Search Results (5)

Background: In the United Kingdom, specialist teams managing crises in dementia make efforts to reduce inpatient admissions by supporting people to live for longer in their own homes. However, fluctuations in the health and social circumstances of both the person with dementia and/or their family caregiver can lead to ‘crisis’: a breakdown in home care often leading to inpatient admissions. At this point, a team managing crises in dementia (TMCD) might become involved. These multidisciplinary teams begin with a rapid assessment to establish the needs of the person with dementia and their caregiver(s), followed by intensive but short-term interventions to reduce the risk of inpatient admission. There is little evidence as to how family caregiver experience input from a TMCD. Methods: A thematic analysis of qualitative interviews with caregivers supporting a family member with dementia to live at home and who have received support from a TMCD. Results: The personal troubles of family caregivers are intertwined with their experience of engaging with and trying to gain support from human services, particularly TMCDs. While respondents describe how specific individuals have addressed or added to the troubles they face, the most impactful interventions from their perspectives are medication for managing challenging behaviour and knowing that there is a service they can telephone in a crisis. Conclusions: Efforts to reduce inpatient admissions by supporting people to live in their own homes for as long as is practicable, even when carers may have reached the limits of their caring capacities, can, at best, only delay inpatient to long-stay residential accommodation. This is because when one frail older person has the responsibility of caring for another frail older person, even with support from TMCD and other health and social care services, crises are difficult to manage. Full article

This study aimed to investigate the impact of short-stay accommodation (SSA) on housing dynamics, community welfare, and economic development in the Margaret River regional area. Grounded in an exploratory research paradigm, qualitative methods were used to gather insights from key stakeholders such as property owners, realtors, and council officials. Purposive sampling was utilized to select participants with diverse experiences and perspectives on SSA. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, totaling 21 interview sessions spanning almost 600 min, to capture in-depth and nuanced perspectives on SSA’s impact and regulatory landscape. Thematic analysis of the interview data, which was divided into two segments, revealed significant concerns regarding housing affordability, community well-being, and regulatory effectiveness. Additionally, the study uncovered a complex relationship between SSA and population dynamics, highlighting implications for the local housing infrastructure and market stability. The findings underscore the urgency of collaborative policy interventions to address the housing crisis and mitigate the adverse effects of SSA on local communities. Policymakers and stakeholders can utilize these insights to develop holistic strategies that prioritize equity, inclusivity, and shared prosperity in shaping the future of housing in regional areas such as Margaret River. This study contributes original insights by providing a nuanced understanding of the multifaceted implications of SSA on housing dynamics and community welfare in a regional context. By using qualitative methods and engaging key stakeholders, the research offers unique perspectives on the challenges and opportunities associated with the proliferation of SSA, thereby advancing scholarly discourse, and informing evidence-based policymaking in the field of housing studies. Full article

In many places of the world, the interruption of touristic activities in the aftermath of a catastrophic earthquake is often neglected in the evaluation of seismic risks; however, these activities can account for a significant proportion of short-term and long-term economic impacts for these regions. In the last decade, several rapid visual screening techniques have been developed to define the typology of buildings and to estimate their seismic vulnerability and potential for damage. We adapted the existing screening procedures that have been developed for generic buildings to specific circumstances that are most common for tourist accommodations. The proposed approach considered six criteria related to structural and nonstructural elements of buildings, as well as local soil conditions. A score was assigned to each criterion as a function of the capacity of the elements to resist ground shaking. A vulnerability index in four levels of building vulnerability was developed combining the scores of the six criteria. The approach was tested in a pilot area of Montreal to a set of 70 typical buildings grouped in four categories based on their accommodation capacity. In Montreal, tourism is an important source of income for the city where 351,000 room-nights were booked with total stay expenditures of CAD 4.9 billion in 2019. The results indicated potential significant disruptions in activities related to tourism; 46% of the buildings investigated have a high to very high vulnerability index. Among them, 4/5 are located in the old city and 1/5 in the downtown area of the pilot zone. Full article

This study extends previous empirical efficiency research by focusing on a tourism sector which has limited evidence to date: the holiday and other short-stay accommodation industry (tourist apartments and hostels). The sample comprises 12,864 firm-level observations during the period 2005–2016. First, we calculate the efficiency index using a non-radial Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Second, we test the association between efficiency index and contextual factors using both Tobit and bootstrapped regression. Another major contribution is the use of a radial DEA model to confirm the results of the study. The current study offers new insights by focusing on an industry with scarce evidence, using radial and non-radial DEA approaches, and examining a wide variety of efficiency drivers. The efficiency results are examined by year, region and tourist destination type (including tourism dimensions such as rural, cultural and wine tourism). This is an important novelty of the study. The main findings reveal that the most efficient tourism destinations correspond to mixed or diversified destinations: those that combine some dimensions such as cultural, rural and wine tourism. The regressions models show that environmental, macroeconomic and business variables are drivers of tourism competitiveness. Taken together, the study goes a step further in the efficiency field. Full article

Although China has become an emerging market in the peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation industry, no research has been conducted to examine Chinese guests’ experience with short-term rentals. This study aims to investigate major service attributes that influence Chinese guests’ experiences and satisfaction with P2P accommodations by analyzing online reviews on the Xiaozhu sharing economy platform in China. Using text mining and content analysis method, the study found that Chinese guests who stayed in entire houses/apartments and private rooms frequently mentioned “host service,” “cleanliness,” “location and transportation,” and “living environment.” In addition, the guests who stayed in private rooms cared more about “security and privacy” and “value for money.” Those who stayed in entire houses cared more about the facilities, with a particular focus on the aspects of the kitchen. Finally, the guests who stayed in private rooms valued social interaction with the host more and left a lower proportion of negative reviews related to “host service” than those who stayed in entire houses. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the Chinese guests’ experience. Full article