The Fragmented Picture of Social Care for Older People in German Prisons.

Older people in prisons are a vulnerable group with complex health and social care needs. German prisons have started to adapt to demographic changes and exemplary support services for older people are available in a few prisons, but a lack of age-specific support is widespread. National standards are needed to provide predictable conditions of imprisonment for older people. In order to achieve the goal of reintegrating older people into society on their release, more support is needed to help them age successfully. Expertise on aging should be used and fostered more widely. Palliative care services need to be developed.

Exemplary social care services for older people exist in a few German prisonsNational support standards are needed to provide equal conditions of imprisonmentMaintaining older prisoners' life skills is key to their reintegration on releaseServices could be improved by using and fostering expertise on aging more effectivelyPalliative care services for older people need to be developed in German prisons.

The Diffusion of Evidence-Based Practice: Reviewing the Evidence-Based Practice Networks in the United States and German-Speaking Countries.

Evidence-based practice (EBP) has had a major influence on U.S. social work while it has rarely been adapted in German-speaking countries. This study investigates how knowledge about EBP is diffused within and across geographical contexts. Network analysis methods reveals different diffusion patterns and provide reasons for these differences. For example, the U.S. discourse is self-contained and based on a more homogeneous knowledge base, while the German discourse is more heterogeneous and focuses on a notion of reflexive professionalism. The different conceptual influences within the U.S. and German discourses are discussed in light of future directions of disciplinary social work.