Helping Hand Research Articles

Breaking the Fall

: The Helping Hands program is a nurse-directed falls prevention program designed to support a hospital-wide culture of safety and reduce harm from falls. : Patient falls and the associated morbidity and mortality represent a significant risk for patients and healthcare facilities. Age-adjusted fatalities from falls increased significantly from 1993 to 2003. By 2020, the annual cost of injuries from falls is expected to exceed $40 billion. : Components of the Helping Hands falls prevention program worked synergistically to support the development of a culture of safety at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. The program consisted of nursing assessment of fall risk with the Johns Hopkins Fall Risk Assessment Tool; reviews of fall risk and intervention efficacy; creation of communication mechanisms, reporting processes, and change champion roles; engagement of patients and families in falls prevention; increased public awareness of fall risk through signage; nursing interventions; and utilization of nursing performance improvement analysts. : Over 3 years, 65% (N = 7,900) of more than 12,000 patients assessed were at risk of falling. Most falls caused no or little harm, and at 3 years of follow-up, total falls decreased by 16.6 %, and severe falls accounted for 0.009 % (n = 2) of all falls. : The data offer a hopeful perspective on the role of nursing engagement in developing a hospital-wide culture of safety and protecting patients from permanent harm caused by fall events.

ICU-to-Ward Transfers: Time to Lend a Helping Hand(off)

Transition from an intensive care unit (ICU) to a medical ward is a particularly vulnerable time for complex, critically ill patients. Good

A Walk in the Museum with Michel de Certeau: A Conceptual Helping Hand for Museum Practitioners

Abstract A decade ago, as I consolidated my reflections on the London Science Museum’s Making the Modern World gallery (MMW), on which I was Deputy Project Director, I was introduced to Michel de Certeau’s The Practice of Everyday Life, which seemed to me to articulate many of the intuitions that I had developed up to that point about audience engagement with exhibitions. In 2011, de Certeau is still not that widely cited in museum studies. For the sake of the insights that derive from applying his work to the museum context, I present his work in this article.

Residential mobility moderates preferences for egalitarian versus loyal helpers

The present research examines whether the experience and the expectation of residential mobility related to the type of helpers whom people wanted to befriend and work with. We predicted and found that people who moved more frequently before college (Studies 1 and 2) preferred those who were likely to extend a helpful hand to those outside their immediate social circles. By contrast, people who had not moved preferred those who prioritized helping in-group members over strangers. Study 3 tested the hypothesis by priming the expectation of residential mobility versus stability and replicated the findings with residential mobility but did not find difference in the stability condition. These results suggest that residential mobility does not merely change people's living environments but also affects interpersonal preferences and with whom people would like to associate.

Helping Hands: A Guidebook for Volunteer Meal Providers

Helping Hands: A Guidebook for Volunteer Meal Providers Author(s): J. Jennings 1 R. Ward 2 K. Kolasa3; 1Nutrition Science East Carolina University Greenville NC 2East Carolina University Greenville NC 3Family Medicine and Pediatrics East Carolina University Greenville NC Learning Outcome: Participants will be able to explain how to apply strategies to help food donors promote food safety practices and to prepare nutritional and cost-conscious meals. “Helping Hands” is a 32-page practical resource for volunteer meal donors. The objective of this project was to develop a useful tool for volunteers providing prepared meals to soup kitchens homeless shelters Ronald McDonald House and a cancer lodge. It was created in response to requests from local agencies that expressed concerns regarding the food safety practices and nutritional quality of meals being donated. They desired a document that would include basic nutrition and food safety principles for populations at risk for malnutrition and/or infection. Additionally they desired recipes for budget-friendly meals that could be prepared by busy volunteers. A literature and internet search and a query to dietitians on several Listserves found no existing documents to fulfill these needs. The content was outlined and food safety information and recipes were gathered from sources including the USDA and CDC websites. The guide includes over thirty recipes with nutrition information basic food safety guidelines time and cost-saving tips components of healthy meals and testimonials from volunteers and agency personnel. Nine food nutrition and food safety specialists on the FNSPEC Listserve responded to a request for reviewers and provided comments on accuracy format and readability. A two-page brochure was developed to promote the guide. The success of “Helping Hands” will be evaluated by the comparative number of nutritionally balanced meals served the implementation of proper food safety practices and the overall cost of meals to volunteers. The guidebook is found at: http://www.ecu.edu/cs-dhs/fammed/index.cfm Funding Disclosure: None Sept 2011 Suppl Abstracts Vol III No 9 Journal of the AMERICAN DIETETIC ASSOCIATION / A-87

Securities Class Actions: A Helping Hand for Bank Regulators in Trouble?

By comparing the behavior of those US banks which faced Securities Class Actions (SCAs) in the 2000-2008 period with a control group of non-sued banks, we investigate the regulatory effects of this collective litigation procedure. The paper improves upon previous research by accounting for the endogenous nature of SCAs with respect to bank performance. This issue is addressed using an instrumental variable related to court severity. Two-Stage Least Squares estimates provide evidence that SCAs can stimulate more cautious attitudes towards risk, prompting the accumulation of reserves and recapitalization. We also find they are likely to enhance bank efficiency. However, our results also suggest that SCAs significantly increase dividend payouts while inducing a contraction of bank assets. SCAs are also likely to represent a warning signal of insolvency, as it emerges from the higher probability of being sued in case of high incidence of non-performing loans. We add an extension to the main analysis considering the probability of bank failures as a function of SCA occurrence. Results indicate that the latter is not likely to accelerate the former.

Crecemos Juntos: Understanding and Alleviating Parental Stress Among Lowcountry Migrant Workers

The focus of this study was to determine challenges and needs faced by families of migrant farm workers served by Rural Mission Migrant Head Start in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Data on common problems was collected via surveys, and results were analyzed. The Crecemos Juntos (We Grow Together) program was developed with the support of a Helping Hands Grant from the American Psychiatric Foundation, which funds service initiatives by medical students. A multimedia library of materials was compiled, addressing frequently encountered issues in mental health and child development. A presentation on effective positive disciplinary techniques was provided to parents.

Backbone or Helping Hand? On the Role of Information Systems and Non-systematic Information in Managers’ Work

An international association advancing the multidisciplinary study of informing systems. Founded in 1998, the Informing Science Institute (ISI) is a global community of academics shaping the future of informing science.

Regulating the Helping Hand: Improving Legal Preparedness for Cross-Border Disaster Medicine

Medical care is a highly regulated field in nearly every country. Therefore, it is not surprising that legal issues regularly arise in cross-border disaster operations that have with the potential to profoundly impact the effectiveness of international assistance. Little attention has been paid to preparing for and addressing these kinds of issues. This paper will report on research by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) on International Disaster Response Law, and discuss new developments in the international legal framework for addressing these issues. For seven years, the IFRC has studied legal issues in cross-border disaster assistance. Its activities have included several dozen case studies, a global survey of governments and humanitarian stakeholders, and a series of meetings and high-level conferences. The IFRC has found a consistent set of regulatory problems in major disaster relief operations related to the entry and regulation of international relief. These include some issues specific to the health field, such as the regulation of drug donations and the recognition of foreign medical qualifications. To address the gaps in domestic and international regulatory structures, the IFRC spearheaded the development of new international guidelines. The legal risks for international health providers in disaster settings are real and should be better integrated into program planning. Governments must become more proactive in ensuring that legal frameworks are flexible enough to mitigate these problems.

Matching Grants and Charitable Giving: Why People Sometimes Provide a Helping Hand to Fund Environmental Goods

Matching grants are a prevalent mechanism for funding environmental, conservation, and natural resource projects. However, economists have largely been silent regarding the potential benefits of these mechanisms at increasing voluntary contributions. To examine the behavioral responses to different match levels, this research uses controlled laboratory experiments with generically framed instructions and introduces a general-form matching-grant mechanism, referred to as the proportional contribution mechanism (PCM). Results show that contributions are positively correlated with both the match and the induced value of the public good even when a dominant strategy is free-riding. An implication of this partial demand revelation result is that manifestations of this type of “helping hand” social preference should be counted in benefit-cost analysis.

Education for Students with Visual Impairments in Singapore: An Overview of Primary and Secondary Programs

Special education schools in Singapore provide education to children with disabilities, including those with intellectual, physical, or sensory impairments. Most of these schools cater to children aged 4 to 18. There are 20 special education schools run by various voluntary welfare organizations in Singapore; included in these 20 schools is the primary education provision for children who are visually impaired (Ministry of Education, 2009a). This arrangement is in line with the government's Many Helping Hands policy, which involves a tripartite relationship between the government, the citizenry, and the voluntary sector. The objective is to promote active participation in the care of people with disabilities (Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, 2005). PRIMARY EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE VISUALLY IMPAIRED Since 1956, the Singapore School for the Visually Handicapped (SSVH) has been the only school that has provided special education for students with visual impairments up to the primary level. However, over the past 50 years, the school has seen a gradual decline in its student enrollment from its height of some 100 children in the 1960s and 1970s (P. K. Koh, personal communication, April 3, 2009) to 56 in 1988 (Quah, 1993). Today, the school serves 40 children, of whom 18 have multiple disabilities in addition to visual impairment. Thus, strictly speaking, there are only 22 students with visual impairments and no other disabilities (P. K. Koh, personal communication, April 3, 2009). To justify the economics of operating the school, in 2003, SSVH began to broaden its curriculum to include children with visual impairments and additional disabilities, children with heating impairments, and children with autism spectrum disorder (SSVH, 2008) to mitigate its operational costs. This change of curriculum was a significant transformation from its origins. Naturally, the previous name was no longer adequately representative of its new curriculum and the students it served. Consequently, the school adopted its new name, the Lighthouse School, in 2008 to reflect the change. The goals of the Lighthouse School are as follows: * to ensure that the developmentally intact children with visual impairments and hearing impairments perform well in their Primary Six Leaving Examination (PSLE, national streaming examinations at the end of primary school); * to ensure that the developmentally intact children with visual impairments and hearing impairments are given as rounded an education as possible; * to ensure that children with multiple disabilities have adequate preparation in reading, writing, and arithmetic and in daily living skills; * to encourage children with visual impairments who are having difficulties in a general education school to benefit from the individualized programs it provides; and * to maximize the potential of every child to the fullest (see Lighthouse School, 2009a). To achieve these goals, the Lighthouse School (2009b) offers the following programs: 1. Normal Program, whose curriculum parallels the mainstream school curriculum 2. Vision Development Program 3. Visual- and Hearing-Impaired Program 4. Special Class Program 5. Autistic Spectrum Disorder Program The variety of programs reflects the challenge of having to cater to a diversity of needs. These programs range from a curriculum to foster independent living and study skills for children with visual impairments to more specific skills for children who are deaf-blind to a class for children with multiple disabilities including visual impairments, to preparing children for PSLE. Beyond these specific programs for children who are visually impaired, the school also offers a class for children with autism spectrum disorder. POSTPRIMARY EDUCATION In 2007, the Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School (AISS) marked its 40 years of supporting students with visual impairments. …

How Accurate Are Electronic Monitoring Devices? A Laboratory Study Testing Two Devices to Measure Medication Adherence

In a prospective descriptive laboratory study, 25 Helping Hand™ (HH) (10 without and 15 with reminder system) and 50 Medication Event Monitoring Systems (MEMS) (25 with 18-month and 25 with 2-year battery life) were manipulated twice daily following a predefined protocol during 3 consecutive weeks. Accuracy was determined using the fixed manipulation scheme as the reference. Perfect functioning (i.e., total absence of missing registrations and/or overregistrations) was observed in 70% of the HH without, 87% of the HH with reminder, 20% MEMS with 18 months, and 100% with 2-year battery life respectively.

"Operation Helping Hands": Massachusetts health and medical response to Hurricane Katrina.

As Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans in August 2005, the city's mandatory evacuation prompted the exodus of an estimated 80% of its 485,000 residents. According to estimates from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at least 18 states subsequently hosted more than 200,000 evacuees. In this case study, "Operation Helping Hands" (OHH), the Massachusetts health and medical response in assisting Hurricane Katrina evacuees is described. Operation Helping Hands represents the largest medical response to evacuees in recent Massachusetts history. The data describing OHH were derived from a series of structured interviews conducted with two leading public health officials directing planning efforts, and a sample of first responders with oversight of operations at the evacuation site. Also, a literature review was conducted to identify similar experiences, common challenges, and lessons learned. Activities and services were provided in the following areas: (1) administration and management; (2) medical and mental health; (3) public health; and (4) social support. This study adds to the knowledge base for future evacuation and shelter planning, and presents a conceptual framework that could be used by other researchers and practitioners to describe the process and outcomes of similar operations. This study provides a description of the planning and implementation efforts of the largest medical evacuee experience in recent Massachusetts history, an effort that involved multiple agencies and partners. The conceptual framework can inform future evacuation and shelter initiatives at the state and national levels, and promotes the overarching public health goal of the highest attainable standard of health for all.

The impact of an electronic monitoring and reminder device on patient compliance with antihypertensive therapy: a randomized controlled trial

High blood pressure (BP) significantly increases overall cardiovascular risk, the incidence of ischemic heart disease and stroke. One of the most important causes of insufficient BP control is low treatment compliance. Reminders and electronic compliance monitoring have been shown to be effective in improving patient compliance to some extent, but the combined effect has not been documented. To assess the impact of an electronic reminder and monitoring device on patient compliance and BP control. All patients received medical treatment with telmisartan once daily and were randomized to either electronic compliance monitoring with a reminder and monitoring device or standard therapy for 6 months. Both groups were crossed over after 6 months. Intervention effectiveness was assessed using self-reported compliance and BP. Data from 398 patients were analysed. In the first half of the study, patients using the device reported 91% compliance versus 85% in the control group. This difference diminished after crossover (88 versus 86%). BP was not affected. Electronic monitoring data on compliance revealed taking, dosing and timing compliance between 45 and 52% in study group 1, and between 32 and 38% in study group 2. The Helping Hand reminder device was most suitable if used for newly diagnosed hypertensive patients, when it improved compliance by 6%. With the present medical treatment, the device does not have any influence on BP control, but with less forgiving medications, the device might make a significant difference. The use of the device can be an easy and effective way to improve compliance in selected patients.

Psychiatric Foundation Succeeds in Public-Education Mission

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article From the PresidentFull AccessPsychiatric Foundation Succeeds in Public-Education MissionAlan F. Schatzberg, M.D.Alan F. SchatzbergSearch for more papers by this author, M.D.Published Online:7 Aug 2009https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.44.15.0003Last month we held a retreat for our Board of Trustees Executive Committee. We met for two days and worked on a number of key issues that, through these columns, I will be reporting to you over the coming months. We started off our meeting with presentations by the Board president and executive director of each of our three affiliates or subsidiaries—American Psychiatric Publishing (APPI), American Psychiatric Institute for Research and Education (APIRE), and American Psychiatric Foundation (APF). Each is doing great work on behalf of APA.Let me begin with showcasing the work of our foundation. This year marks the 18th year the APF, the educational and philanthropic arm of APA, has been working to foster a better understanding of mental illness and, in the process, break down the walls of stigma that surround it.Through collaborations with stakeholders and the building of new relationships with industries not directly involved in health care, the APF, headed by President Richard Harding, M.D., and Executive Director Paul Burke, has demonstrated how powerful and important our foundation is. Its efforts in public education about mental illness and its treatment, its research to improve access to care, the promotion of mental health in underserved communities, and its outreach to medical students make a vital contribution to APA's mission.Over time, the APF has expanded its approach and is forming active partnerships on a number of important projects to support the mental health of all our citizens, particularly the young and those serving our nation in the military.Our foundation has partnered with public television to distribute the mental-health-focused television series “Healthy Minds” nationally. We are, through television, providing information to the general public about mental health in ways that have previously not been undertaken. To complement this, the APF is developing 60-second public-service announcements called “Mental Health Minute” to provide key information to the lay audience on their local television stations.The mental health of military members continues to be a priority for psychiatry. The APF has led the way, through its partnership with Give an Hour, in providing our membership the opportunity to give an hour of free mental health service to veterans, troops, and their families. The Give an Hour network has now grown to 4,400 volunteer providers nationwide.The APF also provides grants to community organizat ions and schools to implement its signature education program, Typical or Troubled, which educates school personnel who closely interact with adolescents to identify the presence of mental illness warning signs and recognize when intervention might be needed. Typical or Troubled is active in 27 states, involving more than 125 school districts and serving more than 10,000 school personnel.This summer the city of Albuquerque, N.M., will begin implementing the Typical or Troubled program in approximately 46 middle and high schools, where it is expected to impact the lives of nearly 94,000 students.Our foundation is also leading the way in raising awareness in the business community about the critical importance of mental health care. Through its Partnership for Workplace Mental Health program, the APF is working with employers to advance effective approaches to mental health by combining the knowledge and experience of APA and our employer partners.The APF also provides grants and awards. One such grant program is the Helping Hands Grant Program, which encourages medical students to participate in community mental health service activities, particularly those focused on underserved populations. The APF, through its Awards for Advancing Minority Mental Health, also recognizes psychiatrists, other health professionals, and mental health programs and organizations that have undertaken innovative efforts to raise awareness of mental illness in underserved minority communities.The APF has a distinguished Board of Directors that includes members from the psychiatric profession, as well as lay members with an interest in mental health who come from various walks of life, such as business, law, and other professions. We appreciate their hard work in helping us raise funds, award grants, and develop new programs.Each of these programs contributes to the foundation's efforts to achieve its mission of educating the public that mental illnesses are real and can be reliably diagnosed and effectively treated. It is an entirely self-supporting organization and relies on grants from APA and industry, as well as contributions from APA members. All contributions made to APF are tax deductible and support its efforts to run and distribute its programs, grants, and awards.I encourage you to help us further the profession of psychiatry by making a donation to the APF, either online at<www.psychfoundation.org> or by calling Lindsey McClenathan, APF development officer, at (703) 907-8503.▪ ISSUES NewArchived

The gambling scholar

Girolamo Cardano was an experienced card player, but that night he was losing money at an alarming rate. No wonder, for he was being cheated. When he realized that the cards were marked, he drew his dagger and stabbed the cheat in the face. Cardano then forced his way out of the gambling den into the narrow streets of Venice, recovering his money on the way. Running for his life in complete darkness, he slipped and plunged into the muddy waters of a canal – not the best place to be if you cannot swim. It was sheer luck that he managed, somehow, to grab the side of a passing boat and was lifted to safety by a helpful hand. Once on the boat, however, Cardano faced a man with a bandaged face – the cheat himself. Perhaps it was the chill of the night that cooled their tempers, or perhaps neither of the two wanted trouble with the notoriously strict Venetian authorities, but there was no brawl. Instead, Cardano was given clothing and travelled back home in amiable conversation.

Technical Notes and Tips: A Helping Hand for the Lone Surgeon Fixing a Lateral Malleolus Fracture

Technical Notes and Tips: A Helping Hand for the Lone Surgeon Fixing a Lateral Malleolus Fracture

A Helping Hand for the Lone Surgeon Fixing a Lateral Malleolus Fracture

A Helping Hand for the Lone Surgeon Fixing a Lateral Malleolus Fracture

Using Norms Strategically: Transnational Advocacy Networks’ Operation for North Korean Human Rights

In May 2002, China decided not to repatriate North Korean asylum seekers who fled to Shenyang. The decision was not only in contravention of the 1986 North Korea-China bilateral repatriation agreement, but also constituted China's repudiation of its policy denying refugee status to North Koreans in China. What explains China's change in policy in the Shenyang case? We argue that transnational advocacy networks (TANs) for North Korean human rights (NKHR) played a significant role in China's non-repatriation decision. Theoretically, the article develops a set of five propositions that specify an organizational mechanism through which TANs effectively work, and use social network analysis to test these propositions. Empirically, we employ both qualitative and quantitative methods of analysis (the combination of discourse and content analysis) in order to capture the crucial role of TANs in China's policy change. Thematically, our case study of China's non-repatriation decision reveals the growing importance and relevance of TANs in world politics. Key words: North Korea, human rights, China, social network analysis, transnational advocacy network Introduction In May 2002, China decided not to repatriate North Korean asylum seekers who had fled to Shenyang. The decision not only contravened the 1986 North Korea-China bilateral repatriation agreement; China also repudiated its policy of denying refugee status to North Koreans in China. Previously, China routinely repatriated North Koreans when they were captured within China's borders because it did not recognize their refugee rights.1 What explains the change in China's policy in the Shenyang case? We argue that transnational advocacy networks (TANs) for North Korean human rights (NKHR) played a significant role in bringing about China's policy reversal by their strategic use of human rights norms. Following the scholarship of Keck and Sikkink, we define TANs as networks involving actors working internationally on an issue, who are bound together by shared values, a common discourse, and dense exchanges of information and services.2 In referring to TANs for NKHR, we specifically mean those advocates from Western Europe, Japan, South Korea, and the United States who promote substantial changes in normative and juridical discourse and policy regarding North Korean human and refugee rights. More specifically, the human rights advocacy network includes citizen organizations and NGOs, such as Durihana Mission, Refuge Pnan, and Citizens Alliance for North Korean Human Rights, as well as individual activists such as Tim Peters from Helping Hands Korea, Pastor Douglas Shin, and German doctor Norbert Vollertsen. In analyzing the Shenyang case, we aim to contribute to the existing literature of TANs in three major ways: theoretically, methodologically, and thematically. Ever since the seminal publication of Activists Beyond Borders by Keck and Sikkink in 1998, there has been a surge of studies exploring the formation, structure, and campaign strategies and tactics of TANs.3 Yet despite all the attention paid to the role of TANs in influencing policy, we know relatively little about how TANs work to achieve their goals within and between advocacy organizations. Previous studies have tended to posit-without offering a specific organizational mechanism-the efficacy of the dense, horizontal, mediasensitive, organization-centered, and Internet communication- based networking patterns of transnational activists. Also, few studies have examined the dynamics of inter-organizational communications and activities of TANs when they try to influence policy in their target countries. Our aim is to fill these gaps theoretically and empirically. Theoretically, we develop (or reformulate) a set of five propositions that specify an organizational mechanism through which TANs effectively work. We developed these propositions from a close examination of the existing literature of TANs. …

'Conversations' Event Comes to Institute

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article APA InstituteFull Access'Conversations' Event Comes to InstituteCarla DanielsCarla DanielsSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:5 Sep 2008https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.43.17.0024The American Psychiatric Foundation's first “Conversations” event at the Institute on Psychiatric Services last year in New Orleans was such a success that it is hosting a similar event at this year's institute in Chicago. The institute will be held from October 5 to 8.Terrie Williams is the co-founder of the Stay Strong Foundation, whose mission is to promote the well-being of youth and support their educational and professional development through programs and events.Credit: Damaso ReyesUnlike the special event at the 2007 institute—which featured New Orleans musicians who performed and shared their experiences in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina—this year's event will follow the format of the popular “Conversations” event held each year at APA's annual meeting. That format features an interview by a psychiatrist with a well-known person who has gone public with his or her experiences with mental illness.The person who will be interviewed this year at the institute is Terrie Williams, president of the Terrie Williams Agency for public relations and communications. Through the years, her agency has handled such clients as Miles Davis, Eddie Murphy, Time Warner, and HBO, but she is also well known for her work as an author, lecturer, executive coach, social worker, and community activist, especially for youth and people with depression.“Conversations” will be held on Saturday, October 4, from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Red Lacquer Room on the 4th floor of the Palmer House Hilton. Williams will be interviewed by the immediate past president of the American Psychiatric Foundation, Altha Stewart, M.D.Williams, who was diagnosed with depression in 2004, is the author of the recently published book Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We're Not Hurting.Black Pain identifies the emotional pain that deeply affects the black experience as the root of lashing out through desperate acts of crime, violence, drug and alcohol abuse, eating disorders, workaholism, and addiction to shopping, gambling, and sex. In Black Pain, Williams not only shares her personal experiences with depression, but also provides insights from mental health professionals to offer solutions.In addition to the interview, the event will include a poster session by the foundation's Helping Hands Grant recipients. The Helping Hands Grant program is intended to raise awareness of mental illness and the importance of early recognition and builds interest among medical students in entering psychiatry and working in underserved communities.The “Conversations” event is supported by AstraZeneca.▪Carla Daniels is the marketing and communications manager for the American Psychiatric Foundation. ISSUES NewArchived