patients

What are effective ways to interact with older patients, particularly with those facing multiple illnesses, hearing and vision impairments, or cognitive problems? How does one approach sensitive topics such as driving privileges or assisted living? Are there special communication strategies that can help older patients who are experiencing confusion or memory loss? It is with these questions in mind, that the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institute of Health, developed this Handbook.

Report detailing the findings of the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland's (MWC) unannounced visits to sixteen continuing care wards across Scotland. At these visits the MWC interviewed patients, relatives and staff and examined data such as needs assessments.

This resource explains the general characteristics of the social roles of 'doctor' and 'patient' and how these social roles relate to one another.

This resource is one of a set of exercises and activities taken from the book 'Modern Social Work Practice' written by Mark Doel and Steven Shardlow. This activity examines the gap which sometimes exists between what they are feeling ’inside’ and what they are saying ’outside’, and explores the student's response to it. It focuses on how the student handles taboo subjects. The activity also concerns the student's view of learning. How do beliefs, feelings and actions influence openness to learning?

Report describing the Search for Acute Solutions Project which was set up in 2002 to find ways of making acute inpatient mental health care better. It reports the lessons learned from the experience of the project on how to improve hospital care in mental health.

The importance of meeting the social care needs of cancer patients and their carers is discussed. The article draws on findings of a report from Macmillan Cancer Support.

A Cancer Information and Support Service in County Durham, which is financed by the local PCT and also includes a welfare rights officer employed by the council is also briefly described.

Paper focusing on information about the quality of health services and looking at ways in which it can lead to better quality healthcare for all. It argues that the information needed to improve services is not always available and that a deeper level of information along with measures such as patient-based outcome measures are required to change health care for the better.