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Measure the gap between the time allowed for care and cleaning work and the time it really needs.
Research & Community Project
Fair Load, Healthy Ageing
Fair work for the people who care and clean, so that they can age well.
Fair workloadMusculoskeletal healthHealthy ageingCo-design
About the project
When the time allowed is shorter than the time it takes
Long-term care workers and hotel housekeepers do some of the most physical work in our communities: lifting, bending, helping people move and making beds. Many are women, and many are in mid-life or older. Too often the time allowed for the work is shorter than the time it really takes, and the body makes up the difference through pain, exhaustion and too little recovery.
Fair Load, Healthy Ageing is a planned research and community project led by Dr Shu-Chen Hou (侯淑真), a bone biologist from Taitung with a PhD in Medicine from the University of Bristol. It focuses mainly on long-term care workers in Taitung, with hotel housekeepers as a comparison group. The idea grew from her own experience of working as a hotel housekeeper in England, which she wrote about in her book Behind the Clean Door (《乾淨客房背後》). It will be developed with one Indigenous partner community, care workers, housekeepers and employers.
Our aims
What the project sets out to do
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Understand musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, sleep and recovery, and how they affect home life.
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Explore links between physical work and bone and muscle health as women age.
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Listen to workers' own experiences, including Indigenous and older workers.
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Co-design fair workload standards and practical health resources with workers, employers and the partner community.
For workers
What the project aims to offer workers
Worker Health ToolkitA free Worker Health Toolkit in plain language: body-care tips, recovery advice, and clear information on rights and where to get help.
Safe and confidentialA safe, confidential way to share your experience. Employers would never be told who takes part.
Planned health checksPlanned health checks (a short bone-health risk questionnaire and a grip-strength test) once funding and approvals are in place.
A real voiceA real voice in shaping fairer standards for your work.
Status
In development
The background work in the UK (the book and its Worker Toolkit) is complete. The Taiwan study is planned for 2027 onwards, subject to funding, research ethics approval, and consultation with and consent from the partner Indigenous community under Taiwan's research rules. No one is being recruited yet, and no health checks are being offered at this stage.
Background
The project grows out of the forthcoming book Behind the Clean Door by Dr Shu-Chen Hou, based on her own work as a hotel housekeeper in England.
Contact
Dr Shu-Chen Hou (侯淑真)
Email: support@kokoshungsan.co.uk
Website: kokoshungsan.co.uk · 中文版本：shuchenhou.com
Languages: Mandarin, Taiwanese, English
Important: This page describes a planned project. It does not provide medical diagnosis, treatment or individual clinical advice. Anyone with personal health concerns should consult an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.