Appalachians have been characterized as a population with numerous disparities in health and limited access to medical services and infrastructures, leading to inaccurate generalizations that inhibit their healthcare progress. Appalachians face significant challenges in obtaining effective care, and the public lacks information about both their healthcare needs and about the resources communities have developed to meet those needs. In Appalachian Health and Well-Being, editors Robert L. Ludke and Phillip J. Obermiller bring together leading researchers and practitioners to provide a much-needed compilation of data- and research-driven perspectives, broadening our understanding of strategies to decrease the health inequalities affecting both rural and urban Appalachians. The contributors propose specific recommendations for necessary research, suggest practical solutions for health policy, and present best practices models for effective health intervention. This in-depth analysis offers new insights for students, health practitioners, and policy makers, promoting a greater understanding of the factors affecting Appalachian health and effective responses to those needs.

This Second Edition of the Handbook addresses the evolving interdisciplinary health care context and the broader social work practice environment, as well as advances in the knowledge base which guides social work service delivery in health and aging. This includes recent enhancements in the theories of gerontology, innovations in clinical interventions, and major developments in the social policies that structure and finance health care and senior services. In addition, the policy reforms of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act set in motion a host of changes in the United States healthcare system with potentially profound implications for the programs and services which provide care to older adults and their families. In this volume, the most experienced and prominent gerontological health care scholars address a variety of populations that social workers serve, and the arenas in which they practice, followed by detailed recommendations of best practices for an array of physical and mental health conditions. The volume's unprecedented attention to diversity, health care trends, and implications for practice, research, policy make the publication a major event in the field of gerontological social work. This is a Must-Read for all social work social work educators, practitioners, and students interested in older adults and their families.

Well-Being as a Multidimensional Concept highlights the ways that culture and community influence concepts of wellness, the experience of well-being, and health outcomes. This book includes both theoretical conceptualizations and practice-based explorations from a multidisciplinary group of contributors, including distinguished, widely celebrated senior experts as well as emerging voices in the fields of health promotion, health research, clinical practice, community engagement, and health system policy. Using a social science approach, the contributors explore the interface among culture, community, and well-being in terms of theory and research frameworks; culture, community, and relationships; food; health systems; and collaboration, policy, messaging, and data. The chapters in this collection provide a broader understanding of well-being and its role as a culturally embedded and multidimensional concept. This collection furthers our ability to apprehend social and cultural constructs and dynamics that influence health and well-being and to better understand factors that contribute to or prevent health disparities.

Provide quality care for clients from culturally diverse backgrounds! Transcultural Nursing, 9th Edition shows you how to apply assessment and intervention strategies to individuals from a variety of different cultures. Based on Giger and Davidhizer's unique transcultural model, this text helps you deliver culturally sensitive care with use of the six key aspects of cultural assessment: communication, time, space, social organization, environmental control, and biologic variations. Practical, real-world coverage shows how an understanding of cultural variations and individual patient needs will help you promote safe and effective care. - UPDATED! Content throughout reflects the latest research and thinking related to transcultural nursing, as well as updated Census data. - UPDATED! Cultural chapters reflect the shifting experiences of cultural groups in our society. - NEW! Jamaican Americans chapter addresses the unique cultural and healthcare needs of this population. - UNIQUE! Individual chapters on the six key aspects of cultural assessment allow you to also apply the Transcultural Assessment Model to cultures not covered in the text. - Twenty-four chapters on specific cultural groups apply this assessment model to the clients most commonly encountered in United States healthcare settings. - Case studies and critical decision-making questions in each chapter help you apply the assessment framework in practice. - Client care plans in culture-specific chapters demonstrate how to apply principles to specific client needs. - Coverage includes information on biological differences among individuals of different racial groups; differences in drug interaction and metabolism specific to various ethnic groups; and clustering of certain pathologies in specific racial groups. - Discussions of spirituality throughout the text present a holistic approach to culture and beliefs that provides a more integrated approach to assessment. - Review questions in each chapter (with answers found in the back of the text) help reinforce knowledge.

2010 census data is incorporated through the book to provide the most current analysis of demographic trends. Completely revised cultural chapters reflect the shifting experiences of different cultural groups in our society. NEW! 6 additional cultural chapters on Nigerians, Uganda Americans, Jordanian Americans, Cuban Americans, Amish Americans, and Irish Americans