Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

J R Dudley

Publications and source records attributed to J R Dudley.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Diverse diagnostic and behavioural patterns amongst people with a dual diagnosis.

People who have both an intellectual disability and a mental illness diagnosis are gaining more attention in the mental health and developmental disabilities service systems. This interest is partly because of the challenging behaviours and the complexities of the problems in this population. The present study analyses the diagnoses, behaviour problems and demographic characteristics of a group of people with a dual diagnosis to determine if specific patterns are evident which distinguish this set of subjects. A group of 940 people who were part of a class action lawsuit in North Carolina, USA, were investigated. A factor analysis was conducted to determine whether or not distinct patterns or factors were evident. This analysis revealed six distinct patterns primarily based on the behaviour problems of this group and secondarily based on their diagnoses. These six factors are referred to as: (1) aggressive/disturbing behaviour; (2) withdrawal/asocial behaviour; (3) inappropriate behaviours; (4) sociopathic characteristics; (5) suicidal or runaway crises; and (6) pica disorder. The findings suggest that mental illness is a prominent characteristic of some of the six factors but not of others. Furthermore, an intellectual disability diagnosis and the particular level of intellectual disability are reflected very differently amongst all of these factors.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1999

The Thomas S. case: report on progress with court compliance issues.

The present paper is a brief summary of the progress which has been made in the Thomas S. case, a U.S. Federal Court lawsuit The suit focused on adults with intellectual disability who had been inappropriately placed in state psychiatric hospitals in conditions which violated their constitutional rights. These constitutional rights include safety, protection from harm, treatment under safe conditions, freedom from undue restraint, and minimally adequate habilitation or treatment The present report summarizes the progress made by the 239 class members after they had received a Thomas S. service plan for 6-24 months. Overall, the results suggest that the class members have made significant progress in several areas. Two areas needing continued attention are the challenging behaviours of some class members and their lack of employment opportunities.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Measuring the consumer satisfaction of class members of a law suit.

The present article describes a study of consumer satisfaction in a group of class members who are part of a mental disability law reform suit Consumer satisfaction was considered one aspect of compliance with this lawsuit. The class members have a primary diagnosis of intellectual disability, and in most cases, a secondary diagnosis of mental illness. Conducting consumer satisfaction studies among people with intellectual disabilities is often challenging because some of these consumers have difficulty articulating their needs and concerns. An interview schedule with simple quantitative and qualitative satisfaction questions was used. The present study investigated the satisfaction of a subgroup of these class members prior to and after having a court-supported service plan. The results reveal that these consumers became considerably more satisfied, and many of their specific satisfactions and dissatisfaction were identified. The results suggest that both quantitative and qualitative consumer responses can be helpful in determining compliance with court issues.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

A consumer satisfaction survey of people with mental retardation and mental illness.

This study investigated consumer satisfaction among 98 members of the Thomas S. class action lawsuit in North Carolina, in which the court ordered implementation of habilitative and residential service plans. Class members have mental retardation, and most also have a mental illness. Before the court order, 83 of the consumers were inappropriately placed in state psychiatric hospitals; one year after, 82 were living in community residences. A survey at baseline and one year later indicated that consumers' satisfaction had increased significantly. They were more satisfied with where they lived, the food, and the level of freedom. They also felt that staff were more helpful, and that more staff were "nice" rather than "mean."

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Providing spiritual support: a job for all hospice professionals.

This research examines spirituality as an aspect of professional practice. A questionnaire on spirituality was sent in 1991 to the hospice directors in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The findings strongly indicate that spirituality is important in the hospice setting and plays a prominent role in the treatment of patients. Also, hospice programs were found to be supportive of the spiritual component of care. The spiritual approaches used by the respondents were the more traditionally religious ones such as listening to the patient talk about God or referring to clergy. Approaches such as meditation or guided imagery, which are not necessarily related to religion, were used less frequently. Clergy in the study placed greater importance on spirituality in hospice work and used more traditionally religious approaches than did non-clergy. While some professional caregivers choose to leave spiritual matters to clergy, the findings reveal that many non-clergy hospice professionals are assisting patients with spiritual concerns.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

The importance of spirituality in hospice work: a study of hospice professionals.

Only recently has the spiritual aspect of care received attention in our professional literature. In order to explore the relationship between spirituality and job satisfaction for professionals employed in the hospice field, the authors sent questionnaires to hospice directors in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The findings strongly indicate that hospice professionals are a spiritual group, being more spiritual in their personal lives than in their professional work. Professionals who described themselves as more spiritual also experienced greater satisfaction in hospice work. Job-related satisfaction, however, was dependent on factors other than spirituality. The findings support the contention that spiritual care is too critical to be left to clergy.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Citizens' boards for Philadelphia community mental health centers.

Community participation is a frequently discussed and controversial aspect of the community mental health center program. To many professionals and lay people, the community mental health center concept includes a basic commitment to a participatory process of the community in the planning and implementation of the community mental health center program. However, this commitment is not readily evident in the federal and Pennsylvania regulations. This paper presents an approach taken by the Philadelphia Office of Mental Health and Mental Retardation to insure that its 13 centers and base service units have a meaningful partnership with their catchment area communities. Specifically the paper presents the community participation regulations developed by the Philadelphia office, as well as the conditions that led to the development of these regulations. A conclusion of the paper is that additional regulations are needed to insure that community participation becomes an integral part of the community mental health center program.

Community Mental Health Services↗