2008 Seminars
- Fit between family life and organisations - March 2008
- Helping patients cope with cancer - April 2008
- The health/ill-health of informal family caregivers - May 2008
- Health literacy - June 2008
- Work family flow - August 2008
- Understanding and improving treatment decision-making: A multi-disciplinary approach - September 2008
- The health workforce: A view from policy-makers in Further Education and Employment - October 2008
MONTHLY SEMINARS 2008
Fit between family life and organisations - March 2008
Fiona Rillotta, PhD candidate, Psychology, University of Adelaide
Liz Kummerow, Programme Director, Bachelor of Commerce, University of Adelaide
Presentation 1:
Family Quality of life and Intellectual Disability: A comparison of two measures in South Australia
Fiona Rillotta, PhD candidate, Psychology, University of Adelaide
This study compared two internationally developed measures of Family Quality of Life by interviewing 51 South Australian main caregivers of people with an intellectual disability. Results have implications for the development of an improved tool for measuring FQOL. The 'domains' of family relationships; material, emotional and financial well-being; leisure; and support from
services contribute to better understanding of family satisfaction, and also may improve service provisions and supports available to families with a member with an intellectual disability.
Presentation 2:
Reality Shock: Work-Family values of students compared with professionals, in accounting
Liz Kummerow, Programme Director, Bachelor of Commerce, University of Adelaide
Of particular interest is the 'fit' between students' 'expected' work and work-family values (that is, the values that they expect to encounter upon entering the profession) and accountant's 'actual' work and work-family values. Discrepancies in this regard are considered in terms of their implications for:
i. the experience of 'reality shock' among newly-hired accounting graduates;
ii. a possible re-conceptualisation of the traditional construct of 'reality shock';
iii. organisational initiatives designed to retain valued employees; and
iv. an understanding of the mechanisms by which organisational values come to be learned.
Vikki Knott, PhD candidate, Psychology, University of Adelaide and Cancer Council SA
The health/ill-health of informal family caregivers - May 2008
Anne Stacey, Researcher in Carer Health, Community and GP issues
Health literacy - June 2008
Associate Professor Robert Adams, Senior Lecturer, Medicine, University of Adelaide and Chair, SA Health Literacy Alliance
Literacy and numeracy are always major issues when it comes to education. But in recent years, developed nations have started to realise that people also need to develop what’s known as “health literacy” (HL) in order to lead healthy and productive lives.
In South Australia, the issue of health literacy is starting to be taken seriously by government, academics and practitioners. The SA Health Literacy Alliance (HLA) sprang from a recommendation at the end of Adelaide Think-in-Residence Professor Ilona Kickbusch’s first residency in February-March 2007. The purpose of the alliance is to provide leadership and support for developing and applying the concept of health literacy as a means of equitably improving health and wellbeing.
Robert discussed the history of the evolving definition of HL, the problems in measurement of HL, health consequences of low HL, and moving into the future with such a concept.
Work family flow - August 2008
Jodie Beneviste, Director, Parent Wellbeing
The majority of working parents struggle to combine work and family. They report feeling guilty, rushed for time, and overloaded, and for organisations, these difficulties contribute to job dissatisfaction, high intent to turnover and increased absenteeism. 'Work family balance' is supposedly the way parents can better manage their work and family responsibilities, but 'work family balance' is misconceived.
Work family research, and the experience of working parents, suggest we need a new approach to work and family issues that:
* understands the interrelationships and interconnections between work and family;
* recognises that work offers benefits to family life;
* acknowledges that family life offers benefits to the workplace; and
* appreciates that 'well' parents are more productive and effective at work and care better for their children.
Work Family Flow is about 'optimising' rather than 'balancing' people's work family experience to enhance parents' wellbeing, children's wellbeing and organisational success.
Understanding and improving treatment decision-making: A multi-disciplinary approach - September 2008
Dr Carolyn Semmler, Lecturer, Psychology, University of Adelaide
Dr Peter Mansfield, Associate Lecturer, General Practice, University of Adelaide
Doctors are prescribing drugs that are not the most effective way of treating conditions, with potentially harmful outcomes. Part of the problem is that drug companies convince doctors to prescribe drugs that are not optimal in terms of their benefit to people. The presenters are interested in understanding how doctors are influenced by drug company promotions so that doctors can be ‘armed’ with effective methods for resisting persuasion, thereby eliminating this cause of inappropriate prescribing. This problem provides a rich testing ground for many theories and approaches within psychology. It also crosses disciplinary boundaries involving medicine, ethics, logic, education and psychology.
The presentation gave background information about the extent of the problem, reviewed some of the approaches already applied and proposed an education-based approach developed in light of the psychology of persuasion.
Anne Bosio, Principal Policy Officer, Workforce Planning and Policy Planning, Policy & Innovation, DFEEST
In this presentation, Anne outlined such policy drivers as CoAG Human Capital Agenda, SA's Strategic Plan targets and the various State Government plans relating to Health and Community Services (H&CS) Industry such as Health Plan, Early Childhood Development, Ageing etc. and how the system is attempting to align itself with regard to workforce planning and development through the mechanism of the Skills for the 21st Century. Anne expanded her view of health to include community services when defining the workforce coverage. Anne also presented her view of what roles psychologists can play and where they can be most useful.
