ABSTRACT
The InCoPE-App is a mobile application that allows nursing home staff to test and train physical performance and cognition of indivivals with dementia (IWD). In times of COVID-19, this is a novel and innovative approach which allows nursing homes to maintain a physical activity routine while complying with hygiene and safety measures as no external exercise instructor is needed. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the usability of the InCoPEApp on the base of an expert user review as the first step of an iteratively structured evaluation phase. Seven interdisciplinary experts performed standardized tasks within the InCoPE-App and completed the System Usability Scale (SUS). The results show that there is action required to improve the usability before the 2nd phase of the evaluation will take place in a laboratory setting and subsequently the 18-weeks field intervention involving end users.
ABSTRACT
How has financial globalization changed the nature of the external vulnerability of emerging economies? The authors first present an overview of the changes in international capital flows and cross-border stocks involving emerging economies from the 1970s to the COVID-19 crisis, and then identify relevant recent shifts in financial globalization. They depart from the critique of growth by debt strategies, put forward, among others, by Riese, and the concept of currency hierarchy. Their question is whether this critique still holds when one considers the main recent features of financial globalization. They find that Riese’s contributions are still relevant when analysing the external vulnerability of emerging-market economies (EMEs), even with caveats that stem from his oversimplified view of the financial sector. They conclude that financial vulnerability overall has not decreased, but rather has changed its nature and the channels through which it affects EMEs, becoming more complex. © 2022 The Author.
ABSTRACT
During the COVID-19 pandemic, challenges have arisen in pastoral care as a result of physical distancing and an increase in social and mental distress. Daily burdens and their consequences have led to an increased need for pastoral support in various fields, for example, hospitals, schools and church congregations. The study analyzes n = 307 pastoral carers in Germany in spring 2020 at the end of the first lockdown. Encounters and media use, interprofessional cooperation, topics of communication and the needs of pastoral carers were assessed for different areas of pastoral care. Results show a drastic decline in face-to-face communication, with significant differences between the various fields of pastoral care. The use of media has increased significantly, with a preference for synchronous interaction via telephone and video. Topics of pastoral care varied from everyday hassles to existential concerns, also including spiritual needs and struggles. Social isolation, the need to just talk to someone and the need for comfort and hope were mentioned the most. During the pandemic, pastoral carers used various media and established new ways to enable encounters and maintain contact. In the future, new methods for enabling pastoral care must be developed, evaluated and reflected on. © 2022. Equinox Publishing Ltd, Office 415, The Workstation, 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S1 2BX. All Rights Reserved.