Care Matters

Concepts, Practice and Research in Health and Social Care

How can we make sense of the varying concepts of care and of the many forms care takes in practice? How can "good" care be defined and evaluated? The editors draw on a range of academic disciplines, including sociology, social policy, psychology, history, geography, social work, and nursing to address these questions. Care Matters considers whether shared meanings in the concept of care can still be found across differences of family and paid care, health and social care, perspectives "caregiver" and "cared for", and the experiences of different client groups. The contributors identify commonalties in the form of concerns about personal empowerment, about choice and self esteem, about the balance needed between independence, interdependence, and dependency. What also emerges is the relevance of such issues for those giving as well as receiving care. Care Matters points to the importance of continuing to learn directly from experiences of giving and receiving care, drawing out any core principles only cautiously against a backdrop of this wide range of participating voices. This discussion of care will be essential reading for academics and students of social work, nursing, disability studies, health and social studies, and social policy.