CFP: 3rd International Symposium on Transnational Aging: "Long-term care for the elderly across borders" - Mainz, Germany - 6-7 Oct. 2016

3rd International Symposium on Transnational Aging: "Long-term care for the elderly across borders"
Institute of Education, University of Mainz, Germany
October 6-7, 2016

Call for Abstracts 
Due to demographic changes old age care systems in many industrialized countries have become under pressure. Rising public and private costs as well as serious concerns about the quality of elderly care characterize current debates. At the same time, responsibilities between the market, the state, the family, and third sector organisations are re-defined and re-negotiated. In this context, we observe the emergence of new LTC arrangements that span the borders of nation-states. The employment of 24/7 migrant care workers in many European and North American countries, the establishment of old age facilities for “Western” elderly in low cost countries as well as the increasing border crossing influences on local LTC services (for instance by recruitment programs for care workers from abroad) are some examples of this development. Despite the raising academic and public awareness of this development especially the user’s perspective still remains largely unexplored.

Recent developments also show that transnational care arrangements are influenced by the general trend of an increasing diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICTs) into LTC for the elderly. Assisted living systems or health care apps apparently reduce the necessity of physical co-presence while instant voice messaging or web based video conferencing generate new forms of virtual togetherness. For transnational families, for example, this might offer new possibilities of care for the elderly from the distance. However, little is known about the function, meaning and significance of ICTs in LTC for the elderly in general and in transnational contexts in particular.

The symposium encourages the exchange of ideas that help to explore, understand and theorize transnational LTC for the elderly as well as its relation to ITCs. Accordingly, we invite empirical and methodological as well as theoretical contributions from the social sciences and related disciplines. Questions of interest include but are not limited to the following:

• How do transnational developments in LTC relate to the needs, demands and rights of the elderly and other actors involved? What social chances and costs are implied? Who profits from this development and who does not? 
• How is care delivered and what concepts of care emerge in transnational LTC arrangements? How are the elderly positioned in these arrangements and how do they impact their agency? 
• How are ICTs used in transnational LTC arrangements and with what consequences? How do ICTs alter the nature of social interaction in the context of LTC for the elderly and how can we theorize these new ICT-human relationships? 

Participants will be selected based on abstracts, which should not exceed 400 words and must be submitted via email by April 15, 2016 to the following email address: aging@transsos.com .

Location and date: The workshop will take place at the Institute of Education, University of Mainz, Germany, October 6-7, 2016.

Organization: The symposium is organized by the research group Transnational Aging in cooperation with the Research Center Transnational Social Support (TRANSSOS) at the Institute of Education, University of Mainz (Germany).

Symposium committee: Désirée Bender, Sonja Großmann, Tina Hollstein, Vincent Horn and Cornelia Schweppe

Upcoming conference: 8th International Forum for Health Tourism - Romania - 21-23 April 2016

The central aim of the International Forum for Health Tourism (IFHT) is to create a platform for debate between leading medical and tourism practitioners, academics, representatives of Romanian public authorities, as well as national and international certification bodies in medical and health tourism.

An underlining objective of the Forum is to examine the international context of medical tourism and to generate a better understanding of Romania’s potential as a destination for health and medical tourism. IFTS encourages discussions that relate research with practice and strives to facilitate a dialogue between academics, various medical and tourism practitioners, and public authorities.

We invite speakers to present papers that focus on issues such as: 

• quality management in the provision of health services;
• the strengths and weaknesses of medical tourism destinations;
• the impact of policies and governmental strategies on health tourism;
• international competitiveness and innovative marketing strategies in the export of health services;
• international patients’ experiences and safety. 

We also welcome proposals from speakers wishing to discuss other aspects of health tourism.

Those interested to attend are requested to send an abstract to maria.gorska@fundatia-amfiteatru.ro by March 28.

The 8^th edition of the International Forum for Health Tourism is organised by the Amphitheatre Foundation in partnership with the National Authority for Quality Management in Healthcare and it is held under the auspices of the Medical Cluster ‘Health Romania’. This edition of the Forum will take place in Râmnicu-Vâlcea, between 21-23 April 2016. For details regarding the costs of the conference, please follow the link below and see details provided under Registration. 

http://amphitheatreconferences.gm.ro/current-conferences/international-forum-for-health-tourism-eighth-edition/

CFP: Public Health Panorama - special issue on migration and health in the European region

December issue - Deadline for submission: 30-07-2016

Migration and health

Public Health Panorama invites papers for its first thematic issue on the topic of migration and health in the European Region. With the arrival of over 1 million refugees and migrants in Europe in 2015, our Region is facing an unprecedented situation, which calls for an urgent response to their health needs, by actions between and within countries and among sectors.

The papers for the December 2016 issue of Public Health Panorama should focus on migration and health, They may represent scientific research findings on the health status of refugees and migrants in the European Region and their access to community health and care services, case studies of best practices and experience in integrating the health needs of refugees and migrants into national cross-sectoral policies, strategies and plans.

Health status, access to health care and public heath interventions for refugees and migrants in the European Region

Advancing the research agenda on the health of refugees and migrants is essential for making evidence-informed policy recommendations. One of the objectives of this Panorama issue is to offer a platform for new research in this area. Therefore, papers are invited that provide new evidence on the health status and access to health care of refugees and migrants in the European Region and on public health strengthening to meet that need.

Integrating the health needs of refugees and migrants into national cross-sectoral policies, strategies and plans

While migration is a perennial global phenomenon, the current migration crisis requires urgent action to integrate the health needs of refugees and migrants adequately into national policies, strategies and plans, so that they protect and promote the health of these vulnerable populations as well as their host communities. This is "easier said than done". This Panorama issue will welcome country experiences and best practices in this field, as sharing of such information is fundamental to inter-country cooperation in order to provide appropriate responses to common challenges. Priority will be given to papers that describe whole-of-government, whole-of-society and health-in-all-policies approaches, i.e. those that address the links among social and economic policies and sectors to ensure better health outcomes and less health inequity, in the spirit of the Health 2020 vision.

After the discussions on migration and health at the margins of the meeting of the Regional Committee for Europe in September 2015, European ministers of health decided to meet again to discuss a common understanding and agreed action for meeting the health needs of migrants and refugees. The High-level Meeting on Refugee and Migrant Health held in Rome in November 2015 was attended by high-level representatives of 50 countries in the European, Eastern Mediterranean and African regions and from several other United Nations agencies and international organizations.

The result of the discussions are published in the outcome document Stepping up action on refugee and migrant health. European Member States agreed to develop a common framework for collaborative action on refugee and migrant health, based on solidarity and mutual assistance and in the spirit of the 2030 Sustainable Development agenda, whereby "no one should be left behind". Migration and health will be one of the main items for discussion at the meeting of the Regional Committee for Europe in September 2016.

Guidelines for submitting papers

We invite papers that describe research and new evidence on the health status and access to health care of refugees and migrants in the European Region. We also welcome papers on good practice in integrating the health needs of refugees and migrants into national cross-sectoral policies, strategies and plans. Priority will be given to those papers based on approaches to ensure equity and those that describe successful practices, innovative solutions and lesson learnt.

We welcome papers that document experience from low-income countries and those with economies in transition. Manuscripts may be submitted in either English or Russian. The deadline for submissions is 30 July 2016.Manuscripts should respect the guidelines for contributors and mention this call for papers in a covering letter. All submissions will undergo the peer-review process of Public Health Panorama. For further queries, please seehttp://bit.ly/1PNcJOS or contact panorama@euro.who.int.