The Independent Living Skills Evaluation

With the recent trend of occupational therapy moving into the community, a need has arisen for assessment and treatment procedures to assist chronic mentally disabled individuals to cope successfully with environmental demands. This article describes a semisupervised apartment living program which provides training in the skills necessary for independent community living. The development of an evaluation tool is described which assesses clients' levels of living skills. This evaluation tool, the Independent Living Skills Evaluation (I.L.S.E.), comprehensively evaluates skills necessary for independent community living in the areas of household maintenance, personal and health care, community resources, communication and problem solving, and vocational and personal growth. Information on the administration and use of the I.L.S.E is included. The I.L.S.E. is used as an intial assessment to provide a basis for establishing objectives and treatment methods, to measure and document client progress, to determine client readiness for discharge, and to measure program effectiveness.     

The Potential Transformation of Our Species by Neural Enhancement

ABSTRACT. Neural enhancement represents recovery of function that has been lost due to injury or disease pathology. Restoration of functional ability is the objective. For example, a neuroprosthetic to replace a forearm and hand lost to the ravages of war or industrial accident. However, the same basic constructs used for neural enhancement after injury could amplify abilities that are already in the natural normal range. That is, neural enhancement technologies to restore function and improve daily abilities for independent living could be used to improve so-called normal function to ultimate function. Approaching that functional level by use and integration of technology takes us toward the concept of a new species. This new subspecies—homo sapiens technologicus—is one that uses technology not just to assist but to change its own inherent biological function. The author uses examples from prosthetics and neuroprosthetics to address the issue of the limitations of constructs on the accepted range of human performance ability and aims to provide a cautionary view toward reflection on where our science may take the entire species.     

Adequate proverb interpretation is associated with performance on the Independent Living Scales

The purpose of this study was to examine proverb interpretation performance and functional independence in older adults. From the limited literature on proverb interpretation in aging and its conceptualization as an executive function, it was hypothesized that proverb interpretation would be related to functional independence similar to other executive functions. Tests of proverb interpretation, additional executive functions, and functional ability were administered to nondemented older adults. Results showed that proverb interpretation accounted for a significant amount of unique variance of functional ability scores. This supports including a measure of proverb interpretation to the assessment of older adults.     

The promise of the internet for disability: a study of on-line services and web site accessibility at Centers for Independent Living

The Internet provides individuals with disabilities numerous tools to live independently. In the convenience of the home, a person can access an abundance of information, an electronic community, updates on the latest disability advocacy news, education through distance-learning classes, and on-line shopping for books, clothes, assistive technology, and a host of other consumer goods. Centers for Independent Living (CILs) are consumer-run, non-profit grassroots disability service organizations at the forefront of the disability rights movement. Providing services to individuals across the range of disabilities, CILs have begun to use the Internet as a complement to their traditional service delivery methods. This article examines the emerging trend of independent living services on the web. The investigation examines 200 CIL Internet sites across the United States during the period of April to August 2001. Information is collected and analyzed about how CILs are using the Internet to provide their services and programs. In addition, the article examines the technological accessibility of their web sites. Implications of the findings for CILs, consumers with disabilities, and disability policy are examined.     

Effects of Self-Monitoring Intervention on Independent Completion of a Daily Living Skill for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders in China

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a self-monitoring intervention on the independent completion of dishwashing for three boys with autism (ages 6, 7, and 8) in China. The self-monitoring intervention included visual task analysis, in vivo modeling, self-recording, video self-feedback, and reinforcement. A multiple probe across subjects design was used. Prior to the study, the children had limited or no dishwashing skills, nor did they receive any training on self-monitoring. All three children acquired dishwashing and performed the task independently without supervision one week after the intervention. Their parents were very satisfied with this intervention.     

Partnerships for Independent Practitioners

No abstract available for this article.     

Psychodrama: Rehearsal for Living

Abstract

The current study examined therapist characteristics that are related to the use of spiritual and religious interventions in group therapy and to perceived barriers to attending to spirituality in group therapy among a sample of experienced group therapists. Results demonstrated that greater therapist spirituality was associated with more frequent use of both spiritual and religious interventions, as well as lower perceived barriers to attending to spirituality in group therapy. Religious commitment was only uniquely related to perceived barriers, such that therapists with higher religious commitment actually perceived greater barriers. Training in religion and spirituality and comfort with spiritual discussions was also related to therapists’ use of religious and spiritual interventions and perceived barriers.     

Sexual Enhancement for Young Adults

Despite the recent development of sexual enhancement programs, young, premarital aged adults (18 to 20) have usually been excluded from participation. Few models exist that attempt to meet the needs of this age group. In an effort to bridge this gap, a sexual enhancement workshop has been developed that focuses specifically on the needs of young adults.     

Knowing,Understanding, Living,Dissenting and Countering: The Educational Moment in the Enhancement of Democratic Citizenship

Studies in Philosophy and Education - Education is commonly considered to be a transformational practice that contributes both to forging the personality of individuals and to promoting...     

Is Living Longer Living Better?

abstract Some day, perhaps soon, we may have genetic enhancements enabling us to conquer aging. Should we do so, if we can? I believe the topic is both interesting and important, and that it behoves us to think about it. Doing so may yield important insights about what we do care about, what we should care about, and how we should seek to live our lives, both individually and collectively. My central question is this: Is living longer, living better? My paper does not offer a sustained argument for a single, considered, thesis. Rather, it offers a number of snippets of often‐unconnected thoughts relevant to the issues my question raises. The paper contains seven sections. Part one is introductory. Part two comments on some current longevity research. Part three indicates the attitudes towards death and science with which I approach these questions. Parts four and five, respectively, discuss some worries about immortality raised by Leon Kass and Bernard Williams. Part six points to some practical, social, and moral concerns that might arise if society's members lived super long lives. Part seven concludes by suggesting that we should favour living well over living longer, and ongoing reproduction over immortality; correspondingly, I suggest that we should think long and hard before proceeding with certain lines of longevity research.     

Alternative Living Arrangements for Older Persons

Billings, G. Alternatives to Nursing Home Care: An Update. Aging, 1982, Nos. 325–326, 2–11. Brill, R.S. New York City Home Care Project: A Coordinated Health and Social Service Approach. Aging, 1982, Nos. 325–326, 12–15. Gray, P.J. State Experiences with Long-term Care. Aging, 1982, Nos. 325–326, 28–33. Sager, A. Improving the Provision of Long-term Care. Aging, 1982, Nos. 325–326; 16–27.     

Nicotine Produces a Within-Subject Enhancement of Contextual Fear Conditioning in C57BL/6 Mice Independent of Sex

Nicotine enhances learning including contextual fear conditioning. The present study extends previous work on nicotine and conditioned fear to examine the nature of nicotine's enhancement of contextual fear conditioning and sex differences in contextual fear conditioning in C57BL/6 mice using a within-subjects design. Mice were trained by pairing of an auditory stimulus of 80 dB, 6 cps train of broad-band clicks conditioned stimulus (CS) with a 2 sec., 0.35 mA shock unconditioned stimulus (US). Twenty-four hours later mice were tested for freezing in the original context, and one hour later mice were retested in the same context. A 0.5 mg/kg dose of nicotine was given either for three conditions: (1) before training, testing, and retesting; (2) before training and retesting; and (3) before retesting only. The use of a within-subjects design allowed for testing if nicotine would produce state-dependent deficits in contextual fear conditioning. Nicotine did enhance contextual fear conditioning in the groups that received nicotine for both training and testing. Nicotine, however, did not alter freezing when given on training but not testing or testing but not training. No sex differences, however, existed for conditioning or for nicotine's effects on conditioning. These results suggest that nicotine enhanced acquisition and retrieval processes but did not produce state-dependent deficits when administered just for training or just for testing.     

无债的生活

我们认为,拒绝饶恕某人是我们与某人扯平或是惩罚某人的手段,这真是疯狂。当我们不愿饶恕别人时,实际上,我们也是在惩罚自己。所以,饶恕他人也是自我解脱。     

Independent alternatives

Philosophical Studies - Orthodox semantics for natural language modals give rise to two puzzles for their interactions with disjunction: Ross’s puzzle and the puzzle of free choice...     

Reasons for Living: Mood Effects Revisited1

To explore the relationship between mood and cognitive restraints to suicide, 98 undergraduates experienced the Velten mood-induction procedure to induce an elated, depressed, or neutral (unchanged) mood. They then completed the Multiple Adjective Affect Checklist, the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory, and the Reasons for Living Inventory. Surprisingly, compared to neutral students, depressed students reported more overall reasons for living, greater feelings of responsibility to family, and more moral objections to suicide, and elated students reported more feelings of responsibility to family. Most responsive depressed students also had higher fear of suicide than others, and most responsive elated students had higher survival and coping beliefs than others. Results suggest that a mildly depressed mood caused students' increased reliance on cognitive beliefs about not committing suicide, and may indicate that mildly depressed persons might benefit from and be particularly receptive to cognitive interventions stressing beliefs about family and religious commitments.