Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 121-127) Also available in print.

This thesis examines the historical development and the present state of health services in the Greater Vancouver area. With particular reference to its advocacy of universal and comprehensive medical care coverage, the Hall Report is used as a framework from which these services are evaluated. Recommendations of the Report and implications of these for the future development of health services are considered. Basic concern about health needs has historically been an integral part of social work and social welfare. Although health and welfare have developed into separate areas of concern their common focus continues to be the provision of services adequate to meet existing need. This focus is the rationale upon which the thesis is based. Included in this study are public health services, hospitals, and non-profit medical care coverage plans. These are the major public institutions through which community health services are provided. Information was obtained through interviews with relevant personnel, and from a review of pertinent literature and legislation. On the basis of this information, the nature, extent, and organization of these services are described. The institutions are examined, both as to their individual programmes, and their part in the total network of health care. The findings and recommendations of the Hall Report are taken into consideration in assessing the present organization and provision of health services. It is concluded that although the organization and provision of health services, on an individual basis, appears adequate, optimum functioning could be achieved by a policy of over-all planning and coordination. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

Adopted children with special needs can experience a multitude of developmental, emotional, and behavioral issues as a result of pre-adoption maltreatment. On rare occasions, maltreated children can display behaviors severe enough to fit the criteria of reactive attachment disorder (RAD). Children with RAD are known to engage in self-destructive behavior, talk of killing others or themselves, verbal and physical aggression toward peers and adults, and a lack of discernment between parental figures and strangers. Given the uniqueness of these behaviors, the rarity of the disorder, and the lack of research in this area, further exploration is warranted. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the effects an adopted child with reactive attachment disorder (RAD) has on family functioning. Due to their being little research on RAD in the context of families, an exploratory approach was determined to be the best fit for this study. Kathy Charmaz's constructivist grounded theory guided this qualitative inquiry. Her approach, coupled with the use of semi-structured interviews, allowed for rich, descriptive information to be obtained, while allowing the researcher to include aspects of his experience in working with children with RAD. The relevant data collected included five families from the Midwest, and consisted of a total of 28 participants, with 14 adults and 14 children. The adopted children's mental health assessments, individual education plans, and the researcher's field notes were also included. Data analysis consisted of the constant comparative method. RAD behaviors were found to manifest themselves on a developmental continuum, with two dominant forms of thinking and behaviors identified. These behaviors are characterized as control-based, and are often perpetuated by high levels of anxiety. When this anxiety becomes unmanageable for the child, it is released in the form of rages toward those caregivers who are deemed as safe and for whom the child as the strongest relational bond. Traditional child therapies and behavior modification techniques were found to do little to change the course of these behaviors. Since children with RAD had no physical sign of a disorder, this commonly led the public to perceive their behaviors as being the result of parental incompetency. Parents who continually experienced public criticism found themselves purposefully withdrawing from society. This withdrawal was related to an increased sense of isolation, which was related to increased levels of stress, somatic complaints, and marital discord. Possible neurobiological factors involved in the development of RAD are discussed, along with practice and policy implications for families who adopt children with RAD.

Research studies have pointed to specific challenges for undocumented Latino immigrants including exploitation in the workplace (Stoddard, 1976), denial of health care (Angel, Frias & Hill, 2005; Passel, 2005) and lack of access to higher education (Seif, 2004). In addition, fear is never far from their consciousness. Fear of being identified as illegal and faced with possible arrest and deportation are realities for undocumented Latino immigrants. Both work and home are unsafe, particularly because of immigration raids by federal agents. In addition they are stigmatized by mainstream society (Padilla & Perez, 2003). Even the word "undocumented" has been used interchangeably with words like "illegal" and "alien" suggesting criminal behavior. These hardships make it difficult for these immigrants to become part of mainstream society and create barriers to opportunities. All of these factors should logically discourage Latin Americans from immigrating to the United States. However, both the documented and undocumented Latino populations in the United States continue to increase. Although the situation of new Latino immigrants, especially those who are undocumented, seems extremely difficult, there is something unexplained occurring that has not been accounted for in current research that allows them to survive these hardships. In addition, there is a gap in information about the immigration process gathered from immigrants themselves. Therefore, this study uses a qualitative descriptive approach to learn from undocumented immigrants about their experiences when they first came to the United States and how they negotiate their situation while living in the United States. The major findings of this study offer an inside look into the world of undocumented Latino immigrants. The obstacles these immigrants face were language barriers, limited education and unfair wages at work. On the other hand, they also identify facilitators that were helpful during their initial transition into the U.S such as getting help in finding a job, knowing someone in the United States before immigrating, being connected to support networks, and receiving support from others who shared their struggles. However, these findings do not reflect the whole story. Even though most of these Latino immigrants underwent stress and adversity as new undocumented immigrants, the study shows how they transformed their suffering using their personal strengths and drawing on support from a close-knit community. At the same time they maintained their cultural identity both in their immigrant community and within the larger community where they resided. An additional factor which contributed to their survival was that this particular community is unique in preserving the different cultures of ethnic groups rather than fusing them into a "melting pot." Recommendations for practice include using a strengths perspective with clients and community; recommendations for teaching include using interdisciplinary educational strategies and involving students in experiential learning experiences with immigrants. Additional recommendation for policy and research are made.

Bibliography: pages 178-181. / In this study the writer assumed that the psycho-social characteristics of physically disabled patients would influence the role and task of the medical social worker at the Rehabilitation Clinic. Therefore an attempt was made to determine the psycho-social characteristics of patients referred to the Rehabilitation Clinic. Furthermore an attempt was made to determine the role and task of the medical social worker in relation to these psycho-social characteristics. The research method was a descriptive one, using archival data; the latter being social work records of interviews with patients. Prior to the research a literature study was done on various aspects of physical disability and vocational rehabilitation. A sample group of 45 subjects was compiled by a random sampling technique. Two structured schedules were used to extract data from both the social work file and the Rehabilitation Clinic patient file. The research and processing of the information was done manually. The findings revealed the following 1. The majority of the physically disabled patients were Coloured males in the age category of 31-50 years. 2. These patients had poor educational qualifications and were previously unskilled or semi-skilled labourers. 3. The patients were unemployed and had no income. 4. These patients had a passive lifestyle with no hobbies or little religious involvement. They also habitually abused liquor and/or cannabis. 5. The housing conditions of these patients were inadequate and primitive. 6. The various roles of the medical social worker included those of rehabilitation counsellor, team member, co-ordinator/resource manager and teacher, whereas the tasks included assessment, dissemination of information, referrals, co-ordinating of services and education. The final conclusion in this study was that the role and task of medical social worker was influenced by both the psycho-social characteristics of referred patients as well as the expectations of the rehabilitation team of the Rehabilitation Clinic.

No description available.

No description available.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1987.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Sciences

The health care industry is currently experiencing many changes. Managed care is altering the way health care is delivered through advances in technology and new approaches in financing. As part of this transition, importance will be placed on patients becoming better consumers and participants in determining their health care service needs. The focus of this study is on the non-compliant patient and the many factors that revolve around this topic.