Net worth of adults approaching retirement age: Personal health, presence of a chronically ill or disabled household member, and out of home caregiving

The US population is aging. As a result, an increasing number of workers, many in their prime earning years, will be called upon to provide care for older relatives and friends who live either within or outside of the worker's household (Caputo et al., 2016). Caregiving for others may occur over a number of years, as when parents are caring for a child with disabilities into their adult years, or for a shorter period of time, as when caring for a spouse or an older parent. As the COVID-19 pandemic has made clear, caregiving expectations may arise unexpectedly. Unpaid caregiving and paid employment both compete for a working adult's time. Over the life course, moving in and out of the labor market to meet caregiving needs of relatives or friends with chronic illness or disabilities may create economic turmoil in households that also may face increased need for costly health care-related goods and services (Parish et al., 2009;N.N.;Seltzer et al., 2001). A report from the National Alliance for Caregiving indicates that even before the pandemic, 70% of workers who provided care to elderly or disabled family members made adjustments to their work in order to handle caregiving activities, with impacts on take home pay and net worth for some individuals (NAC & AARP, 2015). The COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the need for structural changes to preserve the financial well-being of caregivers (van Dalen & Henkens, 2020). © 2022,Social Work and Society. All Rights Reserved.

Hybrid approaches to teaching: Re-imagining the teaching of a foundational science course during a global pandemic

Access to scientific knowledge, and teaching in the sciences, is believed to be about training because scientific knowledge is, generally, specialised. However, for students to gain full epistemological access in the sciences, they also need to be inducted as scientists and learners of science. We use Bernstein's regulative and instructional discourse to engage with the notion of epistemological access and effectiveness of a foundational science course. We examine how the course can cultivate scientific identities amongst first year students at a recently established South African university. Our analysis assesses the impact of the forced shift from contact teaching to Emergency Remote Teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We demonstrate that the course was able to begin to facilitate the cultivation of different kinds of knowers in science. However, several gaps remain. Thus, we argue that foundational science lecturers should focus on hybrid teaching approaches to promote enhanced learning amongst students. © 2022.

Evaluation of the impact of human immunodeficiency virus pre-exposure prophylaxis on new human immunodeficiency virus diagnoses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

AIMS: The national PrEP programme launched in Ireland in November 2019 with tenofovir/emtricitabine free to those meeting eligibility criteria. We assessed the impact of the first year of the PrEP programme on new HIV diagnoses in the largest sexual health and HIV service in Ireland. METHODS: A free PrEP service was established in November 2019. We reviewed the number of new diagnoses of HIV between November 2018-2019, before the introduction of the national PrEP programme and compared this with the number of new HIV diagnosis between November 2019-2020. RESULTS: There were 95 new HIV diagnoses (63.3% MSM) between November 2018 and 2019 and 73 new HIV diagnoses (65.7% MSM) between November 2019 and 2020. There was a statistically significant decline in new HIV diagnoses between the 2 years (P = 0.0003). 546 patients were prescribed PrEP as of December 2020.106 patients (19.4%) changed their PrEP dosing regimen due to lockdown. 178 individuals (32.6%) had a rectal infection diagnosed. CONCLUSION: There has been a reduction in new HIV diagnoses in our cohort (although this has occurred during a global pandemic). It is too early to say if PrEP reduces late presentations of HIV based on our findings. A significant number of rectal infections were identified in the PrEP clinic suggesting ongoing risk despite pandemic restrictions. Further research into sexual practices during COVID-19 is needed to assess if this had an impact on the lower rates of HIV acquisition.

Neurological complications in COVID-19: A single case study of rehabilitation treatment

Background/Aims: COVID-19 is a global pandemic, which has seen over 198 million cases as of August 2021. This case study highlights the rehabilitation of a young patient with respiratory and neurologic sequalae of COVID-19 across the continuum of care, from the intensive care unit to the inpatient rehabilitation unit. Case description: A 45-year-old woman, with past medical history of fibromyalgia and morbid obesity, presented with complaints of shortness of breath. She tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, was transferred to the intensive care unit, and was intubated for 17 days. The day after extubation, she experienced worsened mental status;computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans revealed bilateral strokes. On hospital day 21, she was transferred to the stroke step-down unit. On hospital day 24, she recovered some cognitive ability and movement of her lower extremities. On hospital day 30, she was admitted to the inpatient rehabilitation unit. Examination by occupational and physiotherapists found motor and sensory impairments of multiple peripheral nerves, including musculocutaneous, axillary and radial nerves. Interventions included passive range of motion, sitting balance, transfer training, rigid taping, upper extremity strengthening and functional training (gait, stair, activities of daily living). Her activities of daily living performance was limited by upper extremity weakness, sensory loss and pain. Conclusions This case highlights the medical, neurological and functional implications of COVID-19 on patients after prolonged hospitalisation. The plan of care was informed by collaboration between rehabilitation disciplines. Causes of her injuries are unclear but could include positioning, brachial plexus injuries, or post-critical illness syndrome. Further research on the evaluation and care of patients with COVID-19 that result in profound neurological impairments is warranted. © 2021 MA Healthcare Ltd. All rights reserved.