Showing posts with label physical health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label physical health. Show all posts

Thursday, 4 September 2014

Thursday, 14 August 2014

Paper: Low-cost strategies to improve dementia care

An interest in health and science invites some thought about chaos, complexity and catastrophe theory. These suggest quite a cold - mechanistic - perspective of reality. So trying to think of clinical and nursing examples beyond fluid dynamics, the heart muscle... to more socially oriented applications demands some creative thinking.

In my work within intermediate support in the community for decades my colleagues and I come across cases were husband, wife, partner have looked their significant other to the nth degree. That degree can include hiding the extent of a person's cognitive problems from other family members. Suddenly there is a real catastrophe as the carer is taken acutely ill and hospitalised.

Left at home soon the dependency is revealed. Trying to negotiate care at home can then be a real challenge.

Alternately, when people living with dementia are hospitalised for physical reasons another host of challenges arise.

I've a relative who works over at Warrington General Hospital and it's great to be able to help highlight a paper written by Michelle Beavan their dementia champion and published in Nursing Times:

Beavan M (2014) Low-cost strategies to improve dementia care. Nursing Times; 110: online issue.


Saturday, 21 June 2014

disABLED: What's behind a symbol?

individual
INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES
humanistic ------------------------------------------- mechanistic
SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL
group

NY State

Well done NY excellent MOVE!
(and hope to visit next year)

My source: James Moore, Clash of Symbols, The Independent 20 June 2014, p.35.
 
Image source from upper right:
http://in-abled.com/blog/2014/04/would-martin-luther-king-jr-care-about-disabilities/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disability

Sunday, 18 May 2014

ICN International Conference 19-23 June 2015 Seoul, Republic of Korea - Global Citizen, Global Nursing

http://www.icn2015.com

The International Council of Nurses is pleased to send you the link to the Call for Abstracts for the ICN Conference to be held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, 19-23 June 2015.  With the theme “Global Citizen, Global Nursing”, the ICN 2015 Conference will provide a global platform for the dissemination of nursing knowledge and leadership across specialities, cultures and countries.

The extensive ICN 2015 Conference scientific programme will feature keynote and main session invited speakers as well as a wide range of concurrent sessions including dynamic papers accepted through our highly competitive abstract selection process.

To share your ideas, research and expertise on how to provide quality care, improve populations’ equity and access to health care or contribute to further advance nursing knowledge and practice, you are invited to submit an abstract.

The Call for Abstracts provides you with all necessary information to enable you to actively contribute to the scientific and educational content of the ICN 2013 Congress by submitting an abstract on-line at www.icn2015.com

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS NOW AVAILABLE AT www.icn2015.com

Key dates

15 April 2014:
Online submission of abstracts opens
7 October 2014:
Online submission of abstracts closes (midnight GMT)
7 October 2014: 
Registration opens
9 December 2014:
Applicants notified of abstract acceptance
11 February 2015:
Deadline for registration of abstract presenters

My source: PAHO

Friday, 16 May 2014

If you must rumple the care domains - rumple them together

individual
INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES
humanistic ------------------------------------------- mechanistic
SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL
group

'A Man’s body and his mind, 
with the utmost reverence to both I speak it, 
are exactly like a jerkin, and a jerkin’s lining; – 
rumple the one – you rumple the other.’ 1





1 Sterne L. The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (1761), vol. 3, ch. 4 (eds M New, J New). University of Florida Press, 1978.

Source: Royal College of Psychiatrists (2013) Whole-person care: from rhetoric to reality Achieving parity between mental and physical health. Occasional Paper 88, March 2013. p.2.

Saturday, 29 March 2014

Amelia: with Human Steps Lalala

INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES
humanistic ------------------------------------------- mechanistic
SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL
individual

Just-be







with us





NO!
Be still!
Just-ice
group - population

My source: Sky Arts 1 and Amelia - my grandmother

Friday, 14 March 2014

So many gardens: Press Release [ now ]

It had to happen. Twice over.

The irony that just as so many homes with older people living in them have gardens that are in a state of neglect, so too do many nursing and care homes.

Of course this is a sign in those domestics homes of reduced abilities.

In the residential care and nursing homes, garden neglect is reassuring.
A $ure sign that the love and spending is on the blooms inside?

Sunday, 9 March 2014

THE LANCET From public to planetary health: a manifesto

http://t.co/TUIj0MRVb7

A new vision for planetary health

Copyright: European Space Agency/Science Photo Library
This manifesto for transforming public health calls for a social movement to support collective public health action at all levels of society. Our aim is to respond to the threats we face: threats to human health and wellbeing, threats to the sustainability of our civilisation, and threats to the natural and human-made systems that support us.

Our vision is for a planet that nourishes and sustains the diversity of life with which we co-exist and on which we depend. Our goal is to create a movement for planetary health.

If you agree with the broad thrust of the manifesto (not necessarily every detail), please register your agreement here.

Sunday, 23 February 2014

Man Runs a Loop-the-Loop (in Hodges' model - discuss?)

INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES
humanistic ------------------------------------------- mechanistic
SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL
individual






group - population

Monday, 17 February 2014

Good Health, Manchester Training Programme 2014/15

Dear Colleague,

Manchester Public Health Development Service are delighted to announce the launch of their updated and refreshed training programme – the Good Health, Manchester Training Programme 2014/15.

This year we are very excited to announce an online booking system that will make booking on our courses even easier for you and your colleagues. Please visit www.goodhealth-manchester.nhs.uk/training to browse and book onto the many public health training courses we have on offer for 2014/15. We have over 50 courses covering a multitude of topics. All courses are free-of-charge to those who work with Manchester people. If your organisation would prefer a bespoke training tailor-made to your needs, please click here.

Please forward this email to any individuals or colleagues that may be interested in attending one of our courses.

We look forward to seeing you soon,

Brian Goodman
Training Coordinator
Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust
Manchester Public Health Development Service
Victoria Mill
Lower Vickers Street
Miles Platting
Manchester
M40 7LJ
Tel: 0161 882 2584 (Temporary)
Fax: 0161 203 5817
e-mail: Brian.Goodman AT mhsc.nhs.uk

Wednesday, 29 January 2014

Race Yourself for Google Glass transforms exercise

From ISPR - my source:
http://ispr.info/2014/01/27/race-yourself-for-google-glass-transforms-exercise/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=race-yourself-for-google-glass-transforms-exercise
 
Get Fit This Year by Fleeing From Augmented Reality Zombies: Race Yourself Transforms Exercise Into a Game on Google Glass

Race Yourself is a New Fitness Startup for Google Glass, Aiming to Turn Exercise Into a Game.  By Racing Against a Virtual Projection of Yourself, Attaining Personal Bests, and Burning Calories, You Can Unlock New Game Modes Such as Running Away from Giant Rolling Boulders. Race Yourself has Already Raised £200,000 from Investors Lead by DN Capital, and is Now Launching a Crowd-Funding Campaign Via Their Website, www.raceyourself.com, on the 8th January.  ...


http://ispr.info/

INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES
humanistic ------------------------------------------- mechanistic
SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL

individual
Am I dreaming?

technology    virtual reality    physical health


Dreams of Peace
group - population

Friday, 22 November 2013

Call for Papers Springer Personal and Ubiquitous Computing Journal: Issue Topic; Behaviour and Health

Mobile and wearable sensors are increasingly permeating everyday life and becoming an integral part of it. Information gathered from these sensors can provide unprecedented insights into diverse aspects of human behaviour. Analysis of human behaviour is of special interest in healthcare, since the health state of a person depends on behaviour aspects, including physical activity levels, amount of social activity, work-life balance and other aspects that are relevant for specific health conditions.

The main goal of this special issue is to explore the link between human behaviour and health. In particular, sensing modalities, data processing methods and behaviour capturing techniques that facilitate this exploration are of interest. Considering the interdisciplinary nature of the work in this area, papers are invited from both technical and medical perspectives that provide new understandings of the link between behaviour and health.

For this special issue topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

1. Technology for behaviour sensing:

- Exploitation of pervasive sensors: Activity sensors,
- connectivity sensors, microphones and webcams as included in smart phones, tablets, game consoles, etc.
- Development of new mobile medical sensor systems for outpatient use
- Unobtrusive sensor systems for long-term behaviour monitoring
- Sensors and actuators for wellness, fitness and rehabilitation
- Bio and physiological measurement technology
- Sensor systems for specific pathologic behaviour, illnesses or mental disorders
- Wearable sensors and brain computer interfaces
- Solutions for usability issues (textile sensors, unobtrusive power supply, data storage and communication, etc.)

2. Application of behaviour sensors in health domain:

- Feasibility studies on new behaviour sensor modalities
- Cross-section studies on the usability
- Longitudinal studies / medical trials on accuracy / effectiveness of applied behaviour sensors
- Ethical and legal requirements concerning sensor systems
- Health monitoring in clinical and daily life environment
- Games in assessment and therapy
- Cognitive behavioural therapy, speech therapy, music therapy and experiences with new therapies
- Supporting maintenance of mental wellness

3. Signal processing of behaviour data:

- Innovative algorithms for assessment of long-term physiological and behavioural data
- Identification of clinical meaningful features based on measured sensor data
- Approaches for data fusion of different sensor modalities
- Activity recognition for health applications
- Machine-learning and classification problems
- Handling missing or untrusted data
- Models for interpreting medical sensor data
- HCI for patients, caregivers and health insurance
- Prediction of disease or episode onset
- Decision support for therapy planning
- Virtual reality systems for therapy
- Support for preventative measures

4. Organizational and legal aspects:

- Inclusion of behaviour data in electronic health records
- Privacy/security issues of extensive behaviour data collections
- Business cases / market analysis for behaviour based health applications in home and clinical environments
- Tele health and mobile technology
- Interaction Designs and Applications for patient self-care
- Persuasive technologies and approaches for behaviour shaping
- Practical inclusion of behaviour data recording and analysis in daily clinical work, regarding prevention, monitoring and treatment of diseases

Submissions:

Deadline for manuscript submission: (EXTENDED) March 14th, 2014
Notification: April 30th, 2014
Tentative publication: Summer 2014

Papers should be around 10-15 pages (soft limit) using the journal
Instructions for Authors.

Please submit the initial manuscript to:
https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=puchealth2014

Submissions should be blind, with no author identifying information.
With your submission, please also suggest three potential reviewers.

Guest Editors:
Franz Gravenhorst (gravenhorst AT ife.ee.ethz.ch), ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Venet Osmani, CREATE-NET, Italy
Bert Arnrich, Bogazici University, Turkey
Amir Muaremi, ETH Zurich, Switzerland

Tuesday, 19 November 2013

Immortality, the matrix and Hodges' model

The 5th care - knowledge - domain is the Spiritual

INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES
SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL
individual

floating off as souls
not dying


coming back to life
living on through legacy


group - population



My source: FT Weekend March 31 - April 1 2012, Memento mori, Book review by Julian Baggani of Stephen Cave's Immortality: The Quest to Live Forever and How It Drives Civilization.

Tuesday, 12 November 2013

Held in equal esteem: Physical health and Mental health

As a mental health nurse you are familiar with concept of ‘esteem’. Self-esteem is central within assessments of clients, central to all care workers as safe and effective practitioners; and self esteem tests carers in those people for whom their condition means self-esteem is something attributed by proxy.

I noticed just recently use of the term esteem applied to the disparity between physical health and mental health. The two upper-most domains in Hodges' model (interpersonal and sciences) draw attention to the historical duality of mind and body. To integrate the two means acknowledging differences and this is acute in terms of finance, research and treatment plus many other measures.

The limitations of my emphasis in a series of previous posts on holism, holistic care, holistic approaches become apparent as long as the political domain is not addressed. You can be as holistic as you like, identifying, processing and integrating the full remit of health care concepts relevant in a case. If esteem is not achieved then the benefits of being holistic must be severely damaged. They may even be considered futile politically (speaking - just a whisper)?

Through the links below this post demonstrates that esteem is stirring in the political, policy and legislative domain and is being addressed, even if a solution will not arrive overnight.

My original sources: New Scientist, the HSJ and BBC.

Nick Craddock (2013) Opinion: Where's our Higgs? New Scientist, 27 April, 2914; pp.30-31.
Psychiatry needs the star quality of physics to help recruit top academics and fight the scourge of mental illness - this opinion piece concludes:

So, in 2013, psychiatry has powerful scientific tools and a developing narrative that already points to strong theoretical bases. Yet, in the UK research into mental illness is stalled at around 5 per cent of the annual medical research budget, and the picture is similar in other rich countries. That will have to change – and governments and funders are starting to see this. The door is open: all that is needed is for more of the best to come in and find out just how hot psychiatry really is.

‘Esteem gap’ between mental and physical health remains
10 October, 2013 | By Alastair McLellan
The government knows the challenges the facing mental health sector, but without radical solutions the goal of treating mental and physical health service users on an equal footing seems as far away as ever
http://www.hsj.co.uk/opinion/leader/esteem-gap-between-mental-and-physical-health-remains/5064120.article

Debate on 10 October: Parity of Esteem for Mental and Physical Health - Lords Library Note
http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/lln-2013-024/debate-on-10-october-parity-of-esteem-for-mental-and-physical-health

Lords debate – Parliament TV:
http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=13879&st=11:51:20

Royal College of Psychiatrists: OP88. Whole-person Care: from rhetoric to reality (Achieving parity between mental and physical health)
http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/usefulresources/publications/collegereports/op/op88.aspx

Tuesday, 8 October 2013

Zero, One, Fifteen, (Thirty, Sixty...?)

SOCIETY
care-S S-cares
context: UK news media 15 minute carer visits to elderly clients

INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES
SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL
individual
Reflecting on Social Care with Hodges' model
The one, self, me, a person. Carers: ethics (and common sense? when is 15 minutes of 'fame' enough?), demonstration of rapport, empathy, dignity, loneliness, independence. Carer stress. Job satisfaction. Staff knowledge and skills. Observation. Mental state. Mood. Choices - personal preferences. Personal - carer's values. Cognition - Re-cognition. Case review. Individualized care? Expressed concerns (wither...?) theory: task vs. person-centered care
mechanistic aspects of care, travel, geography, arrival, tasks, plan, recording, constraints - esp. time, practical problems encountered. Number of carers involved. Safety. Protective clothing. Seasonal factors. Evidence base? Best practice? Relapse rates? Telecare role? Physical mobility - movement. Systems, processes, logistics and scheduling. Degrees of freedom - flexibility. Data, information, datasets. Admissions - depth of data?
practice: task vs. person-centered care
Caring relationship building, trust - very personal - intimate care, subjective: time with someone I like / don't like? Relatives experience. Social care infrastructure - community centers. Ability to go out shopping with a carer. Media: BBC 2 Newsnight 7/10/13; The Times; C4 News. Social contact. Social mores (time?)
Policy, professionalism, recording, outcome measures. Agreement - care plan. Care reviews. Ban on 15 minute visits? Management. Standards. Supervision. Zero hour contracts. Pay and conditions. Staff turnover. Vulnerable adults. Personal development, training. Risk of organization's reputations being damaged. Corporate responsibility, values. 'Value for money'. New commissioning systems. Advocacy (position significant). Whistleblowing. 'Francis effect' increase in nursing posts. HSJ, 25 Oct 2013, p.6. 'Funded establishment'.

group - population

Discount the contract, you can then 'discount' the individual worker and the client.
Care Relationship = Care Transaction

Wikipedia: "15 minutes of fame"

Monday, 12 August 2013

'Monitor Me' BBC 2 Horizon

This is an excellent TV program:
Dr Kevin Fong explores a medical revolution that promises to help us live longer, healthier lives. Inspired by the boom in health-related apps and gadgets, it's all about novel ways we can monitor ourselves around the clock. How we exercise, how we sleep, even how we sit.
Some doctors are now prescribing apps the way they once prescribed pills. Kevin meets the pioneers of this revolution. From the England Rugby 7s team, whose coach knows more about his players' health than a doctor would, to the most monitored man in the world who diagnosed a life threatening disease from his own data, without going to the doctor. (BBC 2 website)

Monday, 5 August 2013

5th UK Swallowing Research Group Conference 2014

Swallowing tends to be something we take for granted, working in mental health it is a long time since I had to deal with nasogastric (Ryles) tubes. Choking is a very unpleasant experience to say the least. Should we witness someone choking we recognise the need to assess the situation quickly and assist. The alarm felt by onlookers is palpable.

Swallowing, is an element in our assessments of people and their carers who are living with dementia and possibly the effects of a stroke. Is the person experiencing dysphagia, or at risk? This is also part of the NHS continuing healthcare and NHS funded nursing care assessments. I learned about the UKSRG this weekend and was informed about their conference:
The UK Swallowing Research Group [UKSRG] comprises clinicians and researchers from a wide range of professional disciplines including biomedical engineering, speech and language therapy, radiography, radiology, ENT, gastroenterology, stroke medicine, dietetics, oral health, general medicine and neurology.

The group recognizes the multidisciplinarity of the clinical specialties and basic science that supports developments in the field and runs a biannual conference:
UKSRG will be hosting the fifth UKSRG Conference on 6th and 7th February 2014 at Institute of Child Health in London.
Thanks to: David Smithard, Visiting Reader at University of Kent


Friday, 21 June 2013

Opaque

INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES
SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL

individual
anxiety, mood, anger, frustration, coping abilities, vulnerability, personal communication - masks, poor sleep, helplessness, apathy, personal memory, personal ethics 'Blaze season' - June to September, Smog - duration?, geography, fires, public health, asthma, respiration, bronchitis, conjunctivitis, vision, eye care, cardiovascular system, weather, create rain, environment, daily physical activities of living, ecosystem impact, elderly, young, measures, monitoring,
pollution standard index: 400 1100hrs, stay indoors, building workers, Loss of Habitat
public opinion, quality of life, media, social media, public perception, communication - advice to population, 
(public anger in China over that country's appalling environmental record)
Illegal forest fires, Indonesia, Singapore, Politics,
Commerce, Globalization, Governments, Governance, Diplomacy, Corporations, Regulation, Law, Enforcement, Tourism, Employment, Economic impact, Health Care System Burden, Political Tension, Accountability, Trust, Companies involved? Ecocide (not in Europe)
group - population

Additional source: The Independent Friday 21 June 2013

Monday, 17 June 2013

Walking the line of signs of movement in fresh air ...


P Being mobile and active is one
H of the most important
Y factors in longevity
S and quality of life.
I  A model of activity in residential
C and nursing home care should be a right.
O I often enquire about
-
P the possibility of residents who
O tend to become
L agitated at a certain time of
I of the day, to be taken, or assisted to
T have a walk, or at least
I  feel the fresh
C air on their faces.
A This can make a real
L difference, as Nature's natural sedative.


Prompted by a question posed by Jackie Pool on LinkedIn:
Supporting individuals through activity - a positive role for carers?

Jackie's description of an everyday indoor activity being used to promote movement and mobility flags a real issue. Access to the outdoors is still very difficult for many residents on units that are located upstairs.

Residential homes should (must) have sufficient staff to facilitate a full range of activities. This month in the Northern hemisphere it is summer: outside.

In terms of taking people out, staff often look at me and I them, as together we acknowledge the constraints that frequently operate. I've walked outside with residents myself a great opportunity to assess and engage. Staff know the benefits of movement and activity. This helps us all to get out-side of our-selves. The gift it that this diversion of sun and air (and rain) can reach through confusion and agitation, even if only for a short period of time. Hence it can be acutely frustrating when this basic need can not be fulfilled. Holding on to life's essential repertoire is vital.