ABSTRACT

Today, healthy ageing and active, meaningful lives are core values and aims for international and national health policies. Health services are challenged to ensure that the recipients of their services are active participants in their own care and beyond. Participation allows patients to become less dependent on healthcare providers, increasing their control over their own treatment and health. Increasingly, the idea of ‘participation’ is shifting, from participation in services to participation in mainstream society.

This book examines the concept of participation, as well as the different meanings it takes on in the context of health and welfare services. It asks how services can enable and stimulate participation outside of those services. The contributions in this volume particularly focus on participation as engagement in daily life and ‘everyday life’ in order to develop the field of participation beyond the sphere of health and social care services. This book will appeal to researchers in the fields of health and social care, social services, occupational therapy and the sociology of health and illness. It will be of interest to practitioners of health and welfare services.

chapter 3|8 pages

Participation from the perspective of the user

From subjective experiences to lived experiences

chapter 7|11 pages

Participation in the context of service delivery

A comparison between the views held by older service recipients and service providers

chapter 11|13 pages

Shout out who we are!

How might engagement in cultural activities enhance participation in everyday occupations for people in vulnerable life situations?

chapter 14|14 pages

Digitalised communication and social interaction

New opportunities for young disabled people’s participation

chapter 15|12 pages

Participation in everyday life as lived negotiations

Challenges and opportunities within a situated understanding of participation

chapter 16|13 pages

Barriers to participation

Time, social and physical obstacles for students with disabilities

chapter 17|17 pages

Participation and inclusion

Mental health service users’ lived experience – an international study

chapter |4 pages

Epilogue