Health and social care for older persons from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds : Australian policy and practice

Introduction In an increasingly globalised world, the challenges of meeting the health and social needs of older people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds is becoming increasingly important, with the World Health Organisation stating that designing for diversity is a primary characteristic of an age friendly city (World Health Organization [WHO], 2007). In Australia, the importance of meeting the needs of CALD older people has been recognised at all levels of government and is one of the features of the current proposed Australian Government aged care reforms (Chenoweth, Jeon, Goff & Burke, 2006; Commonwealth of Australia, 2012; Radermacher, Karunarathna, Grace & Feldman, 2011). This paper explores the challenges and opportunities of CALD ageing, building on an earlier scoping study of ageing and cultural diversity (Bartlett, Rao & Warburton, 2006) which included a comprehensive review of the literature (Rao, Warburton & Bartlett, 2006) and analysis of the implications for policy and practice (Warburton, Bartlett & Rao, 2009). In addition to consideration of the health and social needs of diverse groups, this paper reviews a range of other factors impacting upon the wellbeing of CALD older people, outlines selected innovation and good practice, and highlights areas for further research, policy and practice development. 「多元文化及语言背景长者的健康及护理：澳洲的政策与实践」 导言 在不断全球化的社会中，应付来自多元文化及语言（CALD）背景长者的健康及社会需要成为一大挑战，其重要性也越来越高。世界卫生组织指出要成为老龄友好型社会，首要条件是要设计多元化顾及不同需要（世界卫生组织［WHO］，2007）。澳洲政府上下一致认同满足多元文化及语言背景长者的需要之重要性，更把其作为现时所提议的长者护理改革中其中一个重点（肯诺恩斯，全，高夫与伯克，2006；澳洲联邦，2012；拉德马赫尔，卡鲁纳拉特纳，葛瑞丝与费尔德曼，2011）。此论文以较早前的老龄化与多元文化的概括研究为基础（芭特莉特，拉奥与沃伯顿，2006），探讨多元文化及语言背景人口老龄化所带来的挑战和机遇，同时包括全面的文献综述（拉奥，沃伯顿与芭特莉特，2006）和分析政策与实践的意涵（沃伯顿，芭特莉特与拉奥，2009）。除了涉及多元群组的健康和社会需要，此论文还包括一系列影响多元文化及语言背景长者的健康福祉的因素，概述当中的创新意念和优良的实践方法，并讨论日后研究、政策与实践的路向

Aging in the United Kingdom : a review of demographic trends, recent policy developments and care provision

Although the U.K.\u27s population is not predicted to grow very much in the future, the population structure is changing and there is a shift towards a much older age distribution. The characteristics of demographic aging in the U.K. include a marked reduction in fertility rates, increasing rates of life expectation at birth, increasing dependency ratios and variations in mortality and social class in old age. The U.K.\u27s demographic context has important implications for aged care policy and planning. This paper documents the demographic trends, reviews recent major policy changes and their impact on care provision, and discusses some of the emerging implementation issues that challenge the potential of such policies to meet the needs of an aging population

Impact of tumor-specific targeting on the biodistribution and efficacy of siRNA nanoparticles measured by multimodality in vivo imaging

Targeted delivery represents a promising approach for the development of safer and more effective therapeutics for oncology applications. Although macromolecules accumulate nonspecifically in tumors through the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, previous studies using nanoparticles to deliver chemotherapeutics or siRNA demonstrated that attachment of cell-specific targeting ligands to the surface of nanoparticles leads to enhanced potency relative to nontargeted formulations. Here, we use positron emission tomography (PET) and bioluminescent imaging to quantify the in vivo biodistribution and function of nanoparticles formed with cyclodextrin-containing polycations and siRNA. Conjugation of 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid to the 5' end of the siRNA molecules allows labeling with 64Cu for PET imaging. Bioluminescent imaging of mice bearing luciferase-expressing Neuro2A s.c. tumors before and after PET imaging enables correlation of functional efficacy with biodistribution data. Although both nontargeted and transferrin-targeted siRNA nanoparticles exhibit similar biodistribution and tumor localization by PET, transferrin-targeted siRNA nanoparticles reduce tumor luciferase activity by {approx}50% relative to nontargeted siRNA nanoparticles 1 d after injection. Compartmental modeling is used to show that the primary advantage of targeted nanoparticles is associated with processes involved in cellular uptake in tumor cells rather than overall tumor localization. Optimization of internalization may therefore be key for the development of effective nanoparticle-based targeted therapeutics

Collaborative governance of ageing: Challenges for local government in partnering with the seniors' sector

This paper considers the role local government plays in the formation and effectiveness of local collaborative partnerships in ageing well. Collaborative processes are central to emerging models of local governance and have received considerable practical and theoretical consideration with respect to many policy domains. Such collaborations require local organisations and actors from various sectors to work together in partnerships and networks to achieve policy goals. This paper reports research from two collaborations in southeast Queensland municipalities, and shows that joint efforts between local government and community organisations pose challenges. These relate to the political context and specifically to the tensions between flexibility and coordination; and tensions between harnessing community resources and investing resources. We highlight the value of a framing role for local government to ensure that such governance models for local action on ageing realise a collaborative advantage. In particular, the findings highlight the need for local government to invest in these processes and build social infrastructure and assets in order to develop improved ways of facilitating collaborative governance

Within- and between-person variability of exhaled breath condensate pH and NH4+ in never and current smokers

SummaryRecent studies have suggested that the collection of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) may be a viable method in occupational field studies to sample secretions of the lower airway because it is simple to perform and non-invasive. However, there are unresolved questions about whether certain laboratory conditions may influence the analysis of EBC biomarker measurements. A total of 12 subjects performed 116 EBC tests. The effect of short and long-term sample storage and sample volume on two biomarkers of acid stress, pH and NH4+, in EBC were investigated and did not significantly influence either marker measurement after argon deaeration. We also investigated the variability and the effect of smoking on the biomarkers by collecting six samples each from five adult never smokers and five adult current smokers over a period of 1 month (n=60 total). For pH, the within-person and between-person variability was larger in current smokers compared to never smokers. Similar results were found for NH4+. Cigarette packs smoked per day now was also associated with both pH (p=0.01) and NH4+ (p=0.04) using mixed effects regression analysis. The variability and smoking results suggest that repeated measurements of EBC pH and NH4+ from the same individual may accurately predict the biological state of the airways of current smokers when compared to never smokers

Interview with Helen Truan

An interview with Helen Truan regarding her experiences in a one-room school house.https://scholars.fhsu.edu/ors/1196/thumbnail.jp