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Analysis of Epidemiological and Health-Economic Indicators in Case of Children Ocular Trauma

Author(s): Laurentiu Stupariu,Ionela Maniu,George Constantin Maniu / Language(s): English / Issue: 15/2017

Analysis of epidemiological and health-economic indicators on ocular trauma involving children is important for developing targeted managerial, medical and educational strategies of health care providers and patients in order to reduce incidence and severity of pediatric ocular trauma. We analysed data collected from 29 children with ocular trauma from Emergency Hospital of Sibiu, between 2008-2016. For this children with closed globe injury it took an average of 7 days of hospitalization (IQR: (5; 9.5)), with a cost per day of hospitalization on average of 127 RON (IQR: (103; 136)), respectively a total hospitalization cost on average 856 RON (IQR: (529; 998)), with no significant gender or area differences. It took a slightly larger number of hospitalization days in the following situations: (1) in the case of mixed trauma compared to lamellar lacerations or contusions; (2) if the affected area was zone III compared to the other two areas (zone I and zone II); (3) where the visual acuity at admission was less than 1/6(0.16) compared to cases with visual acuity greater than 1/6(0.16); (4) in patients with hypertension at admission compared to those with normal tension or hypotension.

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ANALYSIS OF SOCIO–ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF SENIORS IN SLOVAKIA

Author(s): Peter HASA / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2018

Aim: The article deals with aging of populations, respectively. the quality of life of seniors, with an emphasis on its socio-economic level, retirement and the pension security system. Describes social services and health care for seniors in Slovakia, including institutional care. It characterizes the old age, concepts such as population aging, quality of life, ageism, and other. Scope: To analyze and compare the resulting socio-economic dimensions of the quality of life of seniors living in the home environment and the quality of life of seniors who are clients of social services facilities. Another goal is to measure the age-old experience of seniors' experiences, and compare this depending this whether seniors are or are not a social service provider. Methods: A questionnaire method was used, the research had the character of a quantitative analysis. The research sample was slovak seniors aged 62 years and older. The number of respondents was 224, of which 95 (42.4%) in institutional (residential) care and 129 (57,6%) respondents living in an own home environment. Conclusion: Personal experience with age discrimination reported almost half of the respondents (46.9% of all respondents). More experience with these negative phenomena have seniors who are clients of the institutional facilities (56.8%).

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ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT AND EFFECTIVENESS OF SUPPORT MEASURES AND INTERVENTIONS ON PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Author(s): Oana Banu / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2018

Social inclusion of people with disabilities is an essential prerequisite of human rights. In the current context, according to data, the social welfare system faces an increasing number of people with disabilities. The social services for these beneficiaries cover a relatively small fraction of their needs. The main type of support for this vulnerable group is in-cash social benefits, while other social inclusion measures are occupying a marginal place in practice. The accent on granting in-cash social benefits to the detriment of social reintegration programs leads to an increased dependency of disabled persons to the welfare system. Although it is considered that the situation of people with disabilities has improved since 2000, several problems occur as a lack of financial and human resources, as well as to the difficulty of setting up a coherent support system for people with disabilities. Disability is not a simple attribute of an individual, but rather a cumulative addition of various conditions created by the social environment. The management of disability requires social action and it must become the common responsibility of the whole community/ society in the sense of producing necessary environmental/ attitudinal changes to facilitate participation of persons with disabilities in all the spheres of social life.

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Analysis of the Relationship between the Size and Structure of Public Expenditure and Socio-economic Development

Author(s): Beáta Mikušová Meričková,Juraj Nemec,Mária Murray Svidroňová,Viliam Pischko / Language(s): English / Issue: 04/2017

The relation between the levels of public expenditure and their impact on economic growth and socio-economic development is long-term issue investigated by the public finance theory. Relevant answers to it are also of great importance for economic practice. The aim of the present study is to analyse the relation between the levels and structures of public expenditures and the Human Development Index. The study uses the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to identify countries that effectively use public spending to achieve the highest socio-economic development of society. The findings indicate that the total amount of public expenditure does not have significant impact on the socio-economic development; however public expenditures in “productive” sectors of public services (especially education, health and social services) have the potential of positive impact on the socio-economic development.

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Anti-Corruption Reloaded: Assessment of Southeast Europe

Author(s): / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 2014

Corruption in Southeast Europe has been in the news, in the focus of public debate, and on the policy agenda of national and international institutions so often and for so long that its scrutiny hardly needs to be justified. It is precisely because it has proven to be such an intractable issue that innovative approaches to its understanding – and hence its reduction – are warranted. The EU accession prospects for the countries in the region – though distant – provide an enabling framework for action but it is local stakeholders, and in particular civil society who can bring about sustained progress in anti-corruption. The Southeast Europe Leadership for Development and Integrity (SELDI) has made the in-depth diagnosing and understanding of corruption and governance gaps in the region one of its main priorities, as a requisite condition for its advocacy of knowledge-driven anticorruption policies. This SELDI report fits in the development and implementation framework of the emerging regional anticorruption policy and infrastructure as exemplified by the SEE2020 Strategy’s Governance Pillar run by the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative. Despite some important achievements – mostly with respect to the stabilisation of democratic institutions, the adoption of laws in key anticorruption areas, a reduction in petty bribery and growing public intolerance of corruption – anticorruption and good governance reforms are not consolidated, corruption among elected politicians and judges seems to be increasing and the enforcement of anticorruption legislation is haphazard. Anticorruption policies and institutions in the region will benefit immensely from the adoption of regular and accurate victimisation-survey based tool for measuring corruption and the rate of progress in good governance, similar to the special Eurobarometer on anticorruption, UNODC’s SEE monitoring of corruption and organised crime, and the Corruption Monitoring System employed by this report.

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Antipotčinjavajuća praksa u ostvarivanju prava na novčanu socijalnu pomoć – prepreke i mogućnosti

Author(s): Suzana Mihajlović Babić / Language(s): Serbian / Issue: 17/2017

Shifting the focus from an individual to the structural causes of poverty creation and maintenance is present in the recent decades. in this process, a key role is played by social services which are in direct contact with clients and which have the task to improve their position in society. The main claim of this paper is that the current national system of social assistance in Serbia creates and maintains the oppressive practice in work with poor clients. The objectives of this article are: analysis of the mechanism to exercise the right to cash benefits, from the submission to approval of the request; systematization and analysis of the institutional and systemic obstacles to exercising the right to financial social assistance; detection of oppressive practice elements in the welfare centres and in their work with the poor. Findings indicate that there are multiple obstacles on relations system-client and social worker-client that prevent the use of anti-oppressive practice in practice.

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Applying Big Data Analysis to Discuss the Elderly Social Welfare Service Use Condition and the Relevant Factors

Author(s): Zhi-Ping HOU,Zhi-Fei CHEN,Yu-Zhou LUO / Language(s): English / Issue: 68/2020

The advance of medical technology and the change in living environment gradually prolong the life expectancy of humans to constantly increase the elderly population in the world. Relevant demands and problems derived from aging are therefore getting emphasized. To cope with the elderly needs, the government sequentially promotes welfare service. Nevertheless, it is still discovered that the welfare service use rate of the elderly is rather low, not achieving the estimated demand. Aiming at the elderly in Guilin, the data in this study are collected and analyzed from social welfare related open information platforms and the analyses and research, publications, or database of government agencies. The relevant data are integrated, analyzed, discussed, and applied to understand the effects of indicators and further activate the utilization of data. The research results show remarkable correlations between redisposing factors and service use condition, enabling factors and service use condition, and demand factors and service use condition. According to the results, suggestions are proposed, expecting to comprehensively understand the elderly social welfare service use conditions and identify the factors in the elderly service use so as to examine the match of the elderly welfare service with the elderly needs to develop the maximal function of social welfare service.

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Applying critical social work theory in practice

Author(s): Malcolm Payne / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2017

Critical social work theory is a discourse about the nature of social work expressed through its formulation of practice. Three traditions of thinking contribute to it: taking a sceptical stance towards knowledge for practice, ideas critical of existing social orders and theory from sociological traditions, in particular Marxist thought, critical social theory of the Frankfurt School and postmodern and feminist thought. These influences have both receded and developed within social work during the 20th century and built a renewed form of practice that includes critical reflection, advocacy and self-help in the face of poverty and social oppressions, ideas about anti-oppression, feminism and social identity. Although radical social work of the 1970s focused on revolutionary social change, recent practice developments have built a structural practice and a range of other transformational strategies that can be applied to many different client groups.

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ARBITRATION AND STATE LAW

Author(s): Menno Aden / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2016

It is universally accepted that an arbitral award can be challenged if the arbitrator did comply with the agreement of the parties (cf. Art. V of New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards of 1958). However, theory and practice do not always meet. Many jurisdictions seem to allow the arbitrator to deviate from such agreement without effect to the award. The article focuses on the question as to which extent the arbitrator is bound by the state/national law chosen by the parties or applicable but by virtue of international private law. Common wisdom has it that an arbitral award cannot be annulled or denied recognition because the arbitrator erred in the interpretation of the substantive law. Author accepts that in a motion to challenge an arbitral award the state court shall not act as some kind of court of appeal. Therefore, arbitrator must not apply the substantive law in the same way the courts of the respective country do, but he is obliged and the state court is competent to review, whether the award has been made in accordance with the agreement of the parties. To this end, the arbitration clause must be carefully interpreted to find out what the parties by choosing, e.g., Swiss law really meant: namely, “law” and not a paralegal regime like ex aequo et bono, as well as “Swiss” – and not German, English etc. Unless this is shown in the reasons of the award, it may be annulled or denied recognition for not being in accordance with the agreement of the parties.

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Around the Bloc: Controversy Grows as Dozens Return Hungarian Knight's Cross

Author(s): TOL TOL / Language(s): English / Issue: 08/30/2016

Past award recipients have returned the state distinction because of decision to honor infamous xenophobe, who is close to the ruling party.

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Around the Bloc: Czechs Announce First Zika Virus Cases, Slovak Hospitalized

Author(s): TOL TOL / Language(s): English / Issue: 03/01/2016

Mosquito-borne Zika virus has been detected in Czechs returning from separate trips to the Caribbean.

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Around the Bloc: Daughter of Kadyrov Critic Assaulted

Author(s): TOL TOL / Language(s): English / Issue: 10/18/2016

Her father, head of Russian MMA group, had suffered extensive backlash after criticizing MMA children fights in Chechnya.

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Around the Bloc: Georgian Anti-Hep C Project an Overwhelming Success

Author(s): TOL TOL / Language(s): English / Issue: 05/16/2017

Large-scale elimination of virus is the result of pilot program launched by U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturer, which offered free treatment to hepatitis patients.

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Around the Bloc: Migrants Stage Protest March to Hungary

Author(s): TOL TOL / Language(s): English / Issue: 10/11/2016

Hundreds of people stuck in Serbia in overcrowded camps or sleeping rough set off toward Budapest to demand borders be opened.

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Around the Bloc: Polish Women Protest Planned Abortion Ban

Author(s): TOL TOL / Language(s): English / Issue: 10/04/2016

Millions of Polish women are expected to take part in strikes – and to the streets – to protest a new anti-abortion proposal.

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Around the Bloc: Skyrocketing Female Suicide Attempts in Kazakhstan

Author(s): TOL TOL / Language(s): English / Issue: 08/30/2016

Recent surge in suicide rates among young women in southern province brings uncomfortable issues to the forefront of public debate.

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Around the Bloc: Slovenian Public Workers Demand Wage Hike

Author(s): TOL TOL / Language(s): English / Issue: 01/30/2018

Unions plan more strikes, say time is ripe to officially end austerity measures brought in during the financial crash.

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Around the Bloc: Uzbek President Karimov Suffers Stroke

Author(s): TOL TOL / Language(s): English / Issue: 08/30/2016

Police, troops guarding Tashkent hospital where the country’s only post-independence leader is being treated.

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Ars moriendi – gdy początek oznacza kres

Author(s): Urszula Tokarczyk-Bar / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 1/2016

Both the beginning and the end of human life are connected to many moral dilemmas. The discussion becomes especially emotional when we deal with the situation of parents (or sometimes just a mother) who decide about their baby’s life in its prenatal phase of development. The in vitro procedure itself still gives rise to a number of doubts in some circles. Especially the multiple embryo transfer exposes the mother to a potential stress of deciding about the further course of pregnancy. To be more precise: some patients are persuaded into selective abortion.Polish law allows abortion in three cases. Still, the act of 1997 does not seem to be precise enough.On the one hand there is a threat of it being abused, on the other –there are difficulties when it comes to it being executed. Due to the medical advancement issues that were obvious twenty years ago need to be newly evaluated (e.g. the age of an infant capable of surviving outside the mother’s womb is gradually decreasing).It also seems that it is necessary to look upon terms such as abortion,termination, lethal defects, overzealous therapy, abandoning overzealous therapy, euthanasia (active, passive), euthanasia attitude, hospice care attitude, chronic condition, terminal phase, terminal state, palliative care.It becomes crucial especially now when Poland is faced with projects of opposing legal acts: those delegalizing abortion completely and those allowing for complete freedom of it. Therefore, a sound bio-ethical discussion is in order, such that will allow for the optimal standpoint.At the same time it would be beneficial to concentrate on the analogy education because, as distant and unrealistic those ultimate matter may seem now, they concern every human being.

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Art therapy with children from socially disadvantaged backgrounds

Author(s): Katarína Kurčíková / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2017

Some of the main aims when working with Roma children are the development of their personality, socialization into society and, at the same time, the developmentof creative thinking and activity. For these key objectives, our society mainly uses education. Nevertheless, the above mentioned processes are not without problems. One of the most serious and widely discussed problems associated with Roma ethnicity is the fact that the Roma population is lagging behind. In Slovakia, the Roma people are most affected by social exclusion. Roma children are classified as socially disadvantaged children. The aim of this paper is to point out the possibilities of art therapy when working with children from a socially disadvantaged background. At the same time, we will talk about the basis of art therapy with the Roma ethnicity and clarify the importance of doing art therapy with children from socially disadvantaged backgrounds.

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