Giving Voice to ‘Age at the Edge’ – A Challenge for Social Workers Intervening with Elder Abuse and Neglect

The purpose of this qualitative study was to learn about social workers’ experience of the therapeutic encounter with victims and perpetrators of elder abuse and neglect and its implications for their personal and professional lives. Participants were 17 experienced women social workers, who worked with abused and neglected older adults in Israel. Data were collected by in-depth semi-structured interviews, which were later transcribed and content analyzed. Four main themes were revealed: (1) The Complexity of the Experience of the Therapeutic Encounter; (2) Circles Echoing Between the Professional and the Personal; (3) Between Growth and Attrition; and (4) Experiencing the Mission and its Meaning. As time is running out for older adults, the “now or never” perspective shapes social workers’ encounter with elder abuse opening a unique kind of dialogue. Implications for practice and further research are discussed.     

The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict and Palestinian Socioeconomic Decline: A Place Denied

Palestinian society and economy are slowly being dismembered. The transformations in land, labor, demography, and society have been stunning. The current context has many dimensions but is defined primarily by Israel's continued occupation of Palestinian lands. That context is also defined by the deterioration of the Palestinian economy, a humanitarian crisis characterized in large part by levels of impoverishment and social decline that have no parallel during Israel's 36-year occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, and the destruction of ordinary life. Not since 1948, perhaps, have Palestinians faced such conditions of loss and dispossession. Left unaddressed (as they are by the current US road map), these conditions will not only preclude a peaceful resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but also seriously constrain Palestinian socioeconomic recovery and development.     

Sharing the costs of fighting justly

ABSTRACT

Combatants who attempt to obey the laws of war often have to take considerable risks in order to effectively discriminate between legitimate and illegitimate targets. Sometimes this task is made even more complicated by systemic factors which influence their ability to discriminate effectively without unduly risking their lives or the mission. If they fail to do so, civilians often pay the price. In this paper, I argue that to the extent that non-combatants benefit from the attempt to fight justly, and to the extent that wars in which combatants attempt to fight justly can be understood as a system of social cooperation which produces both burdens and benefits, non-combatants have a responsibility to shoulder their fair share of these burdens. Thus, if combatants (and by extension enemy non-combatants) are disproportionately burdened in a conflict, non-combatants ought to take on some costs, for instance in order to reduce the strain imposed on combatants by systemic factors such as the availability and distribution of resources.     

The legacy of lethargy: How elections to the European Parliament depress turnout

Why has turnout in European Parliament (EP) elections remained so low, despite attempts to expand the Parliament’s powers? One possible answer is that because little is at stake in these second-order elections only those with an established habit of voting, acquired in previous national elections, can be counted on to vote. Others argue that low turnout is an indication of apathy or even scepticism towards Europe. This article conducts a critical test of the “little at stake” hypothesis by focusing on a testable implication: that turnout at these elections will be particularly low on the part of voters not yet socialized into habitual voting. This proposition is examined using both time-series cross-section analyses and a regression discontinuity design. Our findings show that EP elections depress turnout as they inculcate habits of non-voting, with long-term implications for political participation in EU member states.     

EU update

This is the latest edition of Baker & McKenzie’s column on developments in EU law relating to IP, IT and telecommunications. This article summarises recent developments that are considered important for practitioners, students and academics in a wide range of information technology, e-commerce, telecommunications and intellectual property areas. It cannot be exhaustive but intends to address the important points. This is a hard copy reference guide, but links to outside web sites are included where possible. No responsibility is assumed for the accuracy of information contained in these links.     

False Positives Observed on the Seratec® PSA SemiQuant Cassette Test with Condom Lubricants

Abstract: In the course of the validation of a new component of the prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) SemiQuant Cassette Test marketed by Seratec^®, a false‐positive reaction was observed when testing samples collected from the surface of unused, lubricated condoms. A variety of personal lubricants and condoms were tested to determine the frequency of the false positive, as well as its potential source. Samples were extracted in both water and the manufacturer‐provided buffer, and the test was performed according to the manufacturer’s suggested protocol. The false positive was observed intermittently, but occurred consistently with samples containing nonoxynol‐9, a strong detergent utilized as a spermicide. The reaction may be attributable to the combination of latex and nonoxynol‐9. Because of the unreliability of the test to confirm the presence of PSA in samples collected from condoms, the PSA cassette is an unsuitable method for confirming the presence of seminal fluid in condoms.     

Applicability of Greulich and Pyle and Demirijan aging methods to a sample of Italian population

Age estimation in forensics is essential in cases involving both living and dead subjects. For living subjects, age estimation may be used to establish an individual's status as a minor in cases involving adoption, criminal responsibility, child pornography, and those seeking asylum. Criteria for age estimation in the living have recently been put forth by The Study Group on Forensic Age Diagnostics. The group has proposed guidelines with a three-step procedure: a physical examination and anthropometrical analysis; dental analysis by orthopantomogram (OPG); and X-ray study of the left hand and wrist. The board of FASE highlighted advantages and limits of each method, and suggested practical solutions concerning the age estimation process for adults and subadults. The aim of this study was to verify the applicability of the Greulich and Pyle, and Demirjian techniques on a sample group of Italians, whose ages were known, in determining the skeletal and dental age, in addition to evaluating the reliability of these techniques. 535 subjects between the ages of 7 and 15years were examined, each one undergoing both an orthopantomography (OPG) and radiography of the left wrist and hand. The data obtained underwent statistical analysis. The analyses have shown that a correlation exists between skeletal and dental age, and real age. Age estimation carried out using the Greulich and Pyle method has shown itself to be especially accurate on the Italian sample, particularly in the age ranges of 7-9years and 10.4-11.5years. The Greulich and Pyle method has shown itself to be reliable for the sample analyzed notwithstanding the ethnic differences between the original sample of reference and those analyzed in this study. Application of the Demirjian technique resulted in an overestimation of dental age. This difference is shown to be more highly significant in the higher age ranges. The combination of the Greulich and Pyle, and Demirjian methods have revealed a difference regarding real age, which turns out to be more modest in the younger age ranges and more significant in older subjects.