Racial Differences in Choice and Control Among Older Adults: Results From Connecticut's Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration.

We examined racial differences in determinants of choice and control in daily activities and service coordination for a sample of White and Black participants in the Connecticut Money Follows the Person (MFP) Rebalancing Demonstration. Within-group analyses were conducted to understand factors that contribute to choice and control among participants. While no disparities were found in the odds of reporting choice and control, our findings show that White participants with mental health challenges, who lived with family, and had more functional impairments and Black participants with engagement transition challenges were less likely to have choice and control over daily activities. Determinants varied by race for choice in service coordination. Findings indicate a need for initiatives to target different factors for White and Black MFP participants to optimize opportunities for choice and control after returning to community living.

IS REFLECTIVE SUPERVISION ENOUGH? AN EXPLORATION OF WORKFORCE PERSPECTIVES.

Infant mental health practice requires the performance of intense emotional labor. Professionals comprising the infant mental health (IMH) field are largely women at seminal points in adult life-span development. The purpose of this article is to explore the day-to-day challenges faced by clinical infant mental health professionals and their perspectives on the supports available for effective job performance. We review reflective supervision as a long-cherished professional support in the IMH field designed to hold the practitioner's fears, worries, and ambivalence, so that she may return to the work fortified to remain in therapeutic alliance with families despite unsolvable problems and an unknowable future (Weatherston, D., 2009). Yet, we propose that reflective supervision alone may not be an adequate protective measure for a workforce performing intensive emotional labor for extended periods and therefore at potentially increased risk for burnout and high turnover (Hochschild, A.R. ; C. Maslach, , C.M. Brotheridge & A.A. Grandey, 2009; A.S. Wharton, ). We suggest that structural factors concerning organizational culture, flexibility in scheduling, and professional growth and versatility bear deeper examination for their merits in supporting the IMH workforce. Finally, we contend that the overrepresentation of women in practitioner positions in IMH leaves an empirical gap where little is known about the experience of male IMH practitioners and the ramifications of their performance of emotional labor.

Social support sources, types, and generativity: a focus group study of cancer survivors and their caregivers.

Various research studies have identified the sources and types of support that people with cancer receive; however, few have focused on identifying the specific characteristics of emotional, instrumental, and informational support. In this study, focus groups consisting of Gilda's Club members explored the types of support that people with cancer and their caregivers experienced and valued. Results showed that although men and women with cancer and caregivers identify similar sources of support, they experience different types of support. Results also indicated a desire among participants to help and support others, a concept referred to as generativity. Implications for social workers and health care providers are explored.