There is an increasing attention for youth social work professionals to collaborate with volunteers, parents, and other professionals. Collaboration can contribute to positive outcomes for youth. The present study contributes to understanding differences in the extent to which youth social work professionals collaborate with volunteers, parents, and other professionals. The survey was conducted with Dutch professionals working in youth care (n = 112), education (n = 67), and youth work (n = 89). Index for Interdisciplinary Collaboration was used to assess interdependence in and reflection on the collaboration process. Significant differences were found in the extent to which professionals working in different fields experience interdependence and reflection on the collaboration process with different partners. Future researchers should be aware that the degree to which professionals collaborate with others might depend on the context, work field, and the collaboration partner. Youth social work professionals and local governments can use this study to identify strong and weak collaborative partnerships in order to better organize collaboration between different partners with the final aim of improving support of young people.
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BackgroundHome-visiting programs often aim to improve parenting skills, parent-child relationships, and children’s developmental outcomes for at-risk families. Although research has identified what elements of these interventions are effective when provided by professionals, little is known about effective components of volunteer-based home-visiting programs.ObjectiveThis study focused on Home-Start, a preventive home-visiting program, delivering informal social support through volunteers to families with children up to 17 years old struggling with common parenting issues. The aim was to develop a detailed understanding of the core components of the Home-Start and thereby develop a better understanding of the unique elements of volunteer-based home-visiting programs.MethodsWe interviewed 10 parents and 11 volunteers and used thematic analysis.ResultsWe found evidence for the relevance of the four principles identified by Home-Start the Netherlands. These are: Needs-oriented care, Focusing on empowerment, Equality and trust, and the Gift of time. We also describe a fifth theme, namely Professional support for the volunteer. The findings suggest overlap with effective components for professional-based support, but also highlight unique elements of volunteer-based home-visiting programs, which are rooted in the shared parenting experiences of volunteers and parents.ConclusionsThis paper provides new insights into the unique value of volunteer-based support for families.
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"In recent years, the former Dutch welfare state has been transformed into a participation society [1]. As support from the government decreases, citizens are increasingly expected to be self-managing. Since not everyone is able to be self-managing, there is an increasing demand for help offered by volunteers. Although the number of volunteers in the Netherlands is relatively stable, the amount of time per volunteer has decreased over the past couple of years [2]. Most volunteers traditionally come from the wealthier, more educated segment of society and are likely to be female, married with children, 50+, and active in religion [3, 4]. In order to meet the increasing demand for volunteers, either the amount of time spent per volunteer should be increased, or new groups of volunteers should be attracted. The Dutch foundation “Possible Today” started an initiative aimed at motivating (potential) volunteers: Social Credits for Volunteers. This is digital platform, based on block chain technology, connects volunteers with projects. The platform uses a digital currency -Social Credits- to appreciate and reward the efforts of volunteers. The currency can be exchanged for discounts or other value, offered by organizations and stores that feel involved with the community. An important feature of this system is the opportunity for volunteers to draft a social curriculum vitae. The aim of this study is to generate recommendations for Possible Foundation about how the Social Credits Platform should be designed and deployed in order to persuade (potential) volunteers to spend (more) hours on volunteering. Therefore, the following research question is answered: ‘What motives, desires and barriers traditional and less traditional volunteers have in regard to appreciation and reward for volunteering?’"
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Study goal: This study was carried out to answer the following research question: which motivation do healthy volunteers have to participate in phase I clinical trials? - Methods: A literature search was done through Google Scholar and Academic Search Premier, followed by three interviews with volunteers who had recently concluded their participation in a (non-commercial) phase I trial. - Results: Our literature search revealed mainly commercial motives for volunteers to participate in phase I clinical trials. The interviews (with volunteers in a non-commercial trial) showed that other factors may also play a decisive role, such as: (1) wish to support the investigator (2) wish to contribute to science, (3) access to more/better health care (4) sociability: possibility to relax and to communicate with other participants (5) general curiosity. Precondition is that risks and burden are deemed acceptable. - Conclusions: financial remuneration appears to be the predominant motive to participate voluntarily in a clinical trial. Other reasons were also mentioned however, such as general curiosity, the drive to contribute to science and the willingness to help the investigator. In addition, social reasons were given such as possibility to relax and to meet other people. Potential subjects state that they adequately assess the (safety) risks of participating in a trial as part of their decision process.
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BACKGROUND: Prednisolone and other glucocorticoids (GCs) are potent anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs. However, prolonged use at a medium or high dose is hampered by side effects of which the metabolic side effects are most evident. Relatively little is known about their effect on gene-expression in vivo, the effect on cell subpopulations and the relation to the efficacy and side effects of GCs.AIM: To identify and compare prednisolone-induced gene signatures in CD4⁺ T lymphocytes and CD14⁺ monocytes derived from healthy volunteers and to link these signatures to underlying biological pathways involved in metabolic adverse effects.MATERIALS & METHODS: Whole-genome expression profiling was performed on CD4⁺ T lymphocytes and CD14⁺ monocytes derived from healthy volunteers treated with prednisolone. Text-mining analyses was used to link genes to pathways involved in metabolic adverse events.RESULTS: Induction of gene-expression was much stronger in CD4⁺ T lymphocytes than in CD14⁺ monocytes with respect to fold changes, but the number of truly cell-specific genes where a strong prednisolone effect in one cell type was accompanied by a total lack of prednisolone effect in the other cell type, was relatively low. Subsequently, a large set of genes was identified with a strong link to metabolic processes, for some of which the association with GCs is novel.CONCLUSION: The identified gene signatures provide new starting points for further study into GC-induced transcriptional regulation in vivo and the mechanisms underlying GC-mediated metabolic side effects.
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Full text beschikbaar met HU-account. The aim of this study was to investigate, using a mixed-methods design, the added value of a trained Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP) volunteer to the quality of hospital care in the Netherlands. The trained volunteers daily stimulate older patients, at risk of a delirium, to eat, to drink, and to exercise, and they provide walking assistance and cognitive stimulation. This study showed that each group appreciated the extra attention and service from the volunteers. The positive effect on feelings of loneliness during the hospital stay was an unexpected outcome. The volunteers themselves appreciated their work. In conclusion, a HELP volunteer should be provided to every older hospital patient
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Schuldhulpverlening: Knelpunten en dilemma’s van coördinatoren die vrijwilligers aansturenDe afgelopen jaren is het aantal huishoudens in Nederland met schulden toegenomen. Ook de hoogte van de gemiddelde schuld nam toe. Gemeenten hebben te maken met een groeiende schuldenproblematiek in omvang, maar ook in complexiteit. Sinds 2012 zijn gemeenten verantwoordelijk voor de regievoering op schuldhulpverlening. Ook op het gebied van zorg en welzijn zijn de afgelopen jaren veranderingen opgetreden in gemeentelijk beleid. Met de komst van de Wet maatschappelijke ondersteuning (Wmo) in 2007 zijn gemeenten verantwoordelijk voor een integraal aanbod aan ondersteuning en zorg, waarbij de nadruk ligt op participatie en eigen verantwoordelijkheid. In de zorg, welzijn en schuldhulpverlening wordt meer ingezet op het betrekken van vrijwilligers. Van lokale organisaties die vrijwilligers inzetten en van de coördinatoren die deze vrijwilligers aansturen en begeleiden, wordt meer gevraagd op het gebied van werving en inzet van vrijwilligers op verschillende terreinen en voor verschillende doelgroepen.Thuisadministratieprojecten bieden ondersteuning door vrijwilligers aan mensen met administratieve en/of financiële problemen, met als doel toe te werken naar financiële zelfredzaamheid en/of het voorkomen van (grotere) financiële problemen. In dit artikel staat de onderzoeksvraag centraal: “Welke knelpunten en dilemma’s ervaren coördinatoren van Thuisadministratieprojecten, en in hoeverre komen die voort uit het huidige gemeentelijke beleid op het terrein van zorg, welzijn en integrale schuldhulpverlening?” Doel van het onderzoek was door inzicht te verkrijgen in problemen die coördinatoren ervaren en het leggen van de relatie met gemeentelijk beleid, aanbevelingen te kunnen doen om de dienstverlening, afstemming en samenwerking tussen gemeenten, beroepskrachten en vrijwilligers van lokale organisaties te verbeteren. De belangrijkste conclusie is dat coördinatoren naar afbakening van de grenzen van de ondersteuning zoeken: wat kan wel en niet worden gedaan door vrijwilligers en voor welke cliëntgroepen. In samenwerking en afstemming met de gemeente en beroepskrachten van andere organisaties moeten coördinatoren hierover afspraken maken.
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The Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP) has been shown to be highly efficient and (cost-)effective in reducing delirium incidence in the USA. HELP provides multicomponent protocols targeted at specific risk factors for delirium and introduces a different view on care organization, with trained volunteers playing a pivotal role. The primary aim of this study is the quantification of the (cost-)effectiveness of HELP in the Dutch health care system. The second aim is to investigate the experiences of patients, families, professionals and trained volunteers participating in HELP.
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Introduction: Strenuous physical stress induces a range of physiological responses, the extent depending, among others, on the nature and severity of the exercise, a person’s training level and overall physical resilience. This principle can also be used in an experimental set-up by measuring time-dependent changes in biomarkers for physiological processes. In a previous report, we described the effects of workload delivered on a bicycle ergometer on intestinal functionality. As a follow-up, we here describe an analysis of the kinetics of various other biomarkers. Aim: To analyse the time-dependent changes of 34 markers for different metabolic and immunological processes, comparing four different exercise protocols and a rest protocol. Methods: After determining individual maximum workloads, 15 healthy male participants (20–35 years) started with a rest protocol and subsequently performed (in a cross-over design with 1-week wash-out) four exercise protocols of 1-h duration at different intensities: 70% Wmax in a hydrated and a mildly dehydrated state, 50% Wmax and intermittent 85/55% Wmax in blocks of 2 min. Perceived exertion was monitored using the Borg’ Rating of Perceived Exertion scale. Blood samples were collected both before and during exercise, and at various timepoints up to 24 h afterward. Data was analyzed using a multilevel mixed linear model with multiple test correction. Results: Kinetic changes of various biomarkers were exercise-intensity-dependent. Biomarkers included parameters indicative of metabolic activity (e.g., creatinine, bicarbonate), immunological and hematological functionality (e.g., leukocytes, hemoglobin) and intestinal physiology (citrulline, intestinal fatty acid-binding protein, and zonulin). In general, responses to high intensity exercise of 70% Wmax and intermittent exercise i.e., 55/85% Wmax were more pronounced compared to exercise at 50% Wmax. Conclusion: High (70 and 55/85% Wmax) and moderate (50% Wmax) intensity exercise in a bicycle ergometer test produce different time-dependent changes in a broad range of parameters indicative of metabolic activity, immunological and hematological functionality and intestinal physiology. These parameters may be considered biomarkers of homeostatic resilience. Mild dehydration intensifies these time-related changes. Moderate intensity exercise of 50% Wmax shows sufficient physiological and immunological responses and can be employed to test the health condition of less fit individuals.
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