Health Communication, Language, and Social Action across the Life Span

Three fundamental world views serve as the foundational bedrock of this book: The centrality of language to our understanding of human behavior; The uniqueness of the Health Context as environment that can produce impactful language associated with positive life outcomes; and the Life Span Developmental nature of human interaction.

The language utilized within health communication encounters has a direct influence on our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. In many ways, the difficulties associated with efficient, effective, and competent communication within the health care context can be the major determinant of successful health outcomes. Further, while many of the interactional contexts within health are intergenerational, communication encounters are challenged by ageism and a lack of appropriate intergenerational communication skills. While it may seem obvious that the nature of human interaction is constantly changing as individuals develop throughout their lives, few theoretical or empirical investigators within the general disciplines of Communication, Language, and Social Psychology ground their research within a life span developmental perspective.

This book addresses communication events within health care institutions from a theory-rich, methodologically varied, and social action/positive communication orientation. Chapters in this book examine interpersonal relationships, the social environment, and culture to develop beneficial communication practices for healthcare professionals, individuals, families, and communities.

List of Figures - List of Tables - Editor Information - About the Contributors - Jon F. Nussbaum: Introduction: Health Communication, Language, and Social Action across the Life Span - Margaret Jane Pitts: Positive Communication as Social Action: Compassion and Communication Savoring - Jake Harwood/R. Amanda Cooper: Humanization as Positive Communication: (De)Humanization, Personhood, and Dementia - Julien C. Mirivel/Bailey M. Oliver-Blackburn: How Positive Communication Creates Peak Communication Moments: A Qualitative Study of Adults' Peak Experiences - Carla L. Fisher: Interpersonal Communication as Central to Health across the Lifespan: A Family- Centered Approach to Psychosocial Oncology Care - Kevin B. Wright/Mollie R. Canzona: Influence of Topic Avoidance, Willingness to Communicate about Health, and Social Support on Health Issues across the Life Span: Theoretical Underpinnings and Two Applied Studies - Gemme Campbell-Salome: Family Health Legacies: Inherited Familial Health Risks and Patterns of Communication - Craig Fowler: Word by Word, Not Brick by Brick: Building Spaces for Successful Aging through Social Interaction and Communication - Patricia E. Gettings: Comparing Baby Boomer Women's and Men's Sensemaking about the Transition to Retirement - Lindsey B. Anderson/Victoria McDermott: The Portrayal of Aging Spaces from a Public Relations Perspective - Janice L. Krieger/Aantaki Raisa: Communication, Community, and Co- design: Using Precision Messages to Enhance Health Equity - Angela L. Palmer-Wackerly/Kazi Haneeya Wahed: Rooted in "Places and Spaces": Sensemaking about Identity, Culture, and Health in the Rural Midwest - Amber K. Worthington/Britteny M. Howell/Dale M. Golden/Allex Mahanna: Creating a Student- Led Healthy Aging Program for Diverse Older Adults in Alaska - Rosellen M. Rosich/Steven J. Harris/Maria C. Crouch: An Alaska Native Integrated Lifecycle, Ecological, and Cultural Approach to Understanding Alzheimer's Disease, Caregiving, and Social Determinants of Health - Tzu-Chiao Chen/Sara L. Buckingham/Shannon Kuhn/Amana Mbise/Nyabony Gat/Sofia Sytniak: Culturally Informed Health Promotion Campaigns in Alaska: Findings from "Untapped Talents" - Mary Lee Hummert: Epilogue: A Road Map for Health Communication Research That Makes a Difference - Index.