Purpose -This paper reports on a research study which explored a network of "Friendship Clubs" in two counties in the South of England. The charity provides the opportunity (through transport and venue provision) for older people to meet locally every week and enjoy activities. These activities are negotiated with the members of each individual club and facilitated by volunteers some examples are card games, outings, information giving sessions, physical exercise, guest speakers and entertainers, as well as informal conversation over a tea and cake.Methodology -This exploratory study used three qualitative data collection methods, participatory observation, individual interviews and focus groups along with collecting biographical information for club members.Findings -The findings from this study fall within three key concepts in relation to the participants perceived benefits from attending the friendship clubs: increased wellbeing, improvements in general health and improvements in social relationships. Originality/value -This study highlights that Friendship Clubs can help tackle the challenge and subsequent effects of social isolation for the older age 2 group. The quality of the experience the clubs provide is however essential to their success as they need to focus on valuing, supporting, and educating. Research limitations/implications -

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Background: Professionals from the mental health and criminal justice systems must collaborate effectively to address offender mental health, but interprofessional training is lacking. Pedagogical frameworks are required to support the development of training in this new area. To inform this framework, this article explores the readiness of professionals toward interprofessional training and demographic differences in these. It explores expectations of interprofessional training, perceived obstacles to collaborative working, interprofessional training needs, and challenges facing delivery.

In a climate of intense international scrutiny of healthcare and nursing in particular, there is an urgent need to identify, foster and support a caring disposition in student nurses worldwide. Yet relatively little is known about how core nursing values are shaped during education programmes and this warrants further investigation. This longitudinal study commencing in Findings from Phase One show that neophyte student nurses are enthusiastic about wanting to care and aspire to making a difference to patients and their families. This research promises to offer contributions to the debate around what caring means and in particular how it is understood by student nurses. Findings will benefit educators and students which will ultimately impact positively on those in receipt of health care.

Milk lipids were fraetionated by silicic acid column chronlatography and preparative thinlayer chromatography [TLC). Ceramide monohexoside (CMH), eeramide dihexoside (CDH), phosphatidyl ethanolamine (PE), phosphatidyl choline (PC), phosphatidyl serine (PS), and ~phingomyelin (Sph) were isolated, and the purity of each was checked by infrared spectroscopy and TLC. The diacylphospholipids were hydrotyzed with phospholipase A and the products separated by TLC. Fatty acid methyl esters were prepared from the various fractions and analyzed by gas chromatography.The glycolipids, CMH and CDH, and Sph contained large amounts of long-chain saturated fatty acids, especially C2.,:., C2:~:., and C,,4:,.PE, PS, and PC contained C~o-C,,,, normal and branched-chain saturated fatty acids, and C15-'C2o unsaturated fatty acids (mainly monoenes). The distributions of saturated acids between the a'-and B-positions were respectively : PE, 46 and 11%; PS, 65 and 19%; and PC, 72 and 53%. PC was exceptional in that there was 10.8% myristie acid in the B-position and only 5.6% in the a'-position. PE and PS were similar in composition except that in PE oleic acid was evenly distributed, and in PS was largely in the B-position. In general, PC was much more saturated than PE or PS, and there was no overall pattern governing the specific distribution of the fatty acids in the three diaeylphospholipids. Comparison with PC from other bovine tissues and from egg lecithin showed that fatty acids are located much less specifically in milk phospholipids than in PC from other sources.