Nebuliser therapy in the intensive care unit

The relationship between identity, lived experience, sexual practices and the language through which these are conveyed has been widely debated in sexuality literature. For example, ‘coming out’ has famously been conceptualised as a ‘speech act’ (Sedgwick 1990) and as a collective narrative (Plummer 1995), while a growing concern for individuals’ diverse identifications in relations to their sexual and gender practices has produced interesting research focusing on linguistic practices among LGBT-identified individuals (Leap 1995; Kulick 2000; Cameron and Kulick 2006; Farqhar 2000). While an explicit focus on language remains marginal to literature on sexualities (Kulick 2000), issue of language use and translation are seldom explicitly addressed in the growing literature on intersectionality. Yet intersectional perspectives ‘reject the separability of analytical and identity categories’ (McCall 2005:1771), and therefore have an implicit stake in the ‘vernacular’ language of the researched, in the ‘scientific’ language of the researcher and in the relationship of continuity between the two. Drawing on literature within gay and lesbian/queer studies and cross-cultural studies, this chapter revisits debates on sexuality, language and intersectionality. I argue for the importance of giving careful consideration to the language we choose to use as researchers to collectively define the people whose experiences we try to capture. I also propose that language itself can be investigated as a productive way to foreground how individual and collective identifications are discursively constructed, and to unpack the diversity of lived experience. I address intersectional complexity as a methodological issue, where methodology is understood not only as the methods and practicalities of doing research, but more broadly as ‘a coherent set of ideas about the philosophy, methods and data that underlie the research process and the production of knowledge’ (McCall 2005:1774). My points are illustrated with examples drawn from my ethnographic study on ‘lesbian’ identity in urban Russia, interspersed with insights from existing literature. In particular, I aim to show that an explicit focus on language can be a productive way to explore the intersections between the global, the national and the local in cross-cultural research on sexuality, while also addressing issues of positionality and accountability to the communities researched

Citizenship Matters: Re-Examining Income (In)Security Of Immigrant Seniors

Citizenship Matters by APG, May 2009, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution‐Noncommercial‐Share Alike 2.5 Canada License.To increase awareness of the challenges faced by immigrant seniors and to elucidate the structural realities that condition their lives, a series of focus group sessions were organized between January and March 2008. Participants were recruited from the constituent communities, and discussions were conducted in their own language.This project was funded by the Wellesley Institute (WI). The views and opinions expressed in the paper do not necessarily reflect those of the Wellesley Institute

Views of donors and recipients regarding disclosure to children following altruistic known oocyte donation

This paper reports on a Canadian study of the views of 15 women who had altruistically donated oocytes to a friend or a relative for family building and 18 women who had received oocytes donated by a friend or a relative towards disclosure of the donation to both the donor-conceived child and the child(ren) of the donor. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with participants either in person or by telephone. The vast majority of donors and recipients reported concordance regarding disclosure. There was a greater tendency towards disclosure than for non-disclosure, especially where the donation had resulted in the birth of a child. Nevertheless, participants expressed considerable ambiguity around the optimum time for disclosure. The study highlights unique characteristics in co-ordinating disclosure plans to children in both families when the donors also had young child(ren) and how the relationships between donors and recipients and their families may be expected to impact on, and be impacted by, their disclosure decisions. These include the psychological and social costs that may occur when donors and recipients disagree regarding disclosure. Findings from this study contribute to the currently limited research evidence on disclosure to children in both donor and recipient families following known oocyte donation

Transforming Organizational Culture Using the SSLD System to Address the Taboo of Sexuality and Intimacy Needs of Seniors

This is the published version of an article published by Better Advances Press under the Creative Commons Licence CC-BY-SA. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/Sexuality and intimacy needs of seniors are often considered taboo and as a result are overlooked and neglected. This paper breaks the cultural silence surrounding intimacy and sexuality with seniors within long-term care facilities. There is insufficient knowledge and skills training available within the current organizational culture of many long-term care facilities for staff to learn and understand the intimacy needs of seniors. A case study, involving the largest non-profit nursing home in Canada, demonstrates how altering the existing organizational culture and managerial approach to client care using the SSLD (Strategies and Skills Learning and Development) system can produce a paradigm shift in senior care. Integral to the shift is the creation of an open dialogue and comprehensive staff training. The case study brings forward and discusses the importance of organizational change in preparing staff to address senior sexuality and intimacy issues. Indicators of successful change include altered perceptions and approaches by staff; the adoption of a psychosocial model; a shift from a behaviour-focused to a needs-focused approach; and the adoption of staff empowerment and competency oriented approaches

Lessons from a Canada-China cross-national qualitative suicide research collaboration

A cross-national qualitative suicide study was conducted by Tsinghua University and the University of Toronto with two samples of Chinese women in Beijing and Toronto. The aim of this article is to reflect on lessons learned from this collaborative study. A literature review guided the analysis. A focus group was conducted with members of both research teams. A semi-structured interview guide was developed to explore the researchers’ experiences of participating in the cross-national study. Focus group transcript data and observations from authors informed the analysis, situated in the existing literature on cross-national qualitative health research and guided by Baistow’s cross-national research frame. Our study highlights how cross-national research involves conceptual and practical challenges that require negotiation. Such research also holds many opportunities, including (1) using a different cultural lens to understand differences and clarify similarities cross-culturally; (2) co-constructing knowledge through collaboration; (3) deconstructing one’s own assumptions; and (4) engaging in an inspiring and empowering experience in collaboration