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.

The idea of English medieval towns and cities as filthy, muddy and insanitary is here overturned in a pioneering new study. Carole Rawcliffe continues with her mission to clean up the Middle Ages. In earlier work she has already given us scholarly yet sympathetic portrayals of English medicine, hospitals, and welfare for lepers. Now she widens her scope to public health. Her argument is clear, simple and convincing. Through the efforts of crown and civic authorities, mercantile elites and popular" interests, English towns and cities aspired to a far healthier, less polluted environment than previously supposed. All major sources of possible infection were regulated, from sounds and smells to corrupt matter - and to immorality. Once again Professor Rawcliffe has overturned a well-established orthodoxyin the history of pre-modern health and healing. Her book is a magnificent achievement." Peregrine Horden, Royal Holloway University of London. This first full-length study of public health in pre-Reformation England challenges a number of entrenched assumptions about the insanitary nature of urban life during "the golden age of bacteria". Adopting an interdisciplinary approach that draws on material remains as well as archives, it examines themedical, cultural and religious contexts in which ideas about the welfare of the communal body developed. Far from demonstrating indifference, ignorance or mute acceptance in the face of repeated onslaughts of epidemic disease, the rulers and residents of English towns devised sophisticated and coherent strategies for the creation of a more salubrious environment; among the plethora of initiatives whose origins often predated the Black Death can also be found measures for the improvement of the water supply, for better food standards and for the care of the sick, both rich and poor. CAROLE RAWCLIFFE is Professor of Medieval History, University of East Anglia.

The foundations of the health sciences need to be re-conceptualized. The mechanistic biomedical model seemingly so successful in the past is now criticized for its failure to explain what health is and how it can be maintained. The world's major health problems no longer seem to be under control. "Towards a New Science of Health" presents a radical alternative to current biomedical thinking.
This unique and controversial book is the first to offer serious practical ideas for the renewal of the health sciences. It provides both a radical spirit of inquiry which draws on a broad knowledge base and a variety of approaches, and a science which will build on innovative research. Presenting an overview of all major paradigms in the health sciences, their historical development, sociocultural background and value, the book provides a framework for innovative thinking in health. Drawing on a range of disciplinary perspectives and focusing on a variety of approaches systems theory, human experience, and biography, the healing process and social relations the authors aim to bridge the gap between personal experience and scientific knowledge.

This book explores the impacts of HIV/AIDS and neoliberal globalization on the occupational health of public sector hospital nurses in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The story of South African public sector nurses provides multiple perspectives on the HIV/AIDS epidemic-for a workforce that played a role in the struggle against apartheid, women who deal with the burden of HIV/AIDS care at work and in the community, and a constituency of the new South African democracy that is working on the frontlines of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Through case studies of three provincial hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, set against a historical backdrop, this book tells the story of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the post-apartheid period.

Levels of violence, abuse and neglect in early childhood are reported internationally as having reached epidemic proportions. The prevalence of all forms of violence to children has been difficult to establish, particularly in low and middle income countries. However, even in countries with a high GDP, the sexual abuse of children and young people by predatory adults may continue undetected for decades. In parts of Africa young children are mutilated and killed for religious reasons. Physical beatings that injure and break bones are still common in the Western world. Pornography and sexual abuse involving young children is propagated worldwide through the internet. The prevention of this violence will require substantial shifts in parental and public attitudes to children and the development and support of national systems of preventive legislation. The last 20 years has seen the emergence of a body of material which interrogates early childhood violence and neglect in a wider range of global settings, particularly those countries with a low GDP. This book aims to highlight important features of national and international initiatives which are rooted in findings from systematic research. The continued abuse and neglect of children has been attributed to social acceptance, not understanding the importance of reporting abuse, and the limitations of child welfare systems. This book will be of interest to practitioners in health care, education, and social work services, as well as field workers implementing programmes to address all forms of abuse at family, community and national level. This book was originally published as a special issue of Early Child Development and Care.

This edited volume of original chapters brings together researchers from around the world who are exploring the facets of health care organization and delivery that are sometimes marginal to mainstream patient safety theories and methodologies but offer important insights into the socio-cultural and organizational context of patient safety. By examining these critical insights or perspectives and drawing upon theories and methodologies often neglected by mainstream safety researchers, this collection shows we can learn more about not only the barriers and drivers to implementing patient safety programmes, but also about the more fundamental issues that shape notions of safety, alternate strategies for enhancing safety, and the wider implications of the safety agenda on the future of health care delivery. In so doing, A Socio-cultural Perspective on Patient Safety challenges the taken-for-granted assumptions around fundamental philosophical and political issues upon which mainstream orthodoxy relies. The book draws upon a range of theoretical and empirical approaches from across the social sciences to investigate and question the patient safety movement. Each chapter takes as its focus and question a particular aspect of the patient safety reforms, from its policy context and theoretical foundations to its practical application and manifestation in clinical practice, whilst also considering the wider implications for the organization and delivery of health care services. Accordingly, the chapters each draw upon a distinct theoretical or methodological approach to critically explore specific dimensions of the patient safety agenda. Taken as a whole, the collection advances a strong, coherent argument that is much needed to counter some of the uncritical assumptions that need to be described and analyzed if patient safety is indeed to be achieved.

Women's Mental Health Across the Lifespan examines women's mental health from a developmental perspective, looking at key stressors and strengths from adolescence to old age. Chapters focus in detail on specific stressors and challenges that can impact women's mental health, such as trauma, addictions, and mood and anxiety disorders. This book also examines racial and ethnic disparities in women's physical and mental health, mental health of sexual minorities and women with disabilities, and women in the military, and includes valuable suggestions for putting knowledge into practice.

Drugs and the workplace just don't mix. Yes, most users of illicit drugs are employed adults and there's a high correlation between levels of stress, income and alcohol abuse amongst professional and managerial employees. But the risks associated with drug use and abuse in the workplace have been well defined. Addiction at Work enables you to understand the background and extent of the problem: the cost of drug abuse to your organization; the role your own organizational culture may have in encouraging drug misuse; the risks associated with dangerous or stressful jobs. There are also chapters to help you understand the symptoms of drug abuse and the potential risks associated with perfectly legal prescription or over-the-counter medicines. The right kind of drug policy can be a significant weapon to fight this problem. So Addiction at Work explores your responsibility as an employer and how to design, communicate and implement a policy that is appropriate for your organization. Finally, there are chapters on the tools and techniques open to your organization for tackling the problem head on; ways of addressing problem behaviours; the advantages and disadvantages of drug screening and the ethics associated with this practice; employee assistance programmes and specialist care and, finally, the employment law issues around drugs. Addiction at Work has been written by some of the world-authorities on drug use in the workplace. It is an essential reference for organizations seeking a way through the human, ethical and legal issues (and the risk they present to any employer) of a social problem that is increasingly impacting employees whatever their work or the nature of their workplace.

This is a practical guide to both the methods for assessing the industrial workplace as to its fitness for people to work in and also to the methods for assessing the fitness of individuals for particular work tasks. The author attempts to re-examine the whole concept of fitness for work, acknowledging the prerogatives of both management and labour, but emphasizing the necessity for consideration of humanitarian concerns and legislative requirements. The book should be of interest to members of the health professions, in practice, in industry and in the educational institutions and to all non-medical personnel who are concerned with the selection, placement and management of workers in the work place, and to the business management and technical schools where these are trained. In addition, those policy makers and implementers for government, labour unions and other institutions where people seek to ensure a greater degree of equity in the practice and procedures of selection and placement should find the book of use.

In today's globalised world, it is increasingly important to understand the otherness of different societies and their beliefs, histories and practices. This book focuses on a burning cultural issue: how concepts and constructions of gender and sexuality impact upon health, medicine and healthcare. Starting from the premise that health is neither a universal nor a unitary concept, it offers a series of interdisciplinary analyses of what sickness and well-being have been, are and can be. The originality of this book is its cross-cultural and trans-historical approach. Bringing together specially commissioned work by both major critical voices and young scholars in fields ranging from anthropology and art history to philosophy, political science and sociology, this volume challenges many traditional assumptions about gender, medicine and health-care. Issues addressed include: the politics and realities of female genital mutilation; sex-work and migration; the portrayal of mothering in contemporary African writing; the representation of AIDS in literature, photography and the media; the place of gender in ancient Egyptian health papyri; the dramatisation of morality and sexual over-indulgence in Thai literature; the relationship between myths of menstruation and power in early modern England; the role of anger in traditional Chinese medicine; and the ways in which both disease and sexual identities were redefined by cholera in the nineteenth century. The wide-ranging Introduction provides a historical and theoretical framework for what is defined here as Cultural Medicine, whilst fifteen original essays demonstrate from different perspectives that health is not merely a physiological and medical issue, but also a cultural and ethical one. An invaluable research and study resource, this book is written in a clear and accessible style and will be of interest to the general reader as well as to students of all levels, to teachers of a wide range of disciplines, and to specialist researchers of cultural studies and of medicine.

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring The term 'microbiomes' encapsulates an important scientific breakthrough of recent years. This is the realization that humans, other animals, and plants harbour communities of microorganisms which are mostly beneficial but can occasionally cause or exacerbate disease. Our quickly developing understanding of microbiomes is being translated into novel microbial therapies for human disease and is contributing to sustainable practices in agriculture and food production. On the flipside, there is a growing concern that some claims for microbiomes, especially in relation to human health, far exceed the scientific data. This Very Short Introduction is an essential guide to the fast-moving discipline of microbiome science. It accessibly distills the key facts about our resident microbiomes, explains how and why our health and wellbeing depend on them, and provides readers with the fundamental knowledge they need to judge the reliability of claims about microbiome-based applications. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introduction series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

This book explores what anthropology can contribute to an understanding of how people live through pandemics. It reflects on how pandemics are experienced and what we can learn from Covid-19 as well as previous instances that might inform future responses and help to alleviate suffering. The chapters highlight current research and longer-term reflections from different countries and areas of the discipline, covering medical anthropology, care and surveillance, digital and experimental ethnography, and the everyday economies of lockdown. They show the breadth and originality of anthropological work relevant to thinking about and responding to pandemic situations. Extending beyond Covid-19, the volume considers the implications for ongoing and future research under pandemic restrictions and gives a broad overview of current anthropology relevant to questions about pandemics. It will be of interest to both academic and applied anthropologists, as well as to sociologists and those working in global and public health.

Hearing loss is a common chronic condition which is often poorly recognized but can have multiple negative impacts, not just on the lives of those directly affected, but also those living with them. People with impaired hearing may begin a long and uncertain journey involving a number of key stages, from emerging awareness and help-seeking, to diagnosis, adjustment, and self-evaluation. Based on a model of person-centered audiological rehabilitation, this book explains why it is important to understand both patients' own experiences, and those of their communication partners, over time. It focuses particularly on the human dynamics of hearing loss, exploring the broader consequences of hearing loss for the individual, family members, and wider society. In particular the book: gives insight into the patients' and their communication partners' experiences and perspectives through clear and telling first-hand narrative accounts; examines how people understand their own hearing loss, reflect on their experiences with hearing aids - both positive and negative - and evaluate treatment options; considers the changes needed to conversations in order to include all communication partners, whether with impaired hearing or not; and discusses consequences of hearing loss using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). With its explicit aim to increase awareness of the need to include the patient and close relatives in the process of rehabilitation, this new text makes an important contribution to further improve evidence-based practice in the field of audiological rehabilitation. An ideal text for audiology, ENT, and nursing students of all levels.

Ageing is widely recognised as one of the social and economic challenges in the contemporary, globalised world, for which scientific, technological and medical solutions are continuously sought. This book proposes that science and technology also played a crucial role in the creation and transformation of the ageing society itself. Drawing on existing work on science, technology and ageing in sociology, anthropology, history of science, geography and social gerontology, Science, Technology and the Ageing Society explores the complex, interweaving relationship between expertise, scientific and technological standards and social, normatively embedded age identities. Through a series of case studies focusing on older people, science and technology, medical research about ageing and ageing-related illnesses, and the role of expertise in the management of ageing populations, Moreira challenges the idea that aging is a problem for the individual and society. Tracing the epistemic and technological infrastructures that underpin multiple of ways of aging, this timely volume is a crucial tool for undergraduate and graduate students interested in social gerontology, health and social care, sociology of aging, science and technology studies and medical sociology.

Roe v. Wade came like a bolt from the blue, but support had been building for years. For many, the idea that life in the womb was not fully protected under the Constitution was simply not acceptable. Political campaigns were organized and protests launched, including the bombing of clinics and the killing of abortion providers. Questions about the protection and support of life continued after birth. This book is based on a hugely popular undergraduate course taught at the University of Texas, and is ideal for those interested in the social construction of social worth, social problems, and social movements. This book is part of a larger text, Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Decides?, http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415892476/

Dementia and related diseases are likely to affect at least four in every hundred 75-79 year olds in the developed world over the coming years. Faced with an expanding older population, it is crucial that we develop our understanding of how to treat people suffering from such conditions. This accessible book provides extensive information on the different types of dementia and on memory problems more generally. It includes detailed coverage of how to alleviate memory problems and discussion on issues such as ageism. For the student reader, there are descriptions and discussions of key topics as well as practical step-by-step guidance. The book includes a memory test as well as a comprehensive list of useful addresses and suggestions for further reading. This book will be an invaluable resource for the trained healthcare and medical professional and for the student reader.

Hearing loss is a common chronic condition which is often poorly recognized but can have multiple negative impacts, not just on the lives of those directly affected, but also those living with them. People with impaired hearing may begin a long and uncertain journey involving a number of key stages, from emerging awareness and help-seeking, to diagnosis, adjustment, and self-evaluation. Based on a model of person-centered audiological rehabilitation, this book explains why it is important to understand both patients' own experiences, and those of their communication partners, over time. It focuses particularly on the human dynamics of hearing loss, exploring the broader consequences of hearing loss for the individual, family members, and wider society. In particular the book: gives insight into the patients' and their communication partners' experiences and perspectives through clear and telling first-hand narrative accounts; examines how people understand their own hearing loss, reflect on their experiences with hearing aids - both positive and negative - and evaluate treatment options; considers the changes needed to conversations in order to include all communication partners, whether with impaired hearing or not; and discusses consequences of hearing loss using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). With its explicit aim to increase awareness of the need to include the patient and close relatives in the process of rehabilitation, this new text makes an important contribution to further improve evidence-based practice in the field of audiological rehabilitation. An ideal text for audiology, ENT, and nursing students of all levels.

A significant body of theoretical and empirical studies describes 'sense of place' as an outcome of interconnected psychological, social and environmental processes in relation to physical place(s). Sense of place has been examined, particularly in human geography, in terms of both the character intrinsic to a place as a localized, bounded and material entity, and the sentiments of attachment/detachment that humans experience and express in relation to specific places. Scholars in a wide range of disciplines are increasingly exploring the relationship between place and health, and recently, the field of public health has been encouraged to recognize sense of place as a potential contributing factor to well-being. It is evident that over the last few decades, sense of place has developed into a versatile construct. This important book brings together work related to sense of place and health, broadly defined, from the perspective of a variety of fields and disciplines. It will give the reader an understanding of both the range of applications of this construct within approaches to human health as well as the breadth of research methodologies employed in its investigation.

How can 'binge drinking' be explained and understood? Is alcohol consumption related to the particular cultural characteristics of some European countries? Should heavy drinking cultures be seen as a mainstream youth phenomenon or as marginal - and is this different in different countries? A team of leading researchers addresses these questions and more in their analysis of the alcohol consumption patterns of European young people. Alcohol consumption is an important marker of transition from childhood to early adulthood, yet the timing, intensity and purpose of adolescent drinking varies dramatically between countries. The contributors provide cross-national comparisons to investigate how drinking behaviour varies, examining factors such as gender, societal context and family socio-economic backgrounds. Youth Drinking Cultures offers a comprehensive set of perspectives on adolescent drinking in Europe. In linking issues around social identity and the life-course with a highly topical area of media and policy concern, the book will be of great value to sociology and social policy scholars, especially youth researchers, and also to professionals working with young people.

The Routledge Handbook of Health Tourism provides a comprehensive and cutting-edge overview of the philosophical, conceptual and managerial issues in the field of health tourism with contributions from more than 30 expert academics and practitioners from around the world. Terms that are used frequently when defining health tourism, such as wellbeing, wellness, holistic, medical and spiritual, are analysed and explored, as is the role that health and health tourism play in quality-of-life enhancement, wellbeing, life satisfaction and happiness. An overview is provided of health tourism facilities such as thermal waters, spas, retreats and wellness hotels and the various challenges inherent in managing these profitably and sustainably. Typologies are given not only of subsectors of health tourism and related activities but also of destinations, such as natural landscapes, historic townscapes or individual resources or attractions around which whole infrastructures have been developed. Attention is paid to some of the lifestyle changes that are taking place in societies which influence consumer behaviour, motivations and demand for health tourism, including government policies, regulations and ethical considerations. This significant volume offers the reader a comprehensive synthesis of this field, conveying the latest thinking and research. The text is international in focus, encouraging dialogue across disciplinary boundaries and areas of study and will be an invaluable resource for all those with an interest in health tourism.

First published in 1992. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This volume addresses the ideational and policy-oriented challenges of Africa's health governance due to voluntary and involuntary cross-border migration of people and diseases in a growing 'mobile Africa'. The collected set of specialized contributions in this volume examines how national and regional policy innovation can address the competing conception of sovereignty in dealing with Africa's emerging healthcare problems in a fast-paced, interconnect world.