The status of work functioning of persons with schizophrenia decreased over the course of the illness. The risk factors for poor work functioning and specific socio-cultural environment should be considered in planning community mental health services and rehabilitation for these patients.
This article reflects on the meaning of aging in China by reviewing issues of population change centering on the baby boomer generation. Family structure, living arrangements, and long-term care needs of the aged as well as societal responses are re-visited under the general public policy framework of an "economic state in transition." The development of income support, health care, and personal social services for the elderly is examined by reviewing the 2006 government White Paper and the research literature. Employment, education, and lifestyle issues are further investigated under the United Nations policy framework on active aging. Policy, practical, and theoretical issues in achieving the country's articulated goals are discussed. Adequate preparation for aging is emphasized by considering the roles of individuals, families, practitioners, and policy makers.
This paper attempts to build a cultural competency framework by reviewing the literature and laying a conceptual foundation for professional standards in clinical social work. It also explores the implications of cultural competency by relating some important factors to clinical decisions, alliance, and outcome in the mental health field. The pathways and directions of the relationships as well as the potential factors affecting cross-cultural clinical alliance are illuminated in a general model to guide hypothesis formulation in further research. Empirical data are presented on clinical social work practice with Asian American clients in light of a key factor in shaping cultural competency, i.e., clinicians' personal achieving styles. The findings suggest that such styles are culturally bound.
Grounded in a literature review, current living arrangements and housing conditions of the elderly in China are investigated with new empirical evidence. Survey data of September 2009 included a total of 692 Chinese households with a focus on elderly members. Major findings are: (1) living arrangements of the Chinese elderly were diverse, but the majority were living independently, or in "empty nests," with 67.8% of the respondents not living with their adult children; (2) housing and community facilities for the elderly were inadequate (especially those serving the disabled); (3) no significant group difference was found in the utilization of public facilities by the elderly; (4) the workplace (Danwei) was no longer a dominant source of housing assistance; and (5) housing conditions and property rights as part of the social stratification in China reflected different occupational statuses before retirement.As the world's most populous country, China had an elderly population (age 60 and above) of 169 million in 2009, with an annual increase rate of nearly 10 million. 1 The nation faces three major problems with regard to aging. First, half of its older people do not have social security to meet their basic needs including medical care.
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