The purpose of this study is to examine whether A Matter of Balance, a cognitive-behavioral program previously found to be efficacious in a randomized clinical trial (RCT), could be translated into a community-based volunteer lay leader model and achieve outcomes comparable to those found in the RCT. A repeated measures, single-group design is employed. Participants experience significant increases in falls efficacy, falls management, and falls control at 6 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months, thus achieving comparable outcomes with those of participants in the RCT. This successful translation of a professionally led health promotion program into a volunteer lay leader model enables embedding the program in communitybased organizations, thus making it more broadly available to older adults in diverse settings. The findings also suggest that other evidence-based programs currently requiring professional staff can be adapted for facilitation by volunteers.

This article addresses health behavior change program fidelity using the five components of fidelity from the National Institute of Aging's Behavior Change Consortia: fidelity in design, training, delivery, receipt, and enactment . Fidelity is a key issue in successful translational research projects into community settings. The authors examine four programs sponsored by the Administration on Aging that target health behavior change in physical activity (EnhanceFitness), chronic disease self-management (Partners on the PATH [Personal Action Toward Health]), fear of falling and falls prevention (Matter of Balance), and depression management (Healthy IDEAS). This article (a) describes the tools and strategies used by these projects to track and enhance fidelity to the core elements of the original intervention studies, (b) compares and contrasts each project's mechanisms of fidelity, (c) provides examples of fidelity outcomes, and (d) discusses themes and lessons learned that may be useful to others in developing the "next generation" of program translation.

This study evaluated the Memory Bridge Initiative (MBI), an educational, experiential program pairing high school students with older adults who have dementia. A qualitative, single group design with baseline and follow-up measures examined whether or not students would have a positive learning experience while gaining newfound appreciation and understanding of older adults with dementia. Findings showed that students' perceptions of older adults and of Alzheimer's disease became more optimistic and hopeful after participation in MBI. Students also favorably described their learning experience and recommended improvements for future programs. This evaluation informs future service-learning and dementia-care programs with results supporting wider dissemination of the Memory Bridge Initiative.As technologies advance and global interconnections expand, employers expect young people to enter the work force not only with strong computer skills but also as able communicators possessing solid interpersonal skills and awareness of diversity. Beland (2007) cites a 2006 survey of more than 400 professionals employed in human resources among whom ''professionalism=work ethic, teamwork=collaboration, oral communication, ethics=social responsibility, and reading comprehension'' (p. 697) were deemed the most important skills for a successful worker to possess in the 21st

1997) Feasibility study of surfactant use for remediation of organic and metal contaminated soils, Journal of Soil Contamination, 6:5, 537-556To link to this article: http://dx.In this Investigation, four surfactants were examined in a laboratory study that included testing for naphthalene solubilization capacity, suríactant sorption to soil, and treatability for a sandy soil artificially contaminated with lead and naphthalene. Of interest was an examination of surfactant performance characteristics under the acidic conditions that may be required for metal removal. Although pH is recognized as a critical factor in metal sorption to soils, it did not significantly impact the solubilization ability of any of the surfactants for naphthalene. The sorption of nonionic surfactants to the soil was not affected by pH, while sorption of anionic surfactants increased as the pH decreased. Although nonionic surfactants showed better solubility enhancement for naphthalene than anionic surfactants, the latter may enhance lead desorption from the soil, presumably due to interactions between the anionic head groups of the surfactant and the Pb 2+ ion. A mass balance model was used to interpret experimental data for naphthalene solubilization. The results of the study suggest that remediation of metal-organic contaminated soils by an acidic solution (for metal removal) containing surfactants (for organic removal) may be feasible.

This qualitative study examines social workers' ethical tension as they evaluate decisional capacity of elderly individuals experiencing some degree of cognitive impairment. An interview guide of open-ended questions was used with a convenience sample of 17 home health care social workers. Constant comparative analysis was used to examine factors contributing to ethical tension. Three areas emerged as highly relevant to participants ethical decisions: (1) clinical uncertainty, (2) pressure from other professionals, and (3) a combination of pressure from other professionals and clinical uncertainty. Clinical uncertainty was influenced by partial cognitive impairment, mental health problems, the interplay of health and mental health, and unclear etiology of poor decisional capacity. Pressure from other professionals typically involved issues of compliance and medical safety. Ethical tension was particularly strong when participants experienced both pressure from other professionals and clinical uncertainty.

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Community context has been viewed for more than two decades as the central organizing frame for rural social work practice. Ethical decision-making is complicated by multiple relationships with colleagues, caregiving family members, and elders that are common in rural areas. In order to address these complex situations, a model for multilevel contextual ethical analysis is proposed. The assumption that moral deliberations are based in social relationships is the foundation for contextual ethical analysis. An expanded unit of analysis that includes considering the influence of multiple persons and institutions at multiple levels is an integral part of contextual ethical analysis that supports social workers' efforts to equalize power. Engagement in consciousness raising concerning ethical dimensions of the links between private troubles and public policies is essential. Ethically responsible practice thus includes identifying the ethical foundation for collective political action that promotes social and economic justice by expanding available options when readily available solutions are unjust.

Practitioners' decisions concerning levels of directiveness, reflecting their efforts to persuade clients, parallel their decisions about autonomy and beneficence. This qualitative study explores the levels of directiveness employed by social workers with the goal of expanding our understanding of the factors related to these practice decisions. An interview guide was used with a convenience sample of seventeen home health care social workers. Through the use of constant comparative analysis, six levels of directiveness and five related factors were found. This study calls our attention to the ethical dimensions of practice decisions and raises questions about the possible influence of practice context on practitioners' use of levels of directiveness.