Independent Living and Attendant care in Sweden: A Consumer Perspective

[Excerpt] One of the main aims of the growing Independent Living Movement , the international civil rights movement of people with disabilities, has been to gain control over the services that are necessary for participating in society on equal terms. Of these services attendant care has been identified by the movement as perhaps the most critical prerequisite for a dignified and productive life for persons with severe disabilities

Large-scale educational telecommunications systems for the US: An analysis of educational needs and technological opportunities

The needs to be served, the subsectors in which the system might be used, the technology employed, and the prospects for future utilization of an educational telecommunications delivery system are described and analyzed. Educational subsectors are analyzed with emphasis on the current status and trends within each subsector. Issues which affect future development, and prospects for future use of media, technology, and large-scale electronic delivery within each subsector are included. Information on technology utilization is presented. Educational telecommunications services are identified and grouped into categories: public television and radio, instructional television, computer aided instruction, computer resource sharing, and information resource sharing. Technology based services, their current utilization, and factors which affect future development are stressed. The role of communications satellites in providing these services is discussed. Efforts to analyze and estimate future utilization of large-scale educational telecommunications are summarized. Factors which affect future utilization are identified. Conclusions are presented

Long-term care services in 4 European countries: labour markets and other aspects

XREAP, a Catalan Network for Research in Applied Economics of 7 research groups, has organised together with the Management School of the Radboud University a seminar on long-term care service bringing together insights of the situationof this sector in Catalonia and the Netherlands. However, this electronic book includes also contribution from Germany and Finland faciliationg the lecturer a wider European perspective on developments in the longterm care labour markets and the organisation of the care service. One of the mayor concerns of the European Union is its ageing population and to develop adequate social and economic strategy to face this challenge. One of the key issues is how care for elderly and dependent people in the future assuring the access of all, who need care, to high quality services. There is a wide range of system configuration in the European Union as well as at national as at regional level. But all these particular systems must gave respond to two main challenges caused by the multiple demographic changes: a) The increasing demand of professionalized care services and b) The lack of qualified workforces to satisfy this demand assuring a high care quality under public budget restriction. This e-book brings together articles of authors from four European countries reflecting trends in the search for new combinations between institutional, family and community provision for high quality long-term care services

Building a national technology and innovation infrastructure for an aging society

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2006.Includes bibliographical references (p. 181-192).This thesis focuses on the potential of strategic technology innovation and implementation in sustaining an aging society, and examines the need for a comprehensive national technology and innovation infrastructure in the U.S., capable of supporting the development and use of technologies by the aging population and their caregivers. The pervasiveness of population aging makes it a primary concern for nations around the world today. As the inadequacies of existing resources become apparent, policy makers .are now turning to technology and innovation to cope with the changing demographics. 'Technological innovations to accommodate the elderly have existed since centuries ago, and they been useful in extending the human capability beyond perceived limitations of aging. However, new technologies developed with the same objectives are not widely adopted and accepted by the aging population today. The thesis is divided into two complementary sections.(cont.) The first examines three hypotheses for the slow penetration rates of new technologies for aging: 1) Useful, affordable and usable technologies are unavailable, 2) Professional carers that can play a catalytic role between technological innovation and implementation are not technologically educated and prepared to incorporate the technologies into elderly care, and 3) The dynamics of policy formation and agenda setting are not conducive to the design and implementation of "technology for aging" policies. The second section consists of two comparative studies to highlight the gaps within the existing "technologies for aging" industry infrastructure. A study of the domestic automobile and mobile telecommunications industry provides a national perspective, whereas a study of eleven industrialized nations engaged in technological innovations for the elderly provides an international perspective. The research shows that useful, affordable and usable technologies are available, but their diffusion is hindered by inadequate human capital development and an unconducive policy formation and agenda setting climate.(cont.) The comparative studies further illuminate existing infrastructure gaps and also provide useful frameworks to facilitate the bridging of these gaps. By facilitating the development of a robust "technology for aging" infrastructure, policy makers can help to ensure that the U.S. is ready to meet the challenges of an aging population.by Jasmin Lau.S.M

ARCH 14 - International Conference on Research on Health Care Architecture - November 19-21, 2014, Espoo, Finland - Conference Proceedings

Healthcare Architecture has grown rapidly in recent years. However, there are still many questions remaining. The commission, therefore, is to share the existing research knowledge and latest results and to carry out research projects focusing more specifically on the health care situation in a variety of contexts. The ARCH14 conference was the third conference in the series of ARCH conferences on Research on Health Care Architecture initiated by Chalmers University. It was realized in collaboration with the Nordic Research Network for Healthcare Architecture .It was a joint event between Aalto University, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) and National Institute of Health and Welfare (THL International).The conference gathered together more than 70 researchers and practitioners from across disciplines and countries to discuss the current themes

A Comparative Analysis of the Mechanisms of Social Inclusion for Hard of Hearing People in Germany and in the Russian Federation

Inklusion von Menschen mit Behinderungen ist zu einem der vordringlichen Ziele der Sozialpolitik der Europäischen Union und in der Russischen Föderation geworden, u. a. aufgrund der zunehmenden Zahl von Ländern, die die UN-BRK1 ratifizierten, sowie Herausforderungen wegen, die eine "alternde" Gesellschaft verursacht. Jedoch werden Menschen mit Hörbehinderung und deren spezielle Bedürfnisse im Vergleich zu anderen, eher sichtbaren Behinderungen, oft übersehen. Das zentrale Anliegen der vorliegenden Untersuchung ist es, die Mechanismen und Ergebnisse der sozialen Inklusion schwerhöriger Menschen in Russland und Deutschland näher zu betrachten und zu vergleichen, sowie mit empirisch belegten Befunden zur Forschung über schwerhörige Personen beizutragen. Der Forschungstand hierzu ist in den Disability Studies noch sehr lückenhaft. Eine Analyse der Sozial- und Behindertenpolitik in beiden Ländern sowie ein Vergleich der rechtlichen und institutionellen Maßnahmen als auch der Chancen bildet den Rahmen für eine empirische Analyse (Fragebogen, Interviews mit schwerhörigen Personen, NGOs und Experten). Die Einschätzung der politischen Maßnahmen und der Infrastrukturen folgt den konzeptionellen und normativen Bewertungsmaßstäben der Disability Studies. Die vergleichende Analyse konzentriert sich auf den Zugang schwerhöriger Menschen zu Bildung und Arbeitsmarkt, zu Wiedereingliederung, Information und Kommunikation – Bereiche welche für Inklusion und Teilhabe entscheidend sind. Die empirischen Erhebungen enthalten explorative, nicht-repräsentative Fragebögen-Untersuchungen unter a) 190 jungen Befragten, 18-35 Jahre alt (davon 136 aus Deutschland; 150 aus Russland) b) 110 älteren Befragten, 65 bzw. 60 Jahre alt — abhängig vom betreffenden Land — und älter (43 aus Deutschland; 67 aus Russland) und Experten-Interviews mit Schlüsselpersonen zum Thema (Forscher, politische Entscheidungsträger, medizinische und pädagogische Experten, schwerhörige NGO-Aktivisten); darüber hinaus Leitfaden-Interviews mit schwerhörigen Personen (11 in Deutschland, 16 in Russland). Übereinstimmungen und Abweichungen in den nationalen politischen Richtlinien werden diskutiert, Beispiele von positiven Praktiken in medizinischer, ausbildungsbezogener und beruflicher Rehabilitation und potentielle politische Maßnahmen werden vorgeschlagen.Inclusion of people with disabilities has become one of the priorities of the social policy in the European Union and in the Russian Federation, in part, in connection with the increasing ratification of the UN CRPD worldwide and problems induced by the “ageing” society. However, people with hearing loss and their specific needs are often overlooked in comparison with more visible disabilities. The main purpose of this study is to look into and compare the mechanisms and results of social inclusion of hard of hearing people (HoH) in Russia and Germany and to contribute with empirically grounded findings to the research on hard of hearing people of which there is a lack in the disability research field. An analysis of the social and disability related policies in both countries and a comparison of the legal and institutional arrangements and opportunities provides the framework for the empirical analysis (questionnaire, interviews with HoH persons, NGOs and with experts). The appraisal of the policies and infrastructures is following the conceptual and normative benchmarks of the Disability studies. The comparative analysis is focused on access of HoH people to education and employment, to rehabilitation, information and communication – the fields critical to inclusion and participation. The empirical research comprises an explorative non-representative questionnaire survey with a) 190 young respondents aged 18-35 years (136 from Germany, 150 from Russia) b) 110 elderly respondents (65 or 60 years old and older; 43 from Germany, 67 from Russia), and expert interviews with the key persons in the field (researchers, political decision-makers, medical and educational professionals, hard of hearing NGO activists); furthermore, guided interviews with HoH people (N=11 in Germany, N=16 in Russia) were conducted. Commonalities and discrepancies in the national policy directions are discussed, examples of positive practices in medical, educational and professional rehabilitation and potential policy measures are suggested

Exploring the role of ICT-enabled social innovation for the active inclusion of young people

This Report presents the final results of the study ‘ICT-enabled social innovation services for active inclusion of young people’ (IESI-Youth) which has been commissioned by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (JRC-IPTS) and implemented by Arcola Research in 2014. The overall objective of the study was to review the state of the art in the domain of active inclusion services for young people, with a specific focus on how ICTs can support active inclusion of disadvantaged youth to strengthen their skills and capacities and support them to participate fully in employment and social life. The study was conducted as preparatory activity contributing to the development of the broader research project on 'ICT enabled Social Innovation in support of the Implementation of the Social Investment Package (IESI) being implemented by JRC-IPTS in collaboration with DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL).JRC.J.3-Information Societ

Society 5.0

This open access book introduces readers to the vision on future cities and urban lives in connection with “Society 5.0”, which was proposed in the 5th Basic Science and Technology Plan by Japan’s national government for a technology-based, human-centered society, emerging from the fourth industrial revolution. The respective chapters summarize the findings and suggestions of joint research projects conducted by H-UTokyo Lab. Through the research collaboration and discussion, this book explores the future urban lives under the concept of “Society 5.0”, characterized by the key phrases of data-driven society, knowledge-intensive society, and non-monetary society, and suggests the directionality to which the concept should aim as Japan’s technology-led national vision. Written by Hitachi’s researchers as well as academics from a wide range of fields, including engineering, economics, psychology and philosophy at The University of Tokyo, the book is a must read for members of the general public interested in urban planning, students, professionals and researchers in engineering and economics

Transforming Subjectivities

This volume examines the transformation of subjectivities following contemporary societal trends with regulatory and administrative authorities targeting human subjectivity with the aim to transform it. It addresses the malleability of human subjectivity through rich qualitative analyses of how different governing attempts are received by the subjects themselves. While the scholarship on governmentality has so far produced an enormously useful body of literature on the ‘how’ aspect of governing, this book suggests that it has been prone to overestimate the degree to which our subjectivities are open to change. Combining ethnographic sensitivity with more traditional governmentality perspectives allows us to explore how governing attempts ‘land’ in the terrain targeted—human subjectivity—in actual social contexts, under specific forms of governing and rationality. In doing so, the book makes a distinctive contribution to a second generation of governmentality studies. It will appeal to social scientists with interests in governance, governmentality, social policy and the sociology of work