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Australian Cities (australian + city)
Selected AbstractsURBAN HISTORY AND THE FUTURE OF AUSTRALIAN CITIESAUSTRALIAN ECONOMIC HISTORY REVIEW, Issue 1 2009Lionel Frost Australian cities; sustainability; urban history; urbanisation Urban growth is a major theme in economic development and a policy imperative for developed countries that seek to create sustainable cities. We argue that the past weighs heavily on the ability of societies to sustainably manage urban environments. The policy implications of urban history are revealed in comparisons of cities across times and between places. The special issue presents some of the best recent work on the economic and social history of Australian cities. We aim to encourage historians to incorporate urban variables into studies of historical processes and to persuade policymakers to consider historical trends in their analysis. [source] IDEAS FROM AUSTRALIAN CITIES: RELOCATING URBAN AND SUBURBAN HISTORYAUSTRALIAN ECONOMIC HISTORY REVIEW, Issue 1 2009Andrew May Melbourne; suburbia; urban history This article draws on preliminary research into the social history of Melbourne, on the ways that suburban life in the post-World War II era provides both explanation and counterweight to persistently negative stereotypes of suburbia. Over recent decades, suburban histories have been eschewed in favour of historical reconsiderations of the inner city or the bush. The history of the Australian suburb, particularly since 1945, is yet to be written. Oral history and municipal archives will be crucial to the writing of such histories. The article suggests several research pathways, including intergenerational life stories, a wider scale of geographical analysis, and a subtler reading of cultural conformity and social differentiation. [source] Infrastructure Financing and Operation in the Contemporary CityGEOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2010PHILLIP M. O'NEILL Abstract The provision of large economic infrastructure in Australian cities is widely seen to be in crisis. This paper examines the reasons why crisis has arisen in the urban infrastructure sector and what might be done to redress this. The analysis and the argument are based on a resuscitation of the ideas and ideals of infrastructure provision and how these have been eroded. The paper shows how these ideas/ideals once underpinned the formulation of state role, governance and regulation systems, financial arrangements, and even community need and expectation. Critical to this was an acceptance of the ideals of universality, access, bundling and free positive externalities, and the belief that these should be assembled necessarily as part of any urban infrastructure roll-out. This package became instinctive in post-war economic and urban management. Yet this instinct has been lost as governments shift from models of infrastructure provision to infrastructure procurement where a major role for the private sector is now common. While such an involvement has its benefits, there are concerns for the urban condition when privatisation of infrastructure construction, delivery and operation becomes dominant. Citing Graham and Marvin (2001), the paper argues that, where once infrastructure was the key device for integrating the elements of the city and its people, the way it is now being delivered produces a splintered urbanism. There is an urgent need, then, to re-think what infrastructure means in today's urban context and thereafter to re-assess the criteria for deciding what infrastructure is to be provided, in what form it should be provided, who should provide it, who should pay, and who should operate it. [source] The cognitive decline scale of the psychogeriatric assessment scales (PAS): longitudinal data on its validityINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 3 2001A.F. Jorm Abstract Objective The Cognitive Decline scale of the Psychogeriatric Assessment Scales (PAS), uses informant data to assess retrospectively change from earlier in life. Data from a 7,8-year longitudinal study were used to assess the validity of this scale against changes in cognitive performance and mortality. Design and measures PAS data were collected on three occasions, with gaps of 3.6 and 4.1 years between the waves. The Cognitive Decline score at Wave 3 was validated retrospectively against actual change on a brief test of current cognitive status (the PAS Cognitive Impairment scale) over the three waves, while the Cognitive Decline score at Wave 1 was assessed for predictive validity against future mortality and cognitive change. Setting A community survey in the Australian cities of Canberra and Queanbeyan. Participants Participants were aged 70+ at the beginning of the study. The sample size varied from 729 to 279, depending on the number of waves involved. Results Participants with scores of 4+ on the Cognitive Decline scale at Wave 3 showed substantial deterioration over the previous 7,8 years. Scores of 4+ at Wave 1 predicted mortality and further cognitive deterioration. Conclusions The Cognitive Decline scale allows a valid retrospective assessment of change and has predictive validity for subsequent cognitive deterioration and increased mortality. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Increasing oncologists' skills in eliciting and responding to emotional cues: evaluation of a communication skills training program,PSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 3 2008Phyllis Butow Abstract Purpose: Psychological morbidity in cancer patients is common, but often undetected and untreated. We developed a communication skills training (CST) program targeting this issue, and evaluated its impact on doctor behaviour. Patients and Methods: Thirty of 35 oncologists from six teaching hospitals in six Australian cities, participated. The CST was a 1.5-day intensive face-to-face workshop incorporating presentation of principles, a DVD modelling ideal behaviour and role-play practice, followed by four 1.5 h monthly video-conferences incorporating role-play of doctor-generated scenarios. Doctors were randomized to receive the CST or not. Simulated patient interviews were videotaped and coded at baseline, after CST and 6 months later. Doctors completed questionnaires assessing stress and burnout at the same time points. Results: Doctors in the intervention group displayed more creating environment and fewer blocking behaviours at both follow-ups; however, these differences did not reach statistical significance. Intervention doctors valued the training highly, but did not report substantial reductions in stress and burnout. Conclusions: This short training programme demonstrated a positive effect on aspects of doctor behaviour. Video-conferencing after a short training course may be an effective strategy for delivering CST. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Neighbourhood and Family Effects in Educational ProgressTHE AUSTRALIAN ECONOMIC REVIEW, Issue 1 2000Ben Jensen Increasing inequality in Australian cities has created the need for a deeper understanding of the interaction between spatial segmentation and economic outcomes. This paper offers a preliminary economic analysis of Australian neighbourhood externalities in the context of increasing segmentation. Theoretically, neighbourhoods can affect youths' economic out-comes through their effects on school quality, information flows, job networks, and demonstration effects. We utilise a new survey of 171 year 12 students in ten Melbourne high schools to examine the impact of individual, family, and neighbourhood characteristics on the decision to attend post-secondary education. It is shown that there exist neighbourhood externalities that affect human capital investment decisions. Finally, we offer some tentative implications for public policy. [source] The short-term effects of air pollution on daily mortality in four Australian citiesAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 3 2005Rod Simpson Objective: To examine the short-term health effects of air pollution on daily mortality in four Australian cities (Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney), where more than 50% of Australians reside. Methods: The study used a similar protocol to APHEA2 (Air Pollution and Health: A European Approach) study and derived single-city and pooled estimates. Results: The results derived from the different approaches for the 1996-99 period showed consistent results for different statistical models used. There were significant effects on total mortality, (RR=1.0284 per 1 unit increase in nephelometry [10 -4. m -1], RR=1.0011 per 1ppb increase in NO2), and on respiratory mortality (RR=1.0022 per 1ppb increase in O3). No significant differences between cities were found, but the NO2 and particle effects may refer to the same impacts. Meta-analyses carried out for three cities yielded estimates for the increase in the daily total number of deaths of 0.2% (-0.8% to 1.2%) for a 10 ,g/m3 increase in PM10 concentration, and 0.9% (-0.7% to 2.5%) for a 10 ,g/m3 increase in PM2.5 concentration. Conclusions: Air pollutants in Australian cities have significant effects on mortality. [source] URBAN HISTORY AND THE FUTURE OF AUSTRALIAN CITIESAUSTRALIAN ECONOMIC HISTORY REVIEW, Issue 1 2009Lionel Frost Australian cities; sustainability; urban history; urbanisation Urban growth is a major theme in economic development and a policy imperative for developed countries that seek to create sustainable cities. We argue that the past weighs heavily on the ability of societies to sustainably manage urban environments. The policy implications of urban history are revealed in comparisons of cities across times and between places. The special issue presents some of the best recent work on the economic and social history of Australian cities. We aim to encourage historians to incorporate urban variables into studies of historical processes and to persuade policymakers to consider historical trends in their analysis. [source] Monuments, Memory and Marginalisation in Adelaide's Prince Henry GardensGEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES B: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2004Iain Hay Abstract Social and cultural dominance is (re)produced in the landscape by the exclusion or marginalisation of subordinate and minority groups. This paper illustrates the long-standing and ongoing exclusion of representations of indigeneity in and around Prince Henry Gardens, part of one of the most significant cultural and memorial sites in South Australia. Prince Henry Gardens is home to a large number of monuments and memorials that commemorate almost solely non-indigenous people and events. This is a selective and deliberate landscape of the dominant culture. It confirms a legacy of indigenous dispossession and is symbolic of ongoing marginalisation. While there have been recent compensatory initiatives by state and city agencies to create landscapes of reconciliation through symbolic gestures such as renaming parkland areas, these are argued to be contentious. They associate indigeneity with the city's margins, with violent places and public drunkenness, and perpetuate problematic associations between ,real' indigeneity and nature. The paper concludes with some ideas for new memorial landscapes intended to help construct a postcolonial Australian city. [source] Implementation of oral health recommendations into two residential aged care facilities in a regional Australian cityINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EVIDENCE BASED HEALTHCARE, Issue 3 2006Tony Fallon BAppSc(Hons) PhD Abstract Background, Residents of aged care facilities usually have a large number of oral health problems. Residents who suffer from dementia are at particular risk. A systematic review of the best available evidence with regard to maintaining the oral health of older people with dementia in residential aged care facilities provided a number of recommendations. Objectives, The aim of the implementation project was to introduce evidence-based oral hygiene practices for patients with dementia in two publicly funded residential aged care facilities and monitor for changes in nursing awareness, knowledge, documentation and practice to improve patient outcomes and ensure appropriate accreditation standards were met. An additional aim was to identify barriers and strategies to overcome barriers to implementation of evidence-based recommendations. Methods, Two facilities, a 40-bed facility and a 71-bed facility in the health service district of the regional Australian city of Toowoomba, provided the setting. A quality improvement approach was taken, using a number of strategies from the National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines for implementation studies. The implementation involved a number of stages, including project development, interactive oral health education, oral audits of residents, changes to oral hygiene practice via care plans and critical reflection. Results, The multidisciplinary approach to improving oral healthcare appeared to improve knowledge and awareness and move oral health practices in facilities closer to best practice. Specialised training in oral health was provided to a Clinical Nurse Consultant. Regular oral audits were introduced and facility staff were trained in the use of the oral audit tool. Care plans at one facility were of better quality and more comprehensive than before the intervention. Comments made during critical reflection suggested improvements in the oral health of residents, increased use of oral swabs and saliva substitutes, improved care of dentures and mention of the use of mouth props in resident care plans. There was also some evidence that changes brought about by the implementation are sustainable. Conclusion, The majority of recommendations provided in the systematic review of oral healthcare for dementia patients were applicable to the applied context. The importance of day-to-day leaders was highlighted by the apparently varied outcomes across target facilities. The quality improvement approach would appear to have considerable advantages when applied to improving practice in residential aged care. [source] Prevalence of disruptive behaviour displayed by older people in community and residential respite care settingsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 2 2007Christine C. Neville ABSTRACT:, The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of disruptive behaviour displayed by older people in community and residential respite care settings. The specific objectives were to (i) obtain an estimate of the frequency of disruptive behaviour displayed by older people in the community setting before residential respite care; (ii) characterize older people being admitted for residential respite care; and (iii) obtain an estimate of the frequency of disruptive behaviour displayed by older people in residential respite care. A quantitative approach using a cross-sectional survey was employed in the community and in the residential aged care facilities. The older people (n = 100) had a mean age of 81.8 years (range 66,96 years). The older people were being admitted from their homes for booked respite care at residential aged care facilities in a regional Australian city. Home caregivers and nurses rated disruptive behaviour using the Dementia Behaviour Disturbance Scale (DBDS). Reliability data for the DBDS are provided. As expected, in both community and residential respite settings, older people with dementia (29%) scored significantly higher on the DBDS than people without dementia. In addition, DBDS scores were unexpectedly higher in the community setting than in the respite setting. These findings should be taken into consideration by primary health-care professionals when offering treatment options to the home caregivers and by staff in the residential aged care facilities that offer respite. [source] Nursing care of dead bodies: a discursive analysis of last officesJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 6 2003Beverleigh Quested BN MN RN DipAppSc Background.,Nurses care for patients before they are born, after they have died and during the lifetime in between. This paper explores nursing care of the patient after they have died including the actions by nurses in preparation of the body, the covering with a shroud, and the transfer to the mortuary. Aims.,The analysis of a procedure manual excerpt Last Offices, which directs care of the dead patient aims to explore nursing care practices in regard to dead patients, as well as the impact of the health care institution and society at large on these care practices. Method.,An acute care teaching hospital located in a major Australian city was approached and permission was granted to access their procedure and policy manuals. The Last Offices excerpt of the procedure manual was discursively analysed. Findings.,It is the contention of this paper that, through their care, nurses enact the transition between life and death, and from person to corpse. Furthermore, nurses mediate the move from embodied person to becoming dead, and in so doing traverse the cultural, ontological and epistemological breaks that death entails. [source] An analysis of the evidence-practice continuum: is surgery for obstructive sleep apnoea contraindicated?JOURNAL OF EVALUATION IN CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 1 2007Adam G. Elshaug BA BSc(Hons) MPH Abstract Rationale, aims and objectives, Currently there are multiple surgical interventions utilized in the treatment of adult obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). The role of these operations remains controversial, with perspectives on treatment efficacy varying considerably. Despite this, their use is proliferating. Objectives, In this paper, we present the degree of variability that occurs in the application of these procedures, and examine the effectiveness of surgical intervention as a treatment for OSA. Method, A multi-centre retrospective clinical audit of consecutive, unselected surgical cases presenting at the sleep disorder clinics of two teaching hospitals in a major Australian city. Patients acted as their own historical controls, undergoing polysomnography pre and post surgery to gauge effectiveness. Results, On variability demonstrate 94 individuals in this cohort received 220 individual upper airway surgical procedures, 184 occurred in their first operation (mean 2.5 per person; range 1,7) and 36 occurred in a second operation (n = 18; cumulative mean of 4 per person; range 3,7). These 94 individuals received 41 varying combinations of surgery. Results on effectiveness demonstrate an overall physiological success rate of 13% (87% fail). One operation reduced OSA severity by 20% (patients still had severe OSA), and two operations by 35% (still moderate OSA). In contrast, conventional Continuous Positive Airway Pressure therapy controlled OSA (n = 64). Conclusions, This case study demonstrates substantial procedural variability and limited effectiveness. This raises questions as to the quality of care, the treatment-derived health outcomes of this population and of efficient resource allocation. This issue requires greater policy attention. [source] Evaluation of a community-based mental health drug and alcohol nurse in the care of people living with HIV/AIDSJOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 2 2009J. ALLEN rn ba (hons) m psych (counselling psychology) There is a growing need for advanced practice mental health and drug and alcohol nursing roles in the care of people living with HIV/AIDS; however, limited publications address these domains. This study evaluated a community-based mental health drug and alcohol nurse role caring for people living with HIV/AIDS (Mental Health D&A Nurse) in a large not-for-profit district nursing organization providing care to people living with HIV/AIDS in an Australian city. Outcomes from a client assessment and 6,8-week follow-up by the Mental Health D&A Nurse are presented as captured by the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS 21), Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST), Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HONOS) and WHOQoL BREF. Mean scores and caseness were analysed, and significant differences were found on the ,impairment' and ,social problems' subscales of the HONOS. Results of semi-structured interviews with clients describe effective and supportive mental health care and health-promoting education following visits by the Mental Health D&A Nurse. These positive findings support continuing implementation of the role within this community setting and indicate that even greater benefits will ensue as the role develops further. Findings are of interest to clinicians and policy makers seeking to implement similar roles in community-based HIV/AIDS care. [source] Practitioner-researchers in occupational therapyAUSTRALIAN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY JOURNAL, Issue 1 2000Anne Cusick Few occupational therapy clinicians are research productive even though their involvement in research is encouraged. The role of ,research-practitioner' is put forward as a means by which practitioners can be research productive. There is, however, an absence of studies exploring experience of the minority of practitioners who do produce research. This study used a qualitative approach to do this in occupational therapy. Purposive sampling was conducted of all research productive clinicians in acute-care hospitals in one Australian city. Of the 20 possible researchers, 15 participated in in-depth interviews which explored their experience of research. Results were analysed using the constant comparative method and six conceptual categories were developed to describe their experience. The key findings were that clinicians who did research perceived themselves to be different from other clinicians in terms of attributes; and they described special ways of getting research done, and ways of reflecting on outcomes of their research involvement. The study provides an empirical foundation to further consider the practitioner-researcher role in practice professions such as occupational therapy. [source] | |||||||||||||