Pensions Agency Research Articles

Cognition investigation and analysis of hand hygiene of nursing staff in pension institutions

Objective: We investigate and analyze the cognition of hand hygiene of nursing staff in nursing institutions. This method provides reference for improving the hand hygiene condition of nursing staff in nursing homes, and we put forward the feasible solution to this situation. Methods: 100 nurses from five nursing institutions in Changchun were investigated using a self-designed questionnaire, and the results were analyzed. Results: due to the most old-age care institutions personnel are less educated, rapid flow of talents, and the health care training from endowment organization are low frequency or not organized, so most of nursing staff think hand hygiene has nothing to do with the health of the elderly. They grasp the knowledge of some common hand washing, and hand washing before and after the elderly care is not ideal. The effects of hand washing have a number of factors, the main factor is that the pension institutions hand washing facilities incomplete, and in fact the nursing staff work very busy. Discussion: from the government to pension institutions should strengthen and pay more attention to the training of pension agency front-line care staff hand hygiene knowledge, increase the training of professional nursing practitioners, focus on bringing in Colleges and universities social science or medical science related, similar professional personnel and institutional strengthening management of washing hands, according to the actual conditions to improve the hand washing facilities, adhere to wash their hands properly, so as to avoid occurrence of handling of disease spread.

A qualitative research on the elderly care needs of older residents living in residential care facilities

Objective To describe the elderly care needs of older residents living in residential care facilities in Nanchang. Methods Three residential care facilities were purposefully selected and 19 residents were interviewed. The datum were tape-recorded,transcribed in full and then analyzed to identify the main patterns of responses. Results The elderly care needs of older residents in residential care facilities were generated four themes including the body, environment, mind, preparation for death. Conclusions China should establish endowment institutions endowment service needs assessment index system, improve the system of pension agency grading nursing. Enhance communication between pension institutions and medical institutions, to meet the demand for skilled nursing skills in the old man. Carrot and stick, reasonable allocation of resources, physical and social environment of hoisting mechanism, to meet the old man's psychological demand and the demand for environment. Enhancement of the humanistic care of dying old man, to meet the needs of stay in the old man to the hospice. Key words: Aged; Qualitative research; Health services needs and demand; Nursing institution for the aged

Immigrants in the Old-Age Pension System: The Case of Sweden

The article investigates incomes and especially state pensions 2008 among elderly immigrants who arrived in Sweden before 1970. At age 70 and above, the level of state old-age pension for immigrant men was nearly the same and for immigrant women somewhat higher than for natives with similar characteristics. At age 65–66 the state pension was lower for immigrants than for their native counterparts. The differences in pensions for immigrants of different ages are probably due to changed rules in the Swedish state old-age pension system from 2003. The new rules have hit different age groups in different ways. The gaps are partially levelled out when other incomes are included. The extent to which levelling occurs varies greatly between different immigrant groups. For immigrants who have arrived during the last decades, the future state old-age pension outcomes are expected to be worse. Policy Implications The Swedish Pensions Agency should set up a register of pensions from abroad. This will tell us to what extent old-age pensions from the home country compensate for low old-age pensions from the Swedish system. Better integration on the labour market is a powerful measure for reducing the risk of future low pensions among immigrants. This is a challenge for Swedish integration policy. To what extent can other parts of the Swedish welfare system in the future compensate individuals with low old-age pensions?

Book Reviews

Annika Sunden of The Swedish Pensions Agency reviews, “Saving for Retirement: Intention, Context, and Behavior” by Gordon L. Clark, Kendra Strauss, and Janelle Knox-Hayes. The EconLit abstract of this book begins: “Explores the behavioral revolution and its implications for understanding financial decision making and saving for the future. Discusses environment and behavior; risk propensities; sophistication, salience, and scale; being in the market; housing, retirement saving, and risk aversion; the demand for annuities; the ““new” paternalism; and pension adequacy and sustainability. Clark is Halford Mackinder Professor of Geography at the University of Oxford, Sir Louis Matheson Distinguished Visiting Professor at Monash University, and a Professorial Fellow at St. Peter's College, Oxford. Strauss is a University Lecturer in the Geography Department at the University of Cambridge and a Research Associate in the School of Geographical and Earth Sciences at the University of Glasgow. Knox-Hayes is Assistant Professor in the School of Public Policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Research Associate at the Oxford University School of Geography and the Environment. Bibliography; name and subject indexes.”

Take a Chance on Me - Can the Swedish Premium Pension Serve as a Role Model for Germany's Riester Scheme?

In the course of the ongoing debate regarding the critique of the German Riester pension the Swedish premium pension has often been referred to as a role model regarding potential amendments and reforms. The Swedish pension reform of 1998 has led ti a reorganization towards a stratified scheme, consisting of a pay-as-you-go and a fully funded element. The mandatory implementation of the Swedish premium pension has proved to be the major difference in comparison to the voluntary German Riester pension. In addition, numerous differences between the two systems can be outlined, of which most are due to the differing methods of implementation in the countriy´s old age provision system. This paper draws a comparison between the two systems with a special focus on the cost structure and evaluates the possibilities and limitations that arise from a complete adaptation of the modification of the existing Riester scheme (Swedish-Riester). It becomes evident that costs are significantly of administrative tasks within the Swedish Pensions Agency. However, despite systematic differences between two schemes, the Germa Riester pension can particulary benefit from the Swedish premium pension with regard to transparent, coherent and consistent product information.

Ill health retirement in Scottish teachers: process, outcomes and re-employment

To assess the process, causes and outcomes of ill health retirement (IHR) in teachers in Scotland. Perceptions and experience of occupational health services (OHS), access to rehabilitation and redeployment, current health, post retirement experience and predictors of re-employment were identified. 537 teachers who retired due to ill health between April 1998 and March 2000 were mailed our IHR questionnaire by the Scottish Public Pensions Agency. The most common cause of IHR was mental disorders (37%), followed by diseases of the musculoskeletal system (18%). 11% of teachers attended an OHS prior to IHR. 9% of teachers were offered part-time work and 5% were offered alternative work. 63% of retired teachers stated their health had improved and 48% said they would like to work again. 36% of the surveyed teachers have found re-employment since their retirement. On unadjusted analyses, re-employment of teachers after IHR was significantly associated with sex, having dependants, job group, cause of IHR, health having improved and wanting to work again. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed three variables as independent predictors of re-employment: having dependants, job group and cause of IHR. This is the first comprehensive study investigating teachers' experiences of IHR in Scotland. The findings highlight substantial lack of support for teachers in a number of areas which need to be addressed by managers and employers. Our study confirms the need for rehabilitation and teacher support services in order to try and retain experienced teachers in the profession.

Hopes of an early retirement derailed by pensions agency

Hopes of an early retirement derailed by pensions agency

The involvement of occupational health services prior to ill-health retirement in NHS staff in Scotland and predictors of re-employment

To assess the process, causes and outcomes of retirement because of ill-health in NHS staff in Scotland. Particular areas to be investigated include the involvement of occupational health services, access to rehabilitation and redeployment, current health, whether working again and to identify predictors of re-employment. An ill-health retirement (IHR) questionnaire was mailed to 863 NHS staff awarded IHR benefits by the Scottish Public Pensions Agency between April 1998 and March 2000. In all, 49% of the 863 postal questionnaires were returned. The most common reasons for retiring were diseases of the musculoskeletal system (38%) and mental disorders (21%). Seventy-one percent of the participants reported their ill-health was partly or completely work related and 29% not work related. Ninety-two percent of NHS staff had attended an occupational health department prior to IHR. Twenty-three percent of participants had no contact with their line manager during their illness prior to retiral. Eighteen percent of individuals were offered the opportunity of working part-time and 15% offered alternative work. Seventeen percent of participants have obtained other work. Predictors of re-employment after IHR were: medical condition, managerial responsibility, improvement of health, wanting to work again, occupation and age at retirement. This is the first comprehensive study investigating NHS staff experiences of IHR in Scotland. This study illustrates the need for improved support and rehabilitation for ill-health care workers and that there is the potential to reduce levels of ill-health retirement.

NHS superannuation figures just don’t seem to add up

While in NHS employment I had 6 per cent of my salary deducted for the superannuation scheme, and was under the impression that the NHS added another 4 per cent to the amount. Repeated forecasts from the Pensions Agency show a gross figure on which it has based my future pension. However, the figure it quotes, without any satisfactory explanation, only accounts for the money that was deducted directly from my salary – that is, the 6 per cent.

Case-117/01, K.B. v. National Health Service Pensions Agency, Secretary of State for Health

Case-117/01, <i>K.B.</i> v. <i>National Health Service Pensions Agency, Secretary of State for Health</i>

Who retires early from the NHS because of ill health and what does it cost? A national cross sectional study

About one million people are employed by the NHS in England and Wales, 96% of whom belong to the NHS occupational pension scheme.1 The scheme allows early retirement because of...

Mortality from Parkinson's disease and other causes in men who were prisoners of war in the Far East

During World War II, more than 140000 Allied prisoners of war (POWs) were held captive by the Japanese in conditions of extreme privation. There have been concerns that the survivors are at increased risk of degenerative neurological disorders, especially Parkinson's disease. We assembled a cohort of British ex-POWs and analysed their mortality in a 46-year follow-up study. Using records held by the War Pensions Agency, we abstracted data on 11915 British former POWs. 11134 men were traced, and observed numbers of deaths between 1952 and 1997 were compared with those expected from national rates for the male population of England and Wales. Standardised mortality ratios (SMR) were calculated. Overall, mortality was lower than expected (7474 deaths vs 8796.2 expected; SMR 0.85 [95% CI 0.83-0.87]). Death rates from Parkinson's disease among the former POWs were slightly below the national average, though this difference was not statistically significant (35 deaths vs 43.2 expected; SMR 0.81 [0.56-1.13]). A similar pattern was seen for other degenerative neurological disorders (motorneuron disease 0.62 [0.31-1.11], multiple sclerosis 0.88 [0.42-1.61], and dementia 0.88 [0.68-1.11]). The former POWs had significantly lower than expected mortality from all major causes of death (ischaemic heart disease 0.81 [0.78-0.85], cerebrovascular disease 0.88 [0.81-0.95], all malignant neoplasms 0.92 [0.88-0.95], and respiratory disease 0.79 [0.74-0.85]). They also had below average rates of death from tuberculosis (0.44 [0.26-0.71]) and suicide (0.77 [0.57-1.02]), though the latter relation was not statistically significant. Mortality from diseases of the liver was increased (chronic liver disease and cirrhosis 1.68 [1.28-2.17], primary carcinoma of the liver 2.42 [1.75-3.26]). There is little evidence that men who were POWs in the Far East have higher rates of death than the male population generally. The only exception is diseases of the liver, which may be due to infection with hepatitis B or C virus during captivity. Death-certification data cannot provide a complete picture of physical and mental health, but the period of severe malnutrition, frequent infections, exhaustion, and intense psychological stress seems not to have increased susceptibility to neurodegenerative disease.