Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) as a result of intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant health concern; yet, little is known about the intersection between the two. Existing research is scarce, limiting the ability of health care providers to develop effective supports. This pilot project surveyed the IPV support community in Toronto, Canada to understand the degree of existing TBI-specific knowledge and relevant services available among these service providers and to seek to bridge the divide between research and practice by developing a national knowledge-to-practice network to support brain-injured women survivors of IPV. Materials and Methods: In phase 1, 68 agencies providing IPV support services were invited to complete an anonymous online survey. In phase 2, 22 stakeholders attended a workshop held to disseminate existing knowledge, develop a national knowledge-to-practice network, and determine next steps in research and practice. Results: The results highlighted a general lack of TBI awareness and understanding among IPV service providers. In addition, participants stated that frontline workers and women survivors of IPV alike do not recognize signs or symptoms of TBI. Recommendations addressing research gaps, professional and public education, and service development were identified and are discussed herein. Conclusions: The identified lack of TBI knowledge among IPV service providers highlights the immediate need to increase education among management and frontline workers. Further investigation identifying best practices for knowledge transfer are suggested. The development of a national strategy addressing education, research, and funding is critical for successful uptake and integration of TBI-sensitive services within the IPV sector.
Health service providers and policymakers should recognize the long-term health and social needs of W-TBI and address societal factors that result in financial and structural barriers, to ensure access to needed services.
Post-ABI care should include education about the influences of sex and gender on health and well-being. Acknowledging the impact of gendered roles, and the broader sociopolitical context of gender and disability, is important to develop appropriate services and supports after ABI. Incorporating effective communication strategies between patient and health care professional can also be a potent rehabilitation strategy.
The application of a gender analysis in this preliminary exploratory study revealed that gender is implicated in the RTW process on many levels for men and women alike. Further examination of the work reintegration processes that takes gender into account is necessary for the development of successful policy and practice for RTW after work-related MTBI.
With population aging, interest groups demand that governments act to prevent a perceived financial crisis. Senior citizens remain frustrated in their efforts to influence the response of policy-makers. In an effort to strengthen their voice, one group of senior citizens, engaged in a participatory action research project, questioned how online social media could be used in their advocacy efforts. This query led to an examination of the literature with the primary objective of determining what is known about the use of social media by senior citizens for the purposes of social advocacy. The outcomes of the review revealed that very few studies specifically examined this question. Senior citizen online roles were depicted as consumers of health information or socializers with family and friends. Ageist assumptions informed the design of computer hardware, online formats and norms for social engagement. Senior citizens have concerns about the trustworthiness of social networking sites and while social media can exclude senior citizens from public debate, the authors conclude that the pressing issue is to focus on age-friendly design and supports. With these in place, social media can provide a venue for senior citizens to challenge ageism and influence public policy discourses.Keywords: social media; ageism; senior citizenship; advocacy; political activism IntroductionThe questions examined in this paper arose from discussions with a group of senior citizen activists involved in the participatory action research project (PAR), Exercising Senior Citizenship in an Ageist Society, under the facilitation of the first author and fourth author. This group of senior citizens (the term "senior citizen" used advisedly to convey seniors as participants in valued social roles who hold the rights and responsibilities of citizens) is actively involved in advocacy work focused on the provision of adequate supportive home services within the province of Ontario, Canada. In their efforts to be heard, the group is exploring the use of social media as a tool and venue to give voice to their message. Early on, one of the senior members and long-time activist (age 93) expressed frustration with the increasing use of online technologies for communication and advocacy work, which she experiences as a form of social exclusion. She lamented that while younger people grew up with this technology, many older adults are left "in a void" © 2015 The Author(s). Published by Taylor & Francis. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License (http:// creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. *Corresponding author. Email: b.trentham@utoronto.ca Politics, Groups, and Identities, 2015 Vol. 3, No. 3, 558-571, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21565503.2015 and at a disadvantage when it comes t...
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