Health workers and sustainable systems for health in a post-growth society

The Agenda 2030 signed by the Heads of State and Government in 2015 set out 17 indivisible and universal Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets. Among others the Agenda 2030 proposes to achieve "sustainable, inclusive and sustained growth" (SDG 8), in fact an oxymoron due to the "limits of growth" in a finite ecosystem. The SDG 3, "Ensuring a healthy life and promoting well-being for all at all ages", included among others the target "3.8: achieving universal health coverage”. Besides representing a substantial regression from the original WHO’s Primary Health Care (PHC) strategy, which addressed among others the social and economic determinants of health, the UHC target and the SDG3 are deemed to be unattainable due to the constant increase in demand on the one side and inappropriate offer of health services on the other, both largely determined by factors outside the health sector and linked to the present hegemonic unsustainable growth-defined development model. Focusing on the health care model and the generation of its human resources, we highlight how both remained mostly anchored to standardized and, today, globalized biomedical hospital-centric models, which are inadequate to meet populations’ health needs and expectations. We then suggest the need for a paradigmatic shift in the health and social care organization (toward a human rights and  social determinants approach, home- community-based care, integrated-holistic approaches, patients’ empowerment, etc.) and the health workers’ educational model (linking it to the specific characteristics of local contexts in terms of needs and resources, and to a new ethical framework). Both are  pillars of the transformation of health systems toward a post-growth society

Active ageing of elderly consumers: insights and opportunities for future business strategies

Recent studies have focused on the emerging scenario of ‘active ageing’ as a series of positive actions aimed at fostering elderly adaptability by supporting emotionally close relationships and removing age-related structural barriers. Active ageing may be stimulated not only by leveraging technological and scientific innovations, but also by implementing new business strategies that reflect a better comprehension of elderly new roles and behaviours. To aid in that effort, through a literature review of marketing and management contributions across a five-decade period (1970–2020), this paper investigates elderly consumers’ new roles and related implications for business strategies, from a consumer behaviour perspective. Results present a structured classification of the most prominent streams of research by highlighting five promising changes (5Cs): changes in elderly consumers’ roles in markets and societies; changes in self-care resulting in fashion purchases and cosmetic surgery; changes in elderly consumers’ expenditures on specifically designed products and services; changes in the perception of risks resulting in preferences for either extremely prudent or hazardous behaviours; and changes in general elderly characteristics due to the so-called ‘ageless society’. We highlight the heterogeneity of elderly consumers’ new values and lifestyles, and the importance of incorporating their needs into innovative business strategies, by describing for each section the main findings of extant research and practical implications

Can sustainable health behaviour contribute to ensure healthy lives and wellbeing for all at all ages (SDG 3)? A viewpoint

Sustainable health behaviours and, specifically, eating a sustainable diet and engaging in regular physical activity are health-promoting behaviours that can simultaneously contribute to reduction of greenhouse gases which are known to contribute to climate change. Good health usually facilitates societal development, and development often promotes improved health. However, while good health may be a prerequisite for societal development, some behavioural determinants of health, such as attitudes towards the environment, and people’s lifestyles and consumption patterns, can impede the sustainability of the development process in the longer term. This perspective paper argues that there is a need to rethink 21st century health promotion practices by pairing sustainability literacy with health promotion for changing dietary and physical activity behaviour patterns to improve population health and contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 3 (to ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages)

Vienna-London Passage to Safety: The Portrait Photographer As Secondary Witness in Post-Anschluss Émigré Narratives

'Vienna-London Passage to Safety' is a record of twenty-one biographical portraits of Austrian émigrés in photographs and words who fled Austria for Britain in the inter-war period, some as children on the Kindertransport. It is published as a book, and also an exhibition which was shown in London and Vienna. This chapter situates the work and its progenitor as an exemplar of the artist as 'secondary witness', archivist and curator

The Impacts of Urban Environment Aspects on The Life Satisfaction of Older Adults

Ageing comes with several discomforts such as decline in mobility and losses in social networks as well as societal roles. Therefore, improving the life satisfaction of older adults have become a significant policy focus for delivering age-friendliness in national and international movements in the living environment. The hypothesis of the current study is that older people, who live in urban neighbourhoods that provide safe, aesthetic and accessible environments, experience greater life satisfaction. Accessibility, attractiveness and attachment as the three key dimensions of the life satisfaction were used to understand the key aspects of the life satisfaction of older people in the neighbourhoods and how the urban environment serves as an indicator. This research consists of two steps. First step involved in-depth interviews with the older adults aged over 65 in the different urban areas, the district of Fatih and Şişli in the city of Istanbul, Turkey, with sampling based on the diversity, the heterogeneity and the urban functions. Second, these urban areas were analysed using space syntax to understand the street network and connectivity to reveal the urban structure. The qualitative and quantitative findings were analysed comparatively. The study concluded that when attachment to the place is supported by the walkability and the psychical enticing, the older adults experience higher level of life satisfaction. Additionally, financial independence serves as a backup solution to access to the better environment. This comparative analysis also highlights a mixed method for policy makers to analyse urban environment and makes room for older adults to raise their voice and participate in the policy and planning process

Navigating old age and the urban terrain: Geographies of ageing from Africa

This paper extends research on geographies of ageing in relation to urban academic and policy debates. We illustrate how older people in urban African contexts deploy their agency through social and spatial (im)mobilities, intergenerational relations and (inter)dependencies. Through doing so, we reveal how urban contexts shape, and are shaped by, older people’s tactics for seizing opportunities and navigating the urban terrain. Our analysis demonstrates how a more substantive dialogue between insights on ageing in African contexts and urban ageing policy can create new forms of knowledge that are more equitable and just, both epistemologically and in their policy impacts

Developing the concept of ‘Shared Usability’ in Product Design for Older Adults.

Globally the Older Adult population is increasing; people are living longer and in many cases with some form of physical or functional limitation in their own home. As a result, there is a requirement for support from Stakeholders (family members, neighbours, health professionals and Companies) to enable ageing in place. The concept of ‘Shared Usability’ proposes that Older Adults can maintain a sense of independence, choice and empowerment, even with support from other stakeholders, when using products or services. The aim of this research was to explore ‘Shared Usability’ in the context of a User Centred Design process that supported the research hypothesis: ‘It is possible to empower Older Adults through ‘Shared Usability’ by mutually agreed intervention with other stakeholders when using Products or services.’ There were two stages to this research; Enquiry - During the enquiry phase, qualitative research methods were undertaken and conducted over a nine month period. The fieldwork involved observing and understanding everyday life for the Older Adult in their own home, with specific enquiry and task observation of eight areas, as identified by the literature review. Implementation - Design methodologies of ideation, sketching and iterative sketch models were applied in order to select one specific area for design conceptualisation. Further to this, brainstorming sessions involving the participants using storyboard and feedback were used to evaluate proposed concepts. This research offers a definition of ‘Shared Usability’ that can be identified as a consideration within User Centred Design processes. It documents a process of fieldwork enquiry into eight specific areas of day to day life for Older Adults. Through practice based design methodologies the concept of the ‘SmartShare App’ was created. This concept promotes and highlights how a User (the Older Adult) will select the levels of engagement they have in managing heating and fuel efficiency in their home. The Older Adult agrees the varying levels of access and support with Stakeholders to maintain a sense of independence and empowerment. Finally, it discusses how shared autonomy between User and Associated Stakeholders is supportive to the Older Adult maintaining independence and self-sufficiency

An investigation into effective methods for teaching social sustainability within product design in British and Irish Universities

Consideration of sustainability in product and industrial design courses is becoming more common and relevant within higher education in the UK. However little is known about how widespread the teaching is and what is actually understood as sustainable design with discrepancies in the definitions used in different institutions. Literature highlights that many universities now engage with the tangible environmental aspects of sustainable design, whilst the intangible social aspects are left unaddressed. This thesis explores methods for encouraging and enabling students to address the social aspects within sustainable product design (SPD) education. The first research stage presents the results of a nationwide survey, which investigated how widely SPD is taught, which social aspects are addressed, how SPD is taught and assessed and the attitudes and awareness of it amongst academics. The second research stage presents further research into best practice in SPD through detailed interviews with leading academics in the field. A third research stage built upon the findings from both these studies, and sought to address a perceived weakness in SPD education; the lack of understanding and consideration of the social aspects in sustainable product design in teaching and project outcomes. Three Rethinking Design workshops were developed and tested at five universities in the UK and Ireland. These workshops were designed to introduce students to the wider social aspects of SPD, through the use of audio visual group based workshops. The design of the workshops enabled a learning environment where a deep understanding of the social aspects of Sustainable Product Design could be developed through; group work, discussion and critical reflection, which led to students exploring design thinking responses, suggesting that deep learning, had occurred