Discusses the institutionalization of children in child care centers. Describes characteristics of institutions that tend to dehumanize individuals. Characteristics relate to (1) space allotment; (2) the use of time; (3) privacy; (4) personal property; (5) meaning and responsibility; (6) spontaneity; (7) security and safety; (8) individuals…

Total Quality Management Plus (TQM) goes beyond customer satisfaction to consider quality of life, environmental conditions, crime rates, and health and well-being. Steps to integrate such concerns into the TQM process include being ready for challenges, creating a quality system to collect performance data, defining the ideal school and world…

The miracles of modern medical technology are sometimes accompanied by unanticipated costs affecting survivors' quality of life. This article considers the educational implications for three groups of children who could not survive without medical intervention: children treated for cancer, low birth-weight and premature infants, and the medically…

A study in the United Kingdom assessed the lifestyles of 19 elderly people with developmental disabilities residing in two community-based homes after living for many years in large institutions. A questionnaire assessing daily life, community-based activities, domestic tasks, and areas of personal responsibility found a generally good quality of…

This article discusses aspects of the concept of quality of life that impact on policy development and habilitation services for persons with intellectual disability. The article contends that quality of life should not be viewed as an individual score for a person but in the larger context of a guiding principle that underlies the development,…

Reviews literature on characteristics of rural schools and rural communities and compares these findings with the results of an open-ended survey of rural professionals about their experiences working in rural schools. Both sources identified limited resources as a problem, but quality of life issues were more explicitly identified by survey…

In response to the global debt crisis, international lenders have pressured Third World debtor nations to implement "structural adjustments." Analysis of data from the United Nations, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund suggest that externally imposed austerity measures have adversely affected children's survival and…

An author's commentary on his experience living among Rutgers University students in a dormitory, focusing on the issues in student life, is reviewed. The author finds that student life is both better (more genuine, purposeful, and intellectual) and worse (hedonistic, racist, and sexist) than other scholars have argued. (Author/MSE)

Problems of elderly persons in developing nations are rising. Identification and execution of research priorities and training in gerontology and geriatrics for medical, paramedical, and community personnel and older adults themselves would help achieve healthy aging. (SK)

Investigated interpersonal vulnerability variables (marital history and quality of relationship prior to onset of Alzheimer's disease), caregiver resources, and appraisals of stressors as predictors of positive and negative outcomes among 72 wife caregivers. All variables were significant predictors of depression and quality of life even after…

The rational suicide paradigm is contrasted with the traditional view of the mental health professions. Historical background on suicide in western civilization is supplied and the concept of rationality elucidated. Parallels between the questions of refusing life-prolonging therapy and rational suicide are discussed, as are reasons for suicide.…

Reveals that through the use of the movie "Groundhog Day," students in humanities courses can grasp Friedrich Nietzsche's myth of eternal recurrence; the myth addresses the question of what if everything that occurred in one's life occurred again just as it happened before. Discusses the similarities between Nietzsche's myth and the…

Negative stereotypes of older persons pose barriers to productive and successful aging. A social work intervention model provides ways to overcome the barriers by training social workers, conducting early childhood and elementary school interventions, providing intergenerational programs, and assisting older adults with employment, volunteering,…

Explores conceptions of health and health promotion that have emerged over the past decade, considering implications for school health personnel and presenting activities that incorporate the emerging ideas. Discusses health promotion principles and values; implications for school health personnel; and a community-level quality of life model that…

This commentary discusses how existing technology and application of functional assessment can be expanded to improve the lives of more people with severe disabilities. It emphasizes how functional assessment can enhance life quality in typical settings in which people with severe disabilities and challenging behavior live, work, and play.…