Public health researchers and clinicians regularly work with people who have suffered physical and mental trauma. Knowing how to conduct a study or treat a patient while navigating deep emotional issues requires special skills and overall awareness of how trauma can impact the process and outcomes of participating in research and/or receiving health care. This book presents a diverse array of case examples from scholars of health-related topics, focusing on biographical narrative as a window into understanding key needs in trauma informed scholarship and medicine. Exploring stories from people of varied backgrounds, experiences, and contexts can help professionals within and beyond the academic research and clinical care spheres create rewarding experiences for patients. Negotiating the Emotional Challenges of Conducting Deeply Personal Research in Health will be of interest to public health practitioners, educators and researchers as well as students.

Child surveillance is a subject of increasing scientific, social and political debate in many countries of the world. In the UK, protocols for effective action are based on a government report, 'Health for all children'. The research which gave rise to these protocols has been developed further in the Netherlands and, drawing on the experience of other health care systems, has produced conclusions which challenge some widely-accepted assumptions about appropriate procedures. This book reviews the international research and recommendations of the Dutch working party. It presents an authoritative and practical survey of the contents and frequency of child health surveillance programmes, procedures for quality control and improvement, possibilities for parental involvement, and the levels of expertise necessary to run programmes effectively. It offers a clear vision of a more sophisticated approach to child health care and is therefore an important reference for community paediatricians and others involved in the development of primary care.

Pain. Chronic digestive symptoms. Poor sleep. Neuropathy. Sensory disturbances. Fatigue. Panic. Constant illness and discomfort. Frequent difficulty coping with work, school, relationships. Despite the common experience of being told that it's all in their heads, that they're just making themselves sick, individuals with these symptoms are experiencing a very real, sometimes debilitating, illness phenomenon. But what is it? Physical or mental illness? Political or social identity? Cultural, narrative, or discursive construction? When something goes awry at the intersection of mind and body - the psychosomatic - what is happening? Widely recognized, yet difficult to classify, diagnose, treat, and explain, psychosomatic disorders are heavily stigmatized, and the associated syndromes have become the site of controversy and antipathy in the provider-patient relationship. In popular culture, terms such as medically unexplained symptoms, hysteria, neurasthenia, hypochondria, functional illness, and malingering are misunderstood, unknown, or rejected outright. Meanwhile, perspectives from cultural and textual studies focus on the psychosomatic as a metaphor in art, literature, and popular media, where disruptions of the body and mind are regularly made to stand in for individual alienation and cultural malaise. Bringing together multiple perspectives, this challenging volume tackles causes, and innovative, humanistic solutions, to conflicts in the provider-patient relationship; uses the psychosomatic as a lens for theorizing the self in culture; and examines the metaphorical potential of the psychosomatic in fictional narrative. Providing a unique assemblage of interdisciplinary, international approaches to understanding the problem of the psychosomatic in both expert and lay discourses, this pioneering edited collection is aimed at students and researchers of health, popular culture, and the health care humanities.

The Toxic Schoolhouse is a collection of articles on chemical hazards endangering students, teachers, and staff in the education system of the United States and Canada. Some of the articles were originally published in a special issue of New Solutions: A Journal of Occupational and Environmental Policy, but all have been updated and several new articles have been added. The book is organized in three sections. The first describes problems ranging from the failures of coordination, monitoring, and siting of school buildings to the hazards of exposure to toxic substances, including lead and PCBs. The second section captures the voices of activists seeking change and describes community and union organizing efforts to improve school conditions. The third section covers policy "solutions." The authors include academics, union staff and rank-and-file activists, parent organization leaders, and public health professionals.

This volume charts new methodological territories for rhetorical studies and the emerging field of the rhetoric of health and medicine. In offering an expanded, behind-the-scenes view of rhetorical methodologies, it advances the larger goal of differentiating the rhetoric of health and medicine as a distinct but pragmatically diverse area of study, while providing rhetoricians and allied scholars new ways to approach and explain their research. Collectively, the volume's 16 chapters: Develop, through extended examples of research, creative theories and methodologies for studying and engaging medicine's high-stakes practices. Provide thick descriptions of and heuristics for methodological invention and adaptation that meet the needs of needs of new and established researchers. Discuss approaches to researching health and medical rhetorics across a range of contexts (e.g., historical, transnational, socio-cultural, institutional) and about a range of ethical issues (e.g., agency, social justice, responsiveness).

Originally published in 1990. Many post-World War I autobiographies focus on episodes of crisis. In a century torn by global strife and breakdown of cultural institutions, autobiography provides a way of recovering from crisis and restructuring reality-a healing act that involves the writer in a "wrestle with words and meanings" that can be deeply regenerative. Narration can be a way of purging guilt and pain, re-centering the self, and reconnecting with community after a shattering experience has driven one into silence and isolation. This book considers the problems, such as finding words for the inexplicable, the narrative perspective chosen and the traditional forms or narrative structures as means of re-patterning consciousness. It looks at seven autobiographies as crisis narratives and demonstrates how therapy and art merge in autobiography so that the literature acts back upon life. Works considered: Vera Brittain's Testament of Youth; Elie Wiesel's Night; Christa Wolf's Kinheitsmuster (A Model Childhood); C. S. Lewis' A Grief Observed; Peter Handke's Wunschloses Unglueck (A Sorrow Beyond Dreams); Adrienne Rich's Of Woman Born; Robert Prisig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

In an invasive, paternalistic, federal public policy environment for Indigenous communities, this book provides an in-depth account of one person's experiences as a 'Stolen Generation' Aboriginal Australian. Told from the heart, the book speaks in the raw voice of a grandmother reflecting on her life, focusing on her childhood experiences, subsequent perceptions and life stories. The book presents a rare autobiographical journaling of the psychological impact of institutionalisation on an Indigenous woman, her search for family, community and identity, her psychological breakdown and her personal reconstruction through telling her story in a supportive educational environment. As an Appendix, the author provides us with a critical analysis and autoethnography - using her story as a case study - that provides deep insights into the personal experience of dealing with forced institutionalisation and social engineering to assimilate Aboriginal people.

In the late nineteenth century on the eve of the formation of Australia as a nation-state in 1902, the Australian medical system could be best described as a pluralistic one in the sense that while regular medicine constituted the predominant medical system, it was not clearly the dominant one in that regular physicians faced competition from a wide array of alternative practitioners. As regular medicine increasingly assumed the guise of being scientific, it evolved into biomedicine and developed a link with corporate and state interests in the early twentieth century in Australia, as in other capitalist developed societies. Relying upon state support, Australian biomedicine has achieved dominance over alternative medical system, such as homeopathy, herbal medicine, osteopathy, chiropractic, and naturopathy. Various social forces, particularly the development of the holistic health movement, have served to challenge biomedical dominance in Australia, like elsewhere. What started out as a popular health movement in the early 1970s has evolved into the professionalized entity that is generally referred to as 'complementary medicine' in Australia (as opposed to 'complementary and alternative medicine' in the US and UK). Complementary medicine in Australia encompasses many medical systems and therapies. Since the 1980s certain heterodox medical systems, particularly chiropractic, osteopathy, acupuncture and Chinese medicine, naturopathy, Western herbalism, and homeopathy, have achieved considerable recognition from the Australian state, either at the federal level or at the state and territorial levels. Indeed, the Australian state appears to have gone further than any other Anglophone country in terms of providing public funding for complementary medicine education. Conversely, it has committed a limited amount of funding for complementary medicine research compared to the United States.

Thoughts, reflections and experiences voiced by ancient sages appear in this book as 'coaching conversations'. Their wisdom creates a vibrant landscape populated with insights which help us to reflect upon and discuss emotions encountered in personal transformation and constant workplace change. They allow us to process past experiences and emotions in order to move on. James Carlopio shows us that coaching for personal improvement has occurred since time-immemorial. These ancient quotes illuminate modern-day socio-cognitive constructs and techniques used in coaching psychology. The 'coaching conversation' itself is grounded in the constructivist-narrative approaches used within Solution-Focused Brief Therapy. These ancient quotes will assist readers to undergo personal transitions, Executive Coaches to facilitate workplace change and Life Coaches in personal development. Positive Psychology and important areas in coaching psychology are referenced in the Introduction and section openings. Supported by a subject index, this luminous work is grouped into sections addressing: awareness of self and others life, death, health and happiness wisdom, communication and learning achievement, goals and effort The text is designed to help people access emotion, express emotion, acknowledge emotion, release emotion and move on gracefully to happier, more successful and less stressed lives.

Modern societies and organizations are characterized by multiple kinds of observations, systems, or rationalities, rather than singular identities and clear hierarchies. This holds true for healthcare where we find a range of different perspectives - from medicine to education, from science to law, from religion to politics - brought together in different types of arrangements. This innovative volume explores how this polycontexturality plays out in the healthcare arena. Drawing on systems theory, and Luhmann's theory of social systems as communicative systems in particular, the contributors investigate how things - drugs, for example - and bodies are observed and constructed in different ways under polycontextural conditions. They explore how the different types of communication and observation are brought into workable arrangements - without becoming identical or reconciled - and discuss how health care organizations observe their own polycontexturality. Providing an analysis of healthcare structures that is up to speed with the complexity of healthcare today, this book shows how society and its organizations simultaneously manage contexts that do not fit together. It is an important work for those with an interest in health and illness, social theory, Niklas Luhmann, organizations and systems theory from a range of backgrounds including sociology, health studies, political science and management.

Almost all families will at some time have to make difficult decisions concerning aging family members, involving institutionalization, moving from medical interventions to palliative care, and even physician-assisted death. Yet, the historical transition from traditional to post-traditional society means that these decisions are no longer determined by strict rules and norms, and the growing role of the welfare state has been accompanied by changes in the nature of family and social solidarity. Advances in medical technology and greatly expanded life spans further complicate the decision-making process. Family, Intergenerational Solidarity, and Post-Traditional Society examines a range of difficult issues that families commonly face during the family life course within these contexts. The book explores both practical and ethical questions regarding filial responsibility and the roles of the state and adult children in providing financial and instrumental support to dependent parents. The book follows the experiences and deliberations of a fictional family through a series of vignettes in which its members must make difficult decisions about the treatment of a seriously ill parent. Advanced undergraduate and graduate students in family studies, gerontology/aging, sociology, social work, health and social care, and nursing will find this essential reading.

Almost all families will at some time have to make difficult decisions concerning aging family members, involving institutionalization, moving from medical interventions to palliative care, and even physician-assisted death. Yet, the historical transition from traditional to post-traditional society means that these decisions are no longer determined by strict rules and norms, and the growing role of the welfare state has been accompanied by changes in the nature of family and social solidarity. Advances in medical technology and greatly expanded life spans further complicate the decision-making process. Family, Intergenerational Solidarity, and Post-Traditional Society examines a range of difficult issues that families commonly face during the family life course within these contexts. The book explores both practical and ethical questions regarding filial responsibility and the roles of the state and adult children in providing financial and instrumental support to dependent parents. The book follows the experiences and deliberations of a fictional family through a series of vignettes in which its members must make difficult decisions about the treatment of a seriously ill parent. Advanced undergraduate and graduate students in family studies, gerontology/aging, sociology, social work, health and social care, and nursing will find this essential reading.

With neo-liberal resource rationing, and the onus of cost shifting from the state to individuals, families, and communities, migration issues can add a further layer of complexity to the question of caring for the elderly. By presenting examples from a variety of contexts and countries, this book will stimulate readers into considering new approaches to their own local situation in an attempt to find sustainable social work responses, and in helping to build intergenerational solidarity and social capital. Contributions to the book focus on patterns of migration: older migrants, migrating families and migrant carers. Facilitating and supporting social solidarity both locally and internationally requires social workers to understand the different contexts for elderly social work both within their own country, and internationally. Central to this area of work is the promotion of values that respect differences and uphold the principles of human rights and social justice. This book highlights the need to consider migration as a driver for social change, offering the opportunity for new forms of social solidarity that can adapt and support people inter-generationally and sustainably in later life. This book was originally published as a special issue of the European Journal of Social Work.

This edited book includes new policy-relevant research on women's health issues in Africa. Scholars explore critical topics from different disciplinary traditions using a variety of research methodologies and data sources. The contributors include African scholars with in-depth knowledge of their home contexts, who can furnish nuanced interpretations of local health issues and trends; international researchers who bring vigorous comparative viewpoints; emerging scholars adding to scientific knowledge; and more established researchers with a deep global knowledge of women's health issues. The range of women's health issues is vast, including the HIV epidemic and its impacts; domestic violence; the persistence of homebirths; and abortion. In addition, the book investigates emerging health concerns such as CVDs and cancers. Readers will learn that, while old health issues have persisted and assumed new dimensions, newer concerns have materialized and are now gaining momentum. The inability of health systems to tackle these issues complicates matters in Africa, creating a sense of desperation that can only be successfully confronted through strong political will and strategic planning, grounded in further research. The chapters in this book were originally published in the journal Health Care for Women International.

First published in 1975, this book looks at the place of children with handicaps in society, at that time. It argues that in the thirty years previous, a great deal of progress was made in the field of rehabilitation but that the separation between handicapped people and the community was still a challenge. A strong range of contributors discuss approaches to the problem focusing on education, employment, and daily life. Topics covered include the social aspects of integration, through the problems of the multiple-handicapped child, to a survey of disabled students at universities and polytechnics in Great Britain.

A rapidly ageing population is the most significant demographic issue confronting Singapore in our lifetime. This has created new and increasing demands on Singapore's healthcare system and on the families of the older adults. The challenge is in providing a system of care that is humane, effective and sustainable financially. This requires coordination between state funded providers, the family and the community. This book offers a multi-disciplinary perspective by researchers from various disciplines such as medicine, sociology, anthropology and law on managing healthcare and end-of-life decisions in Singapore. Providing information and suggestions for better policy formulation towards the aged, this book is an invaluable resource for policy makers, serivce practitioners and scholars working on Asian gerontology.

Long-term care in the United States and other countries suffers multiple problems. Many people find it difficult to afford the high costs of services available and there is often inadequate care coordination, which compromises care quality, particularly amongst those eligible for multiple public programs. Recruitment and retention of a well-trained, stable workforce is also considered a challenge that needs to be addressed. The policy debate leading up to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) drew attention to prevailing deficiencies in the way long-term care is delivered, regulated, and financed in the United States. This collection reviews what was accomplished by the legislation and what still remains to be done. Just how effective is the ACA likely to be in addressing the challenges plaguing the long-term care sector? Did it result in meaningful change or make little impact? This book answers these questions, drawing contributions from among the most eminent long-term care experts in the United States. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Aging & Social Policy.

Enhance your rehabilitation program with this authoritative volume. Experts from the Department of Physical Therapy of Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, explore the most current developments in cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation. Reading this highly practical volume will provide you with insight into the current status and future trends of pulmonary rehabilitation, supply you with rationale and supporting data for physiological and psychological mechanisms that seem to influence the pulmonary rehabilitation process, and illustrate the successes of both a hospital-based and a community-based pulmonary rehabilitation program. Valuable chapters on the physical therapy interventions required by and designed for coronary bypass surgery patients and heart transplantation patients will offer you additional useful information. Advances in Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation is an ideal resource for professionals, including physical therapists, who are or who wish to become, involved in the care of patients with cardiac or chronic pulmonary disorders.