preterm infants still show higher levels of parental stress and lower perceptions of parental competence than do parents of full-term infants. The importance of the findings for the design of intervention and treatment programs is discussed.

This study aimed to examine the implementation, adequacy, and outcomes of discharge planning. The authors carried out a prospective study of 1,426 adult patients discharged from 11 acute care hospitals in Israel. Social workers provided detailed discharge plans on each patient. Telephone interviews were conducted two weeks post-discharge. Findings showed 40 percent of patients were referred to institutional care and 60 percent were sent home with plans to receive community services. At follow-up, the rates of implementation varied by planned services. Among patients referred to institutional care, 46 percent of those referred to nursing homes and 70 percent of those referred to rehabilitation facilities received the planned care. Of those discharged home, 65 percent received planned home attendant services and 59 percent received planned home health care. Implementation of institutional care was related to the patient's functional status and population group. Implementation of community and home services was related to age, gender, population group, and hospital department. These gaps in implementation of planned services have important policy implications. Discussion of the findings with the participating hospitals and national authorities resulted in plans to improve continuum of care.

Dilemmas inherent in the attempt to measure and evaluate informal supports available to individuals in need of social care are illustrated through a study of 400 elderly persons in Jerusalem. Practical guidelines for evaluation are presented. (SLD)

Abstract Background One of the more common behavioral manifestations of dementia-related disorders is severe problems with out-of-home mobility. Various efforts have been attempted to attain a better understanding of mobility behavior, but most studies are based on institutionalized patients and the assessment usually relies on reports of caregivers and institutional staff, using observational approaches, activity monitoring, or behavioral checklists. The current manuscript describes the research protocol of a project that measures mobility in Alzheimer's disease and related cognitive disorders in an innovative way, by taking advantage of advanced tracking technologies. Methods/design Participants are 360 demented persons, mildly cognitively impaired persons, and unimpaired controls aged ≥ 65 in Israel and Germany. Data regarding space-time activities will be collected via a GPS tracking kit for a period of 4 weeks in 3 waves (one year apart) with the same participants (using a repeated measures design). Participants will be interviewed by use of a battery of instruments prior to and following GPS data collection. Further, a family member will complete a questionnaire both before and after data tracking. Statistical analyses will strive to explain differences in mobility based on a wide range of socio-structural, clinical, affect-related and environmental variables. We will also assess the impact of the use of advanced tracking technology on the quality of life of dementia patients and care givers, as well as its potential as a diagnostic tool. Systematic assessment of ethical issues involved in the use of tracking technology will be an integral component of the project. Discussion This project will be able to make a substantial contribution to basic as well as applied and clinical aspects in the area of mobility and cognitive impairment research. The innovative technologies applied in this study will allow for assessing a range of dimensions of out-of-home mobility, and provide better quality data.

Study of adults (N=3,025) revealed significantly fewer network resources among the poor than among higher income groups. Asserts social workers must avoid addressing the problems of the poor solely through informal networks and target network interventions carefully to achieve maximum effectiveness. (Author)

This article describes a practice-based, mixed-method research methodology – Clinical Data-Mining (CDM) – as a strategy for engaging international practitioners for describing, evaluating and reflecting upon endogenous forms of practice with the ultimate goal of improving practice and contributing to knowledge (Epstein, 2010). These knowledge contributions are perforce ‘local’, but through conceptual reflection and/or empirical replication they may also be ‘globalized’. More specifically, the article defines, describes, and details CDM methodology; discusses its strengths and limitations; and illustrates international applications in Australia, Hong Kong, Israel, New Zealand, and the United States. It also describes various infra-structural support platforms and CDM’s primary and secondary organizational benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Out-of-home mobility refers to the realization of trips outside the home, by foot or by other means of transportation. Although out-of-home mobility is important for the well-being of older people with cognitive impairment, its importance for their caregivers is not clear. This study aims to clarify the relationship between caregiving burden and out-of-home mobility of care-recipients using Global Positioning Systems (GPS) technology.Methods: Seventy-six dyads (care-recipients and caregivers) were recruited from a psychogeriatric center, where they underwent cognitive assessment, followed by psychosocial interviews at home. Care-recipients received GPS tracking kits to carry for a period of four weeks, whenever they left home. Mobility data and diagnostic and psychosocial data were examined in relation to caregiver burden.Results: The strongest predictors of burden were care-recipients' lower cognitive status and more time spent walking out-of-home. An interaction was found between cognitive status and time spent walking in relation to caregiver burden. The relationship between walking and burden was stronger among caregivers of care-recipients with dementia than caregivers of care-recipients with no cognitive impairment or mild cognitive impairment. Care-recipients' behavioral and emotional states were also positively related to caregiver burden.Conclusions: The findings stress the importance of maintaining older persons' out-of-home mobility during cognitive decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depressive symptoms are common among hospitalized patients and can indicate more serious problems. This study examined the level of depressive symptoms among patients in one hospital in Jerusalem, the variables related to depression, and the extent to which social workers provided services to those patients. Over 60% of patients reported high levels of depressive symptoms. Levels were higher among Arabs, those with lower income, small social networks, stronger locus of control (powerful others), weaker internal locus of control, and low emotional support from staff. Social workers were in contact with 44% of patients who had high levels of depressive symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: In recent years advanced technologies, such as Global Positioning Systems (GPS), allow for tracking of human spatial activity and provide the ability to intervene to manage that activity. The purpose of this study is to examine the issue of who should decide about the use of electronic tracking using GPS for people with dementia. Methods: Based on quantitative data collected from 296 participants comprising cognitively intact elderly, family caregivers of people with dementia, social workers, other professionals, and social work students, study participants were asked to rate nine different potential decision-makers to make this decision. Results: The results show that figures inside the family, particularly the spouse or the most involved family caregiver, were perceived more important in the decision-making process than figures outside the family, whereas the person with dementia was ranked third in the order of the figures. Since the decision to use GPS for tracking raises the ethical dilemma of personal safety versus autonomy and privacy of people with dementia, the findings seem to indicate that the reluctance of professional caregivers to assist family caregivers to make this decision is experienced as frustrating. Conclusions: The findings imply that in order to reach a balance between the wishes and interests of both people with dementia and their family caregivers, there is a need for more active involvement of the professional caregivers to facilitate the family decision-making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The issue of using advanced tracking technologies such as Global Positioning Systems (GPS) is part of a wider debate on the acceptability of assistive technology to older people with dementia. The use of GPS can enhance the personal safety of older people by alerting caregivers to potential dangers or adverse events that might threaten the individual's health and safety, but at the same time it raises ethical concerns. This study examines the attitudes of cognitively intact older people toward the use of tracking devices for people with dementia. Methods: The analysis is based on quantitative data from a convenience sample (n=42) and qualitative data gathered from two focus groups of cognitively intact older people in Israel. Results: Whereas cognitively intact older people clearly differentiate between themselves and people with dementia, they support the use of tracking devices when dementia is either formally diagnosed or its signs are evident. They value the safety of people with dementia above preserving their autonomy. Although they perceive the decision to use tracking devices as an intra-family issue, they expect guidance from professional caregivers of people with dementia. The acceptability of tracking devices is dependent on their appropriate weight, size and ease of use. Conclusions: Cognitively intact older people favor the idea of tracking people with dementia. To facilitate family decision-making on the use of tracking devices, structured meetings guided by professionals and including persons with dementia and their family caregivers are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

in this study we examined the ethical aspects of the use of the Global Positioning Systems (GPS) to track people with dementia. The findings are based on qualitative data gathered from focus groups of family and professional caregivers. The most important theme was the need to balance patients' need for safety with the need to preserve their autonomy and privacy. The main potential benefit of the use of GPS was related to the peace of mind of the caregivers themselves. The findings also suggest that caregivers' views change according to the locus of responsibility of the caregivers for the safety of people with dementia. The caregivers give preference to patients' safety more than autonomy when they are responsible for the patients. When the patients are under the responsibility of other caregivers, they give preference to patients' autonomy more than their safety. Overall, the variety and the depth of the views of different stakeholders toward the use of electronic tracking for people with dementia presented in this article provide a meaningful contribution to the ethical debate on this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: One of the more common behavioral manifestations of dementia-related disorders is severe problems with out-of-home mobility. Various efforts have been attempted to attain a better understanding of mobility behavior, but most studies are based on institutionalized patients and the assessment usually relies on reports of caregivers and institutional staff, using observational approaches, activity monitoring, or behavioral checklists. The current manuscript describes the research protocol of a project that measures mobility in Alzheimer's disease and related cognitive disorders in an innovative way, by taking advantage of advanced tracking technologies. Methods/design: Participants are 360 demented persons, mildly cognitively impaired persons, and unimpaired controls aged ≥ 65 in Israel and Germany. Data regarding space-time activities will be collected via a GPS tracking kit for a period of 4 weeks in 3 waves (one year apart) with the same participants (using a repeated measures design). Participants will be interviewed by use of a battery of instruments prior to and following GPS data collection. Further, a family member will complete a questionnaire both before and after data tracking. Statistical analyses will strive to explain differences in mobility based on a wide range of socio-structural, clinical, affect-related and environmental variables. We will also assess the impact of the use of advanced tracking technology on the quality of life of dementia patients and care givers, as well as its potential as a diagnostic tool. Systematic assessment of ethical issues involved in the use of tracking technology will be an integral component of the project. Discussion: This project will be able to make a substantial contribution to basic as well as applied and clinical aspects in the area of mobility and cognitive impairment research. The innovative technologies applied in this study will allow for assessing a range of dimensions of out-of-home mobility, and provide better quality data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors examined factors related to utilization of health social work services among older immigrants from the former Soviet Union and veteran residents of Israel, using Andersen's behavioral model. A sample of 476 patients age 55 and older was interviewed. The immigrants and veterans had similar backgrounds, but immigrants had fewer resources and higher need. Veteran Israelis were twice as likely to have been in contact with a hospital social worker. Factors related to seeing a social worker were male gender, social network size (no network or large network), activity limitations, and sick days. The main barriers to contacting a social worker stemmed from information problems. The findings have implications for providing services in areas with large numbers of immigrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New and innovative services are needed to meet the needs of the growing elderly population of Israel. One such program is the "supportive community" program, which aims to provide o range of critical services to older people in the community. This study followed the response of 181 older residents of the northern quarter of Jerusalem to an invitation to subscribe to this new program and the extent of service utilization among those who joined. Andersen's behavioral model of help seeking provided the theoretical framework for the study. Findings showed that predisposing characteristics of the elderly residents did not predict subscribing to the program; rather, joining was predicted by o combination of enabling characteristics and need characteristics. The results of the findings have implications for attaining program goals, efficient program operation, and the well-being of the members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to examine the quality of life of patients undergoing different types of treatment for End Stage Renal Disease at various points in the course of the disease. The theoretical model that guided the study was based on the work of Rolland (1987) and Wilson and Clearly (1995). Subjects were 72 patients at the largest nephrology center in Israel. Instruments included the SF-36 Health Survey (version 1.0) and Parfrey's health questionnaire for End Stage Renal Disease. The findings indicate that the negative effects of the disease on quality of life can be observed in the pre-dialy-sis stage, and that the strongest predictor of quality of life were patients' symptom reports. independent of objective indicators of their health state. Social workers play a key role in aiding patients and their families to adjust to the disease and its treatment prior to starting dialysis, and in bringing the importance of patients' subjective assessments to the attention of the treatment team. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores professional collaboration between social workers in two agencies--a community mental health center and a local social service department--who are involved in caring for the same clients. It examines the extent and nature of their collaboration and a number of factors which may promote or impede inter-organizational collaboration. The study population was drawn from a community mental health center which serves the residents of the northern of Jerusalem. Social workers identified clients on their caseload who were also in contact with a social worker from the municipal social services department. Collaboration was measured by a six-item Social Work Collaboration Scale developed for the study. It assessed the extent to which each social worker felt that the two workers were able to reach agreement as to the nature of the specific client's problems and needs and the best way to address them, the division of labor between the two social workers, an overall assessment of the collaboration regarding that particular case and an assessment of the collaboration as compared to that in other cases. Initial data analyses showed considerable gaps in the way the social workers in the two organizations perceived their work with these clients.

This study explores factors related to parents' expectations and assessments of care in a newborn intensive care unit (NICU) in Israel. Sixty-three couples, including Moslems, ultraorthodox Jews, and secular or traditional Jews, were interviewed shortly following admission regarding their expectations of the NICU staff and again 2 to 3 weeks following discharge regarding their assessments of the actual care, using both closed and open-ended questions. Mothers' expectations were higher than their assessments of actual care. They were also higher than fathers' expectations in both Jewish groups, but not for Moslem parents. Differences among groups were observed for expectations regarding communication and emotional support from the staff. Differences were also observed regarding parents' assessments of physician, nurse, and social worker behaviors. Implications of the findings for child health care in multicultural environments are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a life-threatening and potentially disabling disease, End Stage Renal Disease and its treatment cause stress as well as other psychosocial problems for patients and their families. This paper examines the results of an innovative activity-based intervention aimed at reducing some of the psychosocial repercussions of hemodialysis. A modified withdrawal/reversal design was employed to compare patients participating in the intervention and those who did not, at two points in time. The findings confirmed that dialysis patients in general have relatively high levels of psychological distress, difficulty adhering to the treatment regimen and poor self-rated health. Patients participating in the group activity were more anxious and had lower levels of interdialytic weight gain than the non-participants. After the intervention was terminated, levels of psychological distress, hostility and phobic anxiety among patients in the treatment group dropped, while their weight gain continued to be less than that of non-participating patients. The implications of these findings as well as the methodological difficulties entailed in this type of study are examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The large lecture format, with all its disadvantages, is becoming increasingly prevalent in undergraduate social work education in many countries. In some cases it can present opportunities other teaching formats cannot. One such opportunity is the implementation of surveys exploring students' own experiences and background with regard to key course content. This can help students 'connect' more easily with the concepts and theories presented in the lecture. An example of this method, including context and selected findings, is presented here with regard to a course on the Psychosocial Aspects of Disability and Illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the factors involved in determining the appropriate outcomes for social work interventions in health care settings. It relates a project conducted by the author in collaboration with Varda Soskolne of the Hadassah Medical Organization which investigated the outcomes of instituting a program of early and comprehensive discharge planning in an acute care hospital in Israel. The study population for this project was social work clients in the orthopedics and internal medicine departments of both hospitals of the Hadassah Medical Organization in Jerusalem. These departments were chosen in order to maximize the comparability between the study and what was being reported in the literature at the time. Determining what are the appropriate outcomes for social work interventions in hospitals requires consideration of the organizational context in which those interventions take place. In the hospital, as in any host organization, expectations and outcomes are not solely internal matters. They are strongly influenced by organizational forces outside the social work department. According to the author, it is not enough for the social work department to be effective on its home grounds. It requires that it be able to assess the effectiveness of its services at the organizational as well as the departmental level.

Social work clients seek various means of redress when the services they desire are trot forthcoming or adequate. These include both universalistic and particularistic avenues. Among tire latter is the use of personal connections within the larger organization. The author presents an example of the use of such connections in a hospital social work department in Israel. Examined are the availability of these connections, the characteristics of clients who use them, and the circumstances its which they are used. The findings are discussed in light of multi-cultural social work practice in general and the need for social workers and administrators to understand and develop means for dealing with the dangers posed by such strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Client appraisals of social work services are likely, affected by the setting in which care is offered. This paper examines clients' assessments of social work services received in the acute care hospital setting. It is based on interviews with 120 discharged hospital social work clients, and investigates their definition of their psychosocial problems, their expectations from the social work department and their appraisal of the outcomes of the social work intervention. Main findings include the dominance of instrumental needs among the psychosocial problems cited by clients, while emotional relief was the most prevalent outcome. A general lack of clarity regarding expectations was observed. The findings are discussed in light of organizational and methodological issues which might influence the examination of clients' assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The organizational context in which social work is practiced is viewed as an important factor in evaluating the outcomes of social work interventions. In host organizations, the context includes forces outside the department. The author offers a framework for developing a research agenda aimed at assessing the effectiveness of social work interventions in those organizations. The author demonstrates such an agenda with reference to hospital social work. Different types of outcomes and the relationships between them are considered at both the correlational and causal levels of knowledge. Examples of research assessing these outcomes are presented, and the implications of various types of findings are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores dilemmas that face family service agencies and workers in regard to self-help programs. A model adopted by one agency--a consultation service to self-help organizations--is presented. The model includes the study-diagnosis role, and roles that link the group with the agency and community. Self-help refers to the process whereby people with similar problems come together to alleviate their distress, independent of professional intervention. This definition belies a complicated issue that has yet to be resolved by the social work community. On the one hand, it would appear axiomatic that social workers and their employing agencies be excluded from self-help programs. On the other hand, both the client populations and target problems of such agencies and of self-help groups frequently overlap. The role of the social worker vis-à-vis self-help groups has been explored elsewhere, although the focus of these articles is on resistance of professionals to self-help programs. However, questions remain. These questions include the role of the agency and how the family service agency should relate to self-help programs and the increasingly common connections between its workers and self-help groups.

In policy circles, a response to meeting human needs through social networks and voluntary organizations is increasingly viewed as a substitute for publicly provided services. While prior research suggests that participation in these two types of voluntary activity may be related, the relationship is little understood. A secondary analysis of national survey data was carried out using bivariate and multivariate techniques to ascertain the relationship between indicators of voluntary organiza tion participation and close personal ties, as well as certain demographic charac teristics. Findings suggest that persons with a greater number of close personal ties will also participate in more voluntary organizations. Implications for policymaking are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Social planners have recently implored gerontological social workers to network with their clients' informal support systems in order to maximize their social care. A study of the gerontological social workers of Jerusalem found that while most workers placed high importance on the goal of informal networking, fewer workers actually engaged in such tasks. Educational and training factors studied proved to have a negative relationship with the importance imputed to networking by social workers. However, the main impediment to engaging clients' networks was the perceived burden of large caseloads on the part of the gerontological social workers. The implications of the findings for training and for policy are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Programmes for assuring and improving quality are increasingly being demanded of social workers and social service agencies. Their inclusion in the social work curriculum should also be considered. We explore the background of quality assurance in social work, the principles and philosophy of one major quality assurance model, Total Quality Management (TQM) and selected implications for social work. We then present an innovative strategy for teaching this subject whereby the principles of TQM were applied to the class itself. Students were viewed as staff members of an organisation and the instructor as their manager. Obstacles to achieving organisational and individual goals, for example knowledge development, were identified and strategies for overcoming them developed as part of the ongoing learning process. The interaction between the method of instruction and the subject material are presented, as well as the outcomes of the course and its implications for social work education. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Problem definition in social work may be the source of disagreement between social workers and their clients. It can be affected by both client and worker characteristics, as well as the care-giving context. This paper examines the definitions of psycho-social problems by social workers and their clients in a general hospital. It is based on the analysis of interviews with 120 patients and their social workers, which were conducted towards the completion of treatment, shortly before the patients' discharge from the hospital. As expected, differences were found to exist in the ways patients and their social workers define patient problems. These differences were expressed in both the type and the number of problems cited. Social workers tended to identify a larger number of problems than did patients. Congruence was stronger among younger clients of higher socioeconomic status, whose social workers had studied an eclectic approach to practice. The practice implications of these systematic differences are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Early and comprehensive discharge planning is a widely accepted and anticipated social work role. It is generally supposed that discharge planning has positive implications for both the hospital and the patient. A research project was designed to assess the effects of a staff development program aimed at instituting a comprehensive discharge planning model by social workers in a general hospital in Israel. One group of patients received social work services based on the discharge planning model. A comparison group of patients received the standard services provided by the department. No differences between the groups were found in time elapsed before first social work contact or in length of stay. However, patients in the study group were likely to be released to a more appropriate and stable setting than were patients in the comparison group. Furthermore, there was a greater likelihood that their posthospital care plans involved a combination of services from both formal and informal settings. Implications of the findings are discussed as well as the integration of research into ongoing social work practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The study examined the degree of social worker contact with the family networks of a sample of new elderly applicants (N = 122) to the social welfare services of Jerusalem. Greater contact was correlated with frail status of the client and a request for institutional care. A curvilinear relationship was found with network accessibility. These correlations disappeared, however, when degree of family initiated contact with the social worker was considered together with the other variables, through multiple classification analysis. Implication of these findings for the interweaving of formal and informal supports are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Information systems have been proposed as a valuable resource for promoting the efficient and effective operation of hospital social service departments. However, the development and implementation process must overcome the tensions inherent to collection and utilization of structured information by social work practitioners. These include the need for quantified data about qualitative phenomena, compatibility with existing work routines, compatibility with norms and perceptions of information needs at different levels, and potential versus actual utilization of the data. The authors examine these issues and present strategies for dealing with them, in the context of a project to develop a country-wide information system for social work departments in general hospitals in Israel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the outcomes of a study in which an early and comprehensive discharge planning protocol was used by social workers in an acute-care center in Israel. Comparison patients received standard social work services provided by the department. Telephone follow-up interviews were conducted at 3-weeks and 2-months intervals post discharge. The expected outcomes of reduced rates of emergency room visits and readmissions, or greater satisfaction with health services were not achieved. Rather, the study group patients had significantly higher rates of emergency room visits, and tended to be less satisfied with discharge planning and significantly less satisfied with post-hospital health services. No differences in readmission rates were observed. The study patients were more likely to be discharged to a home-care program and to have received such services or still be in the LTC institutions to which they had been referred at follow-ups. The difference in rate of emergency room visits between the two groups decreased when controlling for type of service and for satisfaction in a regression model. Implications for social work practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computerized information systems can be valuable tools in the total quality assurance program of hospital social work departments. This paper presents a matrix of potential roles for the information system at various levels of assessment-structural, process, and outcome. It then illustrates these roles, based on examples from a country-wide information system developed for hospital social work departments in Israel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses various reports published within the issue including the application of an intervention development in the U.S. and adapted in Israel, the quasi-experimental study for field work supervision, and access to evidence-based practice by social workers.

Measures of social network strength have been shown to be positively correlated with the health and well-being of a range of populations, including older adults. This study compares the network structure and the support available to a group of elderly applicants for public social service assistance with those of a group of elderly persons who had not sought help (also taking into account predisposing characteristics and functional impairment). The applicant group was found to have significantly smaller networks and less affective support, even when controlling for age and physical capacity [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]