scholarly journals Sense of Home

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Emelia Atkins
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Social Stigma ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Housing Developments ◽  
Low Incomes ◽  
Housing Standards ◽  
Unique Potential ◽  
Sense Of Home

<p>Quality atmospheric conditions and the ability to empower residents has been overlooked in recent social housing developments as they have been strongly economically focused. The demand for inner city social housing within New Zealand has been a pressing issue since the first worker’s dwellings were built in Petone.  Social housing residents are known for their comparatively low incomes and high needs, but this should not mean that they have to dwell in a different standard of housing from other income earners.  Social housing is a reality for a growing portion of our society in New Zealand; the location and quality of housing should not be defined by social stigma and hierarchy. Architecture as a discipline has unique potential to critique existing social housing standards and create diversity of atmosphere that evoke a sense of empowerment amongst residents.  This research explores the manipulation of hybrid prefabrication systems, with the aim of empowering social housing residents through diverse atmospheric conditions.</p>

scholarly journals Sense of Home

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Emelia Atkins
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Social Stigma ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Housing Developments ◽  
Low Incomes ◽  
Housing Standards ◽  
Unique Potential ◽  
Sense Of Home

<p>Quality atmospheric conditions and the ability to empower residents has been overlooked in recent social housing developments as they have been strongly economically focused. The demand for inner city social housing within New Zealand has been a pressing issue since the first worker’s dwellings were built in Petone.  Social housing residents are known for their comparatively low incomes and high needs, but this should not mean that they have to dwell in a different standard of housing from other income earners.  Social housing is a reality for a growing portion of our society in New Zealand; the location and quality of housing should not be defined by social stigma and hierarchy. Architecture as a discipline has unique potential to critique existing social housing standards and create diversity of atmosphere that evoke a sense of empowerment amongst residents.  This research explores the manipulation of hybrid prefabrication systems, with the aim of empowering social housing residents through diverse atmospheric conditions.</p>

Co-Design and Open Trial of Starship Rescue, a Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Biofeedback, and Game-Based eHealth Intervention to Treat Anxiety in Children and Young People with Long-Term Physical Conditions (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiran Thabrew ◽  
Karolina Stasiak ◽  
Harshali Kumar ◽  
Tarique Naseem ◽  
Christopher Frampton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Young People ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Physical Conditions ◽  
System Usability Scale ◽  
Ehealth Intervention

BACKGROUND Approximately 10% to 12% of New Zealand children and young people have long-term physical conditions (also known as chronic illnesses) and are more likely to develop psychological problems, particularly anxiety and depression. Delayed treatment leads to worse physical and mental healthcare, school absence, and poorer long-term outcomes. Recently, electronic health (eHealth) interventions, especially those based on the principles of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), have been shown to be as good as face-to-face therapy. Biofeedback techniques have also been shown to enhance relaxation during the treatment of anxiety. However, these modalities have rarely been combined. Young people with long-term physical conditions have expressed a preference for well-designed and technologically-based support to deal with psychological issues, especially anxiety. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to co-design and evaluate the (i) acceptability and (ii) usability of a CBT and biofeedback-based, 5-module eHealth game called ‘Starship Rescue’ and (iii) to provide preliminary evidence regarding its effectiveness in addressing anxiety and quality of life in young people with long-term physical conditions. METHODS Starship Rescue was co-designed with children and young people from a tertiary hospital in Auckland, New Zealand. Following this, 24 young people aged 10 to 17 years were enrolled in an open trial, during which they were asked to use the game for an 8-week period. Acceptability of the game to all participants was assessed using a brief, open-ended questionnaire, and more detailed feedback was obtained from a subset of 10 participants via semi-structured interviews. Usability was evaluated via the System Usability Scale (SUS) and device-recorded frequency and duration of access on completion of the game. Anxiety levels were measured prior to commencement, on completion of the game, and 3 months later using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7) and Spence Child Anxiety Scales (SCAS), and at the start of each module and at the end of the game using an embedded Likert/visual analog scale. Quality of life was measured prior to commencement and on completion of the game using the Pediatric Quality of Life Scale (PEDS-QL). RESULTS Users gave Starship Rescue an overall rating of 5.9 out of 10 (range 3-10 and a mean score of 71 out of 100 (SD 11.7; min 47.5; max 90) on the System Usability Scale (SUS). The mean time period for use of the game was just over 11-weeks (78.8 days, 13.5 hours, 40 minutes). Significant reductions in anxiety were noted between the start and end of the game on the GAD-7 (-4.6 (p=0.000)), SCAS (-9.6 (p=0.005)), and the Likert/visual analogue scales (-2.4 (p=0.001)). Quality of life also improved on the PedsQL scale (+4.3 (p=0.042)). All changes were sustained at 3-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS This study provides preliminary evidence for Starship Rescue being an acceptable, usable and effective eHealth intervention for addressing anxiety in young people with long-term physical conditions. Further evaluation is planned via a more formal randomized controlled trial. CLINICALTRIAL Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Network Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12616001253493p;https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=371443 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6sYB716lf)

scholarly journals They Do Their Best, but Their Best Isn’t Good Enough: How Social Housing Can Support Older Tenants Aging in Place

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 23-23
Author(s):  
Christine Sheppard ◽  
Andrea Austen ◽  
Sander Hitzig
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Service Model ◽  
Building Trust ◽  
Age In Place ◽  
Access To Health ◽  
The City

Abstract Toronto Community Housing (TCH) is the second largest social housing landlord in North America, and is home to over 27,000 older adults, half of whom live in 83 “seniors-designated” buildings. There is inadequate and inconsistent delivery of services in these buildings, negatively impacting tenants’ ability to age in place. We conducted two half-day consultations with service providers (n=74) and tenants (n=100) to identify strategies to improve unit condition, promote stable tenancies (i.e., prevent evictions) and enhance access to health and support services for older adults living in TCH. Through facilitated discussion, participants identified their top two recommendations for each priority area and reflected on the strategies that were hardest and easiest to implement, as well as the ones that would have the most and least impact on quality of life for older tenants. Participants recognized the need for more education as a way to empower older tenants and reduce stigma associated with unit condition issues (e.g., pest problems) and arrears. More frequent touch points with tenants was also recommended as a way to identify older adults at-risk of eviction and work proactively (instead of reactively) to support them. Service providers and tenants believed that system navigators working directly in the buildings would be a key facilitator to building trust and helping older tenants access needed services. Outcomes of the have several program and policy implications for TCH, as they partner with the City of Toronto to design a new integrated service model for the seniors-designated buildings.

scholarly journals Recovery, quality of life and issues in supported housing among residents with co-occurring problems: a cross-sectional study

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-87
Author(s):  
Linda Nesse ◽  
Marianne Thorsen Gonzalez ◽  
Geir Aamodt ◽  
Ruth Kjærsti Raanaas
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Supported Housing ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Housing Satisfaction ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Staff Support ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sense Of Home

Purpose Recovery for residents who experience co-occurring problems and live in supported housing takes place in everyday contexts. This study aims to explore residents’ self-reported recovery and quality of life and examine the relationships between these factors and issues in supported housing. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional study was conducted at 21 supported housing sites in six cities across Norway. A total of 104 residents (76 men and 28 women) responded to measures of recovery (Recovery Assessment Scale – Revised), life satisfaction (Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life), affect (single items), staff support (Brief INSPIRE) and sense of home (single items). Findings Linear regression analyses indicated associations between recovery and staff support (B = 0.01, 95% CI = 0.01-0.02, ß = 0.39), housing satisfaction (B = 0.15, 95% CI = 0.07-0.22, ß = 0.38), sense of home (B = 0.23, 95% CI = 0.14-0.32, ß = 0.49) and satisfaction with personal economy (B = 0.11, 95% CI = 0.05-0.17, ß = 0.33). Similarly, associations were found between life satisfaction and staff support (B = 0.03, 95% CI = 0.02-0.04, ß = 0.46), housing satisfaction (B = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.46-0.80, ß = 0.60), sense of home (B = 0.65, 95% CI = 0.42-0.87, ß = 0.51) and satisfaction with personal economy (B = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.19-0.50, ß = 0.39). Originality/value The findings imply that core issues in supported housing, namely, staff support, housing satisfaction, sense of home and satisfaction with personal economy, are associated with recovery and quality of life.

Psychiatric Morbidity among Women in Urban and Rural New Zealand: Psycho-social Correlates

1990 ◽  
Vol 156 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah E. Romans-Clarkson ◽  
Valerie A. Walton ◽  
G. Peter Herbison ◽  
Paul E. Mullen
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Low Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Psychiatric Morbidity ◽  
Low Socioeconomic ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Urban Rural ◽  
Rural Sample ◽  
Explained Variance ◽  
Child Care Facilities

A random community survey into psychiatric disorder among women in urban and rural New Zealand found urban women to be more often at age extremes, not married, better educated, in more paid employment, and to have better household and child-care facilities. There were no overall urban–rural differences in the GHQ-28 score, total PSE score or PSE case rates. A multiple regression found the same three factors accounted for most of the explained variance in both the urban and the rural total PSE scores: these were the quality of social networks, difficulties with alcohol, and the past experience of childhood sexual abuse. Low socioeconomic status, poor physical health, and adult experiences of sexual and physical abuse were also associated with increased psychiatric morbidity in both samples. Other individual sociodemographic items were correlated with psychiatric morbidity for the urban or rural sample only.

scholarly journals Atmospheric Conditions during the Deep Propagating Gravity Wave Experiment (DEEPWAVE)

2017 ◽  
Vol 145 (10) ◽  
pp. 4249-4275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonja Gisinger ◽  
Andreas Dörnbrack ◽  
Vivien Matthias ◽  
James D. Doyle ◽  
Stephen D. Eckermann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Gravity Wave ◽  
Inversion Layer ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Polar Front ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Mountain Waves ◽  
Wave Experiment ◽  
Stratospheric Wind ◽  
Antarctic Polar Vortex

This paper describes the results of a comprehensive analysis of the atmospheric conditions during the Deep Propagating Gravity Wave Experiment (DEEPWAVE) campaign in austral winter 2014. Different datasets and diagnostics are combined to characterize the background atmosphere from the troposphere to the upper mesosphere. How weather regimes and the atmospheric state compare to climatological conditions is reported upon and how they relate to the airborne and ground-based gravity wave observations is also explored. Key results of this study are the dominance of tropospheric blocking situations and low-level southwesterly flows over New Zealand during June–August 2014. A varying tropopause inversion layer was found to be connected to varying vertical energy fluxes and is, therefore, an important feature with respect to wave reflection. The subtropical jet was frequently diverted south from its climatological position at 30°S and was most often involved in strong forcing events of mountain waves at the Southern Alps. The polar front jet was typically responsible for moderate and weak tropospheric forcing of mountain waves. The stratospheric planetary wave activity amplified in July leading to a displacement of the Antarctic polar vortex. This reduced the stratospheric wind minimum by about 10 m s−1 above New Zealand making breaking of large-amplitude gravity waves more likely. Satellite observations in the upper stratosphere revealed that orographic gravity wave variances for 2014 were largest in May–July (i.e., the period of the DEEPWAVE field phase).

scholarly journals Erythromelalgia? A Clinical Study of People Who Experience Red, Hot, Painful Feet in the Community

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Friberg ◽  
T. Chen ◽  
G. Tarr ◽  
A. van Rij
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Clinical Study ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Medical Profession ◽  
Medical Attention ◽  
Study Population ◽  
Seeking Help ◽  
Moderate Effect

We recruited a population of people who clinically suffer from the symptoms of erythromelalgia, red, hot, painful feet made worse by heat and improved by cooling, to better characterise this population and measure their quality of life (QOL). Ninety-two individuals completed the QOL surveys, and 56 individuals were clinically assessed. There was a 3 : 1 ratio of females to males with an average age of 61 years. The estimated prevalence of people who had clinical symptoms of erythromelalgia in the Dunedin community was 15/100,000. Only 27% of people had received a diagnosis for their symptoms despite seeking medical attention. People in the study population had worse quality of life than the general New Zealand population(P<0.001). In the majority of participants symptoms had a mild-moderate effect on their quality of life. The results of this study indicate that the number of people who have clinical symptoms of erythromelalgia is much greater than is commonly accepted and that the majority of these individuals go unrecognised by the medical profession despite seeking help. They have significantly diminished QOL with the majority of people having mild-to-moderate symptoms.

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