Vision and falls: a multidisciplinary review of the contributions of visual impairment to falls among older adults.

Falls are a leading cause of mortality among older adults worldwide. With the increasing aging population, falls are rapidly becoming a public health concern. Numerous internal and external factors have been associated with an older adult's increased risk of falling.

Comorbid mental health symptoms and heart diseases: can health care and mental health care professionals collaboratively improve the assessment and management?

On the basis of current epidemiological and clinical research, this article describes how mental health symptoms are associated with heart disease, a major chronic condition that occurs primarily in middle and late life. The article describes the culturally and historically important link between heart and mind. It then describes depression and anxiety, both as manifestations of heart disease and as contributors to the disease prognosis.

A longitudinal look at social work leadership in hospitals: the impact of a changing health care system.

This article examines the responses of social work administrators to the changes occurring throughout their hospitals over three time periods in the 1990s; the major accomplishments of social work services in their facilities; and the failures, frustrations, and obstacles in the delivery of social work services. It compares the reports of social work director cohorts on the changes they experienced over an eight-year period with what they had expected in their settings. It also analyzes their perceptions over time of obstacles and opportunities for hospital social work administrators in response to these changes.

The impact of organizational change on social work staffing in a hospital setting: a national, longitudinal study of social work in hospitals.

Market forces continue to shape the health care environment, producing radical changes within the hospital. These changes are affecting social work structure, staffing, and processes within the hospital setting, particularly in the area of social work staffing. This paper examines the changes impacting hospital settings over three fiscal years.