Social Assistance Sector Research Articles

Problem ponoszenia kosztów związanych ze starzeniem się społeczeństwa – analiza na przykładzie domów pomocy społecznej w gminie miejskiej Szczecin

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Selected aspects of securing the needs of dependent elderly persons by the social assistance sector from the perspective of law, society and economics, are presented in the article.The purpose of the article is to evaluate the sources of funding full-time long-term care services for the benefit of dependent elderly persons in Szczecin.Materials and methods: The analysis was based on statistical and financial data concerning the costs of maintenance in nursing homes in Szczecin provided for the benefit of dependent persons aged over 65.Results: Currently, the main costs of securing full-time care service needs fulfilled by social assistance institutions are borne by the city, which covers more than half of the expenses connected with care. One third of the cost is covered by the seniors themselves, while the involvement of families in payments does not exceed 5%.Conclusions: A reduction in the number of working age persons, increases in the number of elderly persons, an increasing demand for long-term care facilities, rising average annual costs of maintenance in nursing homes and the very low participation of families in those costs all result in the need to allocate greater amounts of funds in city budgets for providing care for dependent persons aged over 65.

Institucionalidades do sistema de proteção social em linhas de frontera: experiência metodológica e resultados obtidos

Este texto apresenta o processo metodológico e os principais resultados de uma avaliação realizada para o Instituto Social do MERCOSUL (ISM) sobre os sistemas de proteção social em seis pares de cidades-gêmeas situadas nas fronteiras dos países do Mercado Comum do Sul (MERCOSUL). Com este intuito foram resgatadas informações sobre os dispositivos jurídicos e político-administrativos do MERCOSUL e Estados Parte, serviços, ações programáticas e demandas locais abrangendo os setores saúde, previdência social, educação e assistência social, cujos indicadores impactam negativamente as áreas de fronteiras internacionais do MERCOSUL. Em termos metodológicos utilizou-se a abordagem construída pela Comissão Econômica para América Latina e o Caribe para avaliar a institucionalidade das políticas sociais, a qual assinala quatro dimensões que concretiam o nível de cidadania em espaços regionais, nacionais e locais – a jurídico-normativa, organizacional, técnico-operativa e fiscal. Os resultados apontam em relação à dimensão jurídico-administrativa a lentidão na concretização das normativas e de acordos bilaterais entre os Estados Parte. Sobre a dimensão orgânico-ministerial destaca-se a forma distinta de organização pública nacional na proteção social nos países do bloco. Na dimensão substantiva as controvérsias em relação aos critérios de acesso de nacionais e não nacionais aos serviços no campo da saúde e proteção social foram frequentes, o que sinaliza para a divergência entre os gestores quanto ao grau de universalidade a ser obtido. Conclui-se que a abordagem metodológica utilizada favoreceu a construção do diagnóstico proposto favorecendo a elaboração de um plano de ação para superar os desafios identificados.

Prevalence of Hearing Loss Among Noise-Exposed Workers Within the Health Care and Social Assistance Sector, 2003 to 2012: Erratum.

Prevalence of Hearing Loss Among Noise-Exposed Workers Within the Health Care and Social Assistance Sector, 2003 to 2012: Erratum.

Neoliberalism, Reduction of Social Rights, and Social Services in Brazil

This article analyzes the social and economic impacts of the implementation of Brazilian Federal Government policies as guided by neoliberal ideology. Through a bibliographical survey, the text analyzes how the implementation of neoliberal policies, especially after the coup d’etat in 2016 which removed President Dilma Rousseff from the Presidency of the Republic, has affected and is affecting the lives of workers in the education and social security sectors (health, care, and welfare). It also analyzes how Brazilian Social Work positions itself in training and professional work in the fight for human rights. The data presented shows that in the education, health, social assistance, and social security sectors, workers are suffering from multiple social impacts that hinder social reproduction: high unemployment rates, privatization of education and health, compromised retirements, degradation of labor legislation, and cuts in the expenditure on social service policies. Brazilian Social Work seeks to link together the process of social struggle that has returned to the defense of human rights, through the process of training and professional practice, supported by the Ethical-Political Project of Social Work.

Prevalence of Hearing Loss Among Noise-Exposed Workers Within the Health Care and Social Assistance Sector, 2003 to 2012: Erratum.

Prevalence of Hearing Loss Among Noise-Exposed Workers Within the Health Care and Social Assistance Sector, 2003 to 2012: Erratum.

Prevalence of Hearing Loss Among Noise-Exposed Workers Within the Health Care and Social Assistance Sector, 2003 to 2012.

The purpose was to estimate the prevalence of hearing loss for noise-exposed U.S. workers within the Health Care and Social Assistance (HSA) sector. Audiograms for 1.4 million workers (8702 within HSA) from 2003 to 2012 were examined. Prevalences and adjusted risks for hearing loss as compared with a reference industry were estimated for the HSA sector and all industries combined. While the overall HSA sector prevalence for hearing loss was 19%, the prevalences in the Medical Laboratories subsector and the Offices of All Other Miscellaneous Health Practitioners subsector were 31% and 24%, respectively. The Child Day Care Services subsector had a 52% higher risk than the reference industry. High-risk industries for hearing loss exist within the HSA sector. Further work is needed to identify the sources of noise exposure and protect worker hearing.

Food and nutritional security: situation analysis of decentralization in the national public policy

The aim of this study was to analyze the situation with the decentralization of the Brazilian National System of Food and Nutritional Security (SISAN), created in 2006 under the Brazilian National Food and Nutritional Security Act (LOSAN). Based on the criteria for joining SISAN, as set out in Decree 7,272 of August 25, 2010, the authors analyzed data from the basic information surveys of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, 2014 (Estadic e Munic/2014). The results show that decentralization of SISAN is still incipient at the municipal level, although all the states of Brazil have already joined the system. The social assistance sector has played an outstanding role in coordinating SISAN at the state and municipal levels, while in the latter the health sector has also played a relevant role. The analysis of food and nutritional security activities conducted to date, based on the sources of federal, state, and municipal funds, further shows that the federal sphere has still not played a strong inductive role capable of leading the expansion of SISAN. More effective funding mechanisms and the assignment of responsibilities to the states and municipalities are relevant factors for consolidating the system's state-level base and expanding the municipal base in the search for an identity and capillarity for SISAN.

Solving the problem of smoking in the Polish enterprises during 2003-2015.

Tobacco smoking is a major organizational, economical, and public relations-related (PR-related) problem for the company. Moreover, it is an important health determinant of the working population. The paper reports the results of the research which analyzed the current state and the tobacco control activities' transformations undertaken by Polish employers between 2003 and 2015. Data comes from the research performed in 2006, 2010 and 2015, involving random- selected representative samples of Polish enterprises, employing no fewer than 50 employees. The sampling pattern covered location and classification of activities (excluding public administration, national defense, social security, education, health care and social assistance sectors). Consecutive interviews were conducted with representatives of 611, 1002 and 1000 companies, respectively. The companies improved their compliance with the national regulations on smoking in the workplace. The strategy for limiting smoking in public places resulted in a steady increase in the number of companies (11%, 23%, 38%, respectively) that introduced smoking ban. Approximately in every second company, smoking was allowed only in the smoking room or outdoors. Voluntary activities (e.g., education and support for employees wishing to cease smoking) were very rarely undertaken by medium and large companies (several percent) and since 2010, when the law had become more restrictive, such tendency reinforced. Employers also were seldom interested in the prevalence of tobacco smoking among their personnel, its consequences for the company's functioning and the effectiveness of the implemented tobacco control measures. National anti-smoking policy caused that companies were more focused on smoking-bans at the expense of education and support for those who wanted to cease smoking. Although this contributes to reducing secondary smoking in the workplace, the companies' potential to become a major agent for tobacco control policies is neglected while the downward trend of smoking in the Polish society has slowed down. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2018;31(3):261-280.

Accessibility evaluations for nighttime walking and bicycling for low-income shift workers

This paper addresses an important issue related to nighttime commuting of low-income shift workers who walk and/or bike to their workplace using public transit. A shift worker is anyone who follows a work schedule that is outside of the typical daytime working hours of a business day and commute after dark - by walking or bicycling to a transit stop. However, poor visibility conditions on sidewalks and bicycle lanes often thwart safety of their walking and bicycling activities. Therefore, this paper develops two simple scores - nighttime accessibility score for walking (NASW) and nighttime accessibility for bicycling (NASB) - for evaluating nighttime infrastructure for pedestrians and bicyclist. The scores consider the employment data, travel time and the physical distribution of streetlight poles along the sidewalks and bicycle lanes. Data from the city of El Paso in Texas is used to demonstrate the applicability of the two scores. Employment data from three prominent service industry sectors known to employ low-income shift workers – i) Retail Trade, ii) Accommodation and Food Services, and iii) Health Care and Social Assistance – are used for demonstration purposes. It is observed that amongst the three sectors analyzed, both NASW and NASB values are higher for regions in El Paso with low-income employment concentrations from the Health Care and Social Assistance sector. It is also observed that some prominent regions in north-east, south-east and west of El Paso need improvements in streetlight systems, sidewalks and bicycle network to facilitate walking and bicycling amongst low-income shift workers employed in Retail Trade, and Accommodation and Food Services industry sectors to access transit stops at night.

Terzo settore e cure palliative

This chapter aims to highlight the role that third sector organizations (foundations, associations of patients’ relatives, users associations, voluntary organizations, social cooperatives and other) play in the context of the Italian network of palliative care. It starts with an analysis of the profound demographic and social changes, which have modified substantially the structure and composition of the population in advanced Western countries. Secondly, data on third sector organizations working in health and social assistance sector, arising from II^ Census on Nonprofit Institutions by Istat, are presented and interpreted. Thirdly, it detects and illustrates the major networks (second level organizations) grouping third sector organizations active in the field of palliative care in Italy. Finally, the paper analyzes the consistency of third sector organizations in both domiciliary and residential palliative care services delivering in Italy. The chapter ends with the recognition of the crucial (key) role played by third sector organizations in the palliative care system in Italy.

Cigarette Smoking Prevalence Among Adults Working in the Health Care and Social Assistance Sector, 2008 to 2012.

The primary objective of this study was to estimate current smoking among workers in the health care and social assistance sector. We analyzed the 2008 to 2012 National Health Interview Survey data for adults (age 18 years or more) working in health care and social assistance sector who reported current cigarette smoking. Of the approximately 18.9 million health care and social assistance workers, 16.0% were current cigarette smokers. Smoking prevalence was highest in women (16.9%) and among workers: age 25 to 44 years (17.7%); with a high school education or less (24.4%); with income less than $35,000 (19.5%); with no health insurance (28.5%); in the nursing and residential care facilities (26.9%) industry; and in the material recording, scheduling, dispatching, and distributing (34.7%) occupations. These findings suggest that specific group of workers in the health care and social assistance sector might particularly benefit from cessation programs and incentives to quit smoking.

Curto-circuito, falta de linha ou na linha? Redes de enfrentamento à violência contra mulheres em São Paulo

Este artigo examina as abordagens das/os agentes do Estado sobre violência doméstica e os fatores que condicionam a aplicação da Lei Maria da Penha no que se refere às diretivas para a constituição e expansão de serviços criminais e não criminais a serem integrados em uma "Rede de Enfrentamento à Violência contra Mulheres". Com base em uma pesquisa de campo realizada na cidade de São Paulo entre 2012 e 2014, o artigo mostra que, além das delegacias da mulher criadas nos anos 1980 e 1990, surgiram, na última década, novos serviços não criminais nas periferias da cidade, contribuindo para a expansão da Rede. No entanto, há várias redes, não apenas uma, as quais ora se cruzam e se alinham numa mesma abordagem sobre violência, ora se acham em conflito, ora funcionam em paralelo. As/os agentes do Estado abraçam diversas abordagens sobre violência doméstica contra mulheres, que variam entre uma perspectiva familista e perspectivas de gênero, feminista e interseccional de gênero, raça e classe social. Esta diversidade ilustra a heterogeneidade da cultura jurídico-política do Estado em relação aos direitos das mulheres, um Estado que caracterizo como "bipolar", regulado, por um lado, pelo regime de gênero/mulher nas políticas para mulheres, e, por outro lado, pelo regime de família na assistência social e na segurança pública. Além do contexto político, três fatores contribuem para a heterogeneidade do Estado: o vínculo institucional dos serviços; o tipo de formação das/os agentes do Estado; a história dos serviços e suas relações com a comunidade local e com os movimentos sociais.

Intersectoriality, social and environmental determinants and health promotion

The study seeks to analyze intersectoriality from the socio-environmental perspective on health promotion. Qualitative research was conducted in six municipalities in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The data were obtained from the mapping of health promotion experiences considered successful by municipal managers, interviews with coordinators, professionals and participants and observations of participants of the practices. The data were subjected to thematic content analysis. Intersectoriality was revealed as a premise for the political definition of the majority of the practices. At the normative program level, the social assistance sector has shown greater potential to develop intersectorial practices and centrality in the implementation grid due to its involvement with the social and environmental determinants. The results indicate that there is a gap between the intention to practice intersectoriality, witnessed by the political decisions in the municipalities, and effective intersectorial action in everyday life. The conclusion reached is that there is potential for intersectorial interventions on the social and environmental determinants in favor of health promotion, but the lack of consistency between what occurs in practice and the political aspects reveal a challenge to be overcome.

Resident Aggression toward Staff at a Center for the Developmentally Disabled

Few studies have examined factors contributing to nonfatal assaults to staff working in residential care facilities. The authors evaluated resident assaults toward direct care/nursing staff at an intermediate Care Facility for Individuals with Mental Retardation (ICF/MR), which included observations of work areas, employee interviews, calculation of injury and assault rates for 2004 to 2007 from Occupational Safety and Health Administration Logs, and review of state ICP/MR guidelines. Most staff interviewed reported having been injured during physical restraint of a resident and the average rate of injury from assault at the center evaluated was higher than the average national rates for the health care and social assistance sector for the same time period. The center lacked policies and developing a post-incident response and evaluation program to assist staff in coping with the consequences of assault and/or occupational injury.

A Comparison of Person-Reported Industry to Employer-Reported Industry in Survey and Administrative Data

The Census Bureau collects industry information through surveys and administrative data and creates associated public-use statistics. In this paper, we compare person-reported industry in the American Community Survey (ACS) to employer-reported industry from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) that is part of the Census Bureau’s Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) program. This research provides necessary information on the use of administrative data as a supplement to survey data industry information, and the findings will be useful for anyone using industry information from either source. Our project is part of a larger effort to compare information on jobs from household survey data to employer-reported information. This research is the first to compare ACS job data to firm-based administrative data. We find an overall industry sector match rate of 75 percent, and a 61 percent match rate at the 4-digit Census Industry Code (CIC) level. Industry match rates vary by sector and by whether industry sector is classified using ACS or LEHD industry information. The educational services and health care and social assistance sectors have among the highest match rates. The management of companies and enterprises sector has the lowest match rate, using either ACS-reported or LEHD-reported sector. For individuals with imputed industry data, the industry sector match rate is only 14 percent. Our findings suggest that the industry distribution and the sample in a particular industry sector will differ depending on whether ACS or LEHD data are used.

Evaluating progress in reducing workplace violence: Trends in Washington State workers' compensation claims rates, 1997–2007

This study reports trends in the pattern of injuries related to workplace violence over the period 1997-2007. It tracks occupations and industries at elevated risk of workplace violence with a special focus on the persistently high claims rates among healthcare and social assistance workers. Industry and occupational incidence rates were calculated using workers' compensation and employment security data from Washington State. Violence-related claims rates among certain Healthcare and Social Assistance industries remained particularly high. Incidents where workers were injured by clients or patients predominated. By contrast, claims rates in retail trade have fallen substantially. Progress to reduce violence has been made in most of the highest hazard industries within the Healthcare and Social Assistance sector with the notable exception of psychiatric hospitals and facilities caring for the developmentally disabled. State legislation requiring healthcare workplaces to address hazards for workplace violence has had mixed results. Insufficient staffing, inadequate violence prevention training and sporadic management attention are seen as the key barriers to violence prevention in healthcare/social assistance workplaces.

Brief Report: Long-term Care for the Aged in Poland

This report examines the impact of a 2004 law in Poland intended to substitute medically-oriented, central government-funded institutional long-term care with social care-oriented welfare homes, market alternatives and increased informal and community-based alternatives. Data were extracted from recently published reports, government statistics and a survey of 69 social care homes in Poland. The results indicate the continued dominance of hospital-based long-term care, the lack of shift to social care provision, the anemic growth of privatization and the dearth of informal and community-based care. The 2004 law was insufficient in shifting the burden of long-term care from the national health insurance fund to local municipalities, the social assistance sector and consumers.

Healthcare and Social Assistance Sector

Healthcare and Social Assistance Sector

Projections overview and highlights, 2021–31

Employment and real output are projected to grow during the 2021–31 decade, reflecting both cyclical recovery from the 2020 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic-induced recession, and structural growth. About one-fourth of the population will be age 65 or older in 2031, contributing to slow projected growth in the labor force and a continued decline in the labor force participation rate. The aging population is also expected to continue to drive strong demand for a variety of healthcare services, with 2.6 million jobs projected to be added in the healthcare and social assistance sector through 2031.