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Australian research indicates that post-parental care transitions are rarely planned and primarily occur following a crisis for a primary carer. This paper examines disability staff perceptions of transitions for people with intellectual disability and their ageing carers in rural South Australia. A focus group interview model was used, with a semi-structured interview guide initiating group discussions. A thematic analysis methodological approach was selected to analyse the data. This paper reports on the theme of Service Delivery, which has three sub-themes of Availability; Distance; and Individual Access. The key findings are presented and supported by the use of exemplar quotes. This research indicates a poor intersection of general and specialist services is inhibiting post-parental transitional care for rural people. Simply allocating money to the individual does not resolve the issues, and the interface between different services needs to be better considered at government level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is little research comparatively assessing prevalence of pain between older people either with or without intellectual disability. This paper explores health and social factors associated with chronic pain in these two groups. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken in New South Wales and Queensland, Australia. Inclusion criteria were adults either with or without intellectual disability, aged 60 years and older, and currently living in community-settings. Univariate and multivariable analyses were undertaken on a sample of 391 adults with intellectual disability and 920 adults without intellectual disability. Key findings included higher prevalence of pain in the intellectual disability group, along with higher rates of osteoarthritis, falls, oral health problems, and mood disorders. Mitigating risk factors for conditions that cause chronic pain in older adults is crucial. As longevity increases, the healthcare sector needs to prioritise chronic pain management for people with intellectual disabilities through appropriate treatment strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, population ageing is one of the most pressing social and policy issues faced today. Over the next two decades, Australian society will face dramatic increases in the proportion of the population aged 65 years and over, as the baby boomers move into older age and fertility levels remain low. Yet population ageing is not a surprising or new trend—demographic changes in the age profile of a population tend to occur incrementally rather than suddenly. As a demographer and geographer, Graeme Hugo drew attention to this trend in Australia’s population more than three decades ago. Throughout Graeme Hugo’s vast breadth of work over the past 40 years, there has been a consistent thread of demographic analysis and academic thought associated with the ageing of Australia’s population. This paper focuses on Hugo’s contributions to academic thought and policy on Australia’s ageing population and the challenges associated with this for both service delivery and health policy as Australian society moves into an unprecedented era of population ageing. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Lawyers in many jurisdictions are ageing, and yet there is little information concerning the age profile of the legal profession. This paper presents the first consideration of the age profile of lawyers outside of the US, showing that Australian lawyers are ageing and delaying retirement. These findings have serious implications. Problems associated with a growing proportion of older lawyers include an increasing risk of lawyers suffering from age-related cognitive and physical impairment, and the related rise of complaints and malpractice claims against older lawyers. It is also clear that the Australian legal profession is unprepared to address these problems. The legal profession has ignored important gender-specific implications of ageing, such as female lawyers experiencing menopause and the lower savings of female lawyers moving into retirement. Regulatory regimes have not considered the impact of the profession's ageing profile, and there is no mandatory reporting of lawyers suffering from age-related impairment or provisions should a lawyer die. The profession also has not provided strategies to positively transition lawyers into retirement, and there is a lack of flexible working arrangements and succession planning, especially in firms located outside urban centres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transnationalism is generally acknowledged as a positive agentic force in the literature describing the transnational experiences of older migrants who stretch their lives between global North and global South. What has been less explored is the extent to which migration policies influence the lived experiences of older migrants travelling from global North to global South, particularly for first-generation migrants who could be viewed as 'returning' to their home country. Although the number of older Filipino migrants in Australia is increasing, existing research on older Filipino migrants in Australia has been rather limited. Through the examination of data collected from fieldwork and interviews, this research aims to bridge this gap by examining the lived experiences of older Filipino migrants who stretch their lives across Australia and the Philippines. This research finds that, instead of framing their transnational lives as an agentic response, older Filipino migrants in Australia frame their transnational existence in terms of 'curtailed dreams', resulting in an experience that is not widely explored in the existing literature. This research, therefore, calls for a more critical examination of transnational experiences of older migrants who live in a single social field between global North and global South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the available literature on single older non-home owning women in Australia and their housing issues. Preliminary information suggests that this subset of the population is increasingly at risk of becoming homeless or inadequately housed in later life. In fact, there is a historical dearth of research on women’s housing in general. This invisibility and vulnerability is interrogated within this paper through a feminist standpoint lens. We argue that in order to better understand the situation for single older women who do not own their own homes, it is necessary to revisit the social landscape inhabited by these women in their early years. Firstly, however, the current landscape is explored. It appears that ageing and single status are compounding factors which place non-home owning women at higher risk of homelessness or inappropriate housing. The paper then attempts to assess how the social and economic conditions that were extant in the mid-twentieth century led to the present situation. Our analysis leads us to suggest that women’s traditional roles in society are largely responsible for housing insecurity in their later years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Over the last decade, the literature relating to older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's preferences for social and emotional wellbeing services has grown. However, little evidence exists in relation to older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's experiences of services relating to social and emotional wellbeing. This paper highlights older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's experiences of social and emotional wellbeing services in Australia and then uses these key findings of the research, along with the literature, to develop a strength-based approach for service providers. Methods: Yarning was the preferred research method for the older Aboriginal community. In total, 16 older Aboriginal people, including eight women and eight men participated in the research yarning sessions. A modified version of an existing thematic analysis process supported yarning members to participate in each stage of the research, including data analysis. Results: The themes emerging from the voices of the yarning members are they couldn't give a damn about them, You've got to get the right one and ticking the box. The themes focus on negative, positive and preferred experiences of social and emotional wellbeing service provision. Conclusion: The key findings and related literature contribute to the development of a strength-based approach, which supports the implementation of responsive and effective services that address Elders, older peoples and their communities' social and emotional wellbeing issues and aspirations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Urban Policy & Research is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Previous research on older migrants' digital media use has primarily focused on understanding issues related to the 'digital divide', 'transnational capital', and '(im)mobility'. Few studies have investigated how these issues interplay and how they affect older migrants' construction of selfhood, which informs their modalities of digital engagement. This article will address this gap, by drawing on the concept of 'geographical scale', to examine older Chinese migrants' digital media use and their sense of self and belonging during COVID-19 lockdowns in Melbourne Australia. To achieve this, I analysed 31 interviews, which were collected from two sequential studies conducted in 2020 and 2021. The interview data revealed that older Chinese migrants' diverse media practices and imaginaries are embedded in and informed by multiple sets of scales of the physical body, the family and domestic realm, the community sphere, and transnational network. It is found that digital media allow participants to navigate, negotiate with and even reconfigure these scales to cope with the challenges of ageing, migration and a global pandemic. However, digital media also produce new scales that differentiate older migrants from the rest of the population to sustain the structural inequality and social unevenness in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Life expectancy for both sexes in Australia exceeds 80 years, with individuals with intellectual disability also increasingly living into older age. This research aimed to comparatively examine perceptions of staff supporting either older adults or age peers with lifelong intellectual disability. Methods: This project asked 420 medical, health, and support workers about training adequacy, health services access, and trigger points for premature institutionalisation. This paper is based on a subsample of 196 respondents who provided quantitative and qualitative responses. Results: There was considerable variation in confidence in supporting ageing individuals, while only 23.7% of doctors reported their training was adequate to support adults ageing with intellectual disability. A lack of services and poor carer health were identified as triggers for premature institutionalisation. Conclusions: The study revealed key differences in staff perceptions of support provision and training adequacy when comparing ageing individuals with intellectual disability to the general ageing population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concern about rapid population growth in Australia's large cities and slower growth in many non-metropolitan areas has stimulated a range of government policies attempting to lift non-metropolitan growth rates. However, there is relatively little research on which to base these policies. It would be helpful to understand more about the consequences of current demographic trends continuing and the effects of alternative migration patterns. This paper presents sub-national population projections for Australia over the horizon 2011–2041, basing the projections on more socially meaningful Remoteness Areas instead of common statistical geographies. Three sets of projections were generated: aCurrent Directionscenario in which recent demographic trends are maintained, aRegional Immigrationscenario in which more immigrants settle in regional and remote areas, and aMetro Exodusscenario in which there is increased internal migration from metropolitan to non-metropolitan areas. The future of Australia's population geography is shown to be one of spatially varying growth and population ageing, and continued metropolitanisation. In regional areas rapid population ageing will lower natural increase rates and thus reduce overall growth, resulting in a falling share of the national population. Policy measures attempting to increase the share of growth in regional areas will struggle against natural demographic forces operating in the opposite direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the lived experience and meaning of care for women born between 1946 and 1951, who are living alone, and are participants in the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women’s Health (ALSWH). The discussion is based on free-text survey comments (n = 150 women) and in-depth interview data (n = 15 women) exploring women’s experiences of ageing and their future expectations of care. It delves into tensions within relevant themes relating to care (unpaid informal care, volunteer work, and reciprocity), and the caring ethos, as described by women who are ageing in Australian communities. It highlights dilemmas faced by women who have grown old with the expectation of government support and care in later life, but who are facing the possibility this might not eventuate. These dilemmas are discussed with reference to governmental ethical-moral responsibilities for care within the context of user-pays welfare systems and profiteering within marketised aged-care services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural communities represent a large proportion of Australia's most disadvantaged areas, with a growing percentage of older people concentrated in these locations. Older people residing in these communities are subject to both the disadvantages of rural living, as well as the health and mobility issues associated with ageing. This paper reviews the literature relating to rural disadvantage, and find that the issues are far more complex than previously thought. As well as disadvantages, there are also benefits to rural living, which can alleviate disadvantage for many older people. However, these same socio-cultural and structural factors are inter-related, and can also mask or increase rural disadvantage in certain circumstances or for particular groups. These factors are dynamic, interactive, and often invisible, and can impact on quality of life. Findings suggest a need for research into the relationship between disadvantage, the experience of rural living and the concept of healthy ageing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the context of Australia's rapidly ageing population, this paper argues that there is a need to consider the positive contributions made by older people through their volunteer and civic engagement activities. There is a strong civil society tradition in Australia, and a growing body of evidence that demonstrates that older Australians contribute both as volunteers and more informally to their families, their peers, and their communities. Older Australians are active volunteers across a range of organizations, and contribute more time than other age group. Yet there are few policies and very few programs in Australia that promote and support volunteering amongst older people, despite the associated health benefits. There are also significant barriers to volunteering that require attention if these benefits are to be made available to a broader and more diverse group of older Australians. [image omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Australia we have become preoccupied with the potential adverse impact of our ageing population on our health and social systems. The projected cost of having increasing proportions of our population in the over 70s, retired, chronically ill category of the demographic profile is emerging as a major challenge for governments and private insurers: so much so in fact that the government is now urging older people to stay at work longer. In America, new approaches to the management and self-management of chronic diseases have been invoked to encourage and support older people to improve their quality of life and reduce their recourse to and dependence upon health care technologies, clinical interventions and health care management systems. Unless this is achieved, it is argued, the cost of looking after this emerging ‘bubble’ of elderly people will become increasingly unsustainable as fewer and fewer (proportionately) younger people work to pay the taxes that support ageing, retired, sick and dependent populations. This paper argues that we are at real risk of having our economic wealth and productivity impeded and truncated by the financial burden of looking after high demand and high cost dependants at the aged end of the social demographic. This paper offers an alternative view of our ageing population, as well as highlighting some of the assets we have in our elderly populations, and providing suggestions as to an alternative view of the phenomenon of ageing that incorporates elements such as flexible working arrangements and the application of new, enabling technologies. This approach to our ageing population dilemma is predicated on a concept of lifelong learning and social participation along with better preventive and early intervention systems of health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through interviews with users and providers of anti-ageing medicine in Australia as well as the analysis of various internet sites, anti-ageing clinics, journals and magazines dealing with anti-ageing medicine, this paper will argue that the anti-ageing industry in Australia is an example of how ‘mediascapes’ operate, seeking in this case to replicate the American model while developing a more localized practice meeting local needs, cultural orientations and regulatory frameworks. The products being studied here include some which have been on the market for many years in the Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) industry, but have only recently been rebranded as ‘anti-ageing’. These include vitamins, anti-oxidants, supplements such as beta-carotene, selenium and coenzyme Q10, homeopathic products, exercise and diet programs. Other products that have been recently labelled as ‘anti-ageing’ and are included in this study are hormone therapies, testosterone, melatonin, Human Growth Hormone (HGH), and Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). These products have been previously trialled and used in the treatment of medical problems such as heart disease, sexual dysfunction, cognitive and memory loss problems, and hormonal deficiency. Current medical research on stem cells, particularly embryonic stem cells, has also fallen within the realm of anti-ageing treatments developed from this research area and available primarily in countries with limited regulation and control over the use and availability of embryonic stem cells in the context of the private anti-ageing clinic. The differences and similarities between the practice of anti-ageing medicine in Australia and in America highlight current tensions and correspondences in the manner in which ageing is being constructed, managed and experienced. They are indicative of the impact that social policy directions, regulatory frameworks and economic policies have on the way in which ageing individuals and society at large approach the experience of old age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Australian government policy regards people with intellectual disability (ID) as citizens with equal rights, which means that they should have access to the same opportunities as the wider community. Ageing in place is central to aged care policy in Australia for the general population. Method This paper reviews policy to support the provision of similar opportunities to age in place for people with ID, and the reasons for its slow development. Results Due to lifestyle patterns earlier in the life course, many people with ID experience a mid-life disruption to their accommodation, and may live in a group home as they age or may move prematurely to residential aged care. The absence of mechanisms to adjust disability funding as needs change, and the existence of policy that denies residents in group homes access to community-based aged care, forces disability services to "go it alone" to support ageing in place. Conclusion Despite a national priority to improve the interface between the disability and aged care sectors, administrative and funding characteristics continue to obstruct the development of implementation strategies to support ageing in place for people with ID, which remain at the stage of an exploration of the issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to explore older adults' experiences of and approaches to managing their long-term health and mobility after traumatic injury. A longitudinal qualitative study was undertaken with older adults following traumatic injury in Victoria, Australia. Fifteen participants (≥65 years) were interviewed at three years post-injury (n = 15), and re-interviewed at four (n = 14) and five years (n = 12) post-injury. Using a framework approach, a longitudinal thematic analysis was performed. Older age at the time of injury was identified by participants as a key factor influencing their recovery. Many participants reported actively attempting to regain their strength and fitness in the first five years following injury. However, their age, injury impacts, other health conditions, and weight gain made it difficult to achieve recovery goals. Many older adults reported a decline in their physical function over time. While these experiences and persistent disability constrained or changed the quality of social relationships, community participation, and independence, several participants described adapting to their functional limitations, and managing their secondary conditions over time. In our cohort, the intertwined combination of ageing, injury, and comorbid conditions negatively affected health and mobility, reinforcing the need for preventative strategies. Older adults recovering from traumatic injury may benefit from specialised care pathways that offer long-term and tailored therapies, with programs and services specific to their needs and goals. An integrated service approach by injury insurers, health care, primary care, disability, and aged care could more clearly identify and effectively address the individual needs and goals of older adults with complex conditions. Health and social services that work with people with injuries to develop personalised coping strategies can reduce anxiety related to uncertainty about the future, promote well-being, and support participation in valued activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older adults were at particular risk for loneliness during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this instance, the use of computers for communication (i.e. computer-mediated communication, CMC) may help to enhance older people's social interactions and relationships. In the present study, 113 community-dwelling users of CMC, aged 65 years and over, were surveyed in order to better understand the effects of CMC in addition to the individual characteristics contributing to patterns of online communication. An opportunity to examine the impact of the pandemic on CMC behaviours presented approximately 12 months after the initial study with 70 participants resurveyed. High levels of social functioning, in addition to good physical and psychological health, were reported by this group of digitally active users. A positive association between high CMC use and social functioning was noted, even after controlling for differences in personality, frequency of face-to-face communication, health, gender, and relationship status. Interestingly, the pandemic saw a reduction in weekly CMC use, although CMC-based behaviours remained unchanged. The present findings highlight the important role that technology has in facilitating and maintaining supports and, potentially, reducing social isolation by helping older adults stay in touch with family and friends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate factors influencing provision of care and support to older adults with traumatic injury in Australia, from a health service and policy perspective. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 16 clinicians, support providers, researchers, policy makers, and representatives from peak bodies in Australia, who had experience across injury, ageing, and disability sectors. A thematic analysis was performed using a framework approach. Themes identified included prolonged injury recovery in older adults, limited accommodation options, restricted access to preventive care, escalating care needs over time, issues with siloed funding schemes and funding availability, and the need for advocacy to coordinate care across different schemes. Certain themes were specific to people who were older when injured. Others related to people who had acquired an injury at a younger age and were ageing with injury. However, most themes had relevance for both groups. For older adults, this research has highlighted a range of cross-sector problems which impact upon the potential to recover from injury and to age well with injury. To improve the lives of older adults with injuries, Australia needs better coordinated system interfaces, shared funding models or packages of care across sectors, and improved advocacy and case management. To address the lack of long-term, multi-disciplinary preventive care for age-related conditions and secondary complications in people with injuries, older adults may need more prolonged, or individualised, care following injury, episodic health checks, and a greater focus on long-term health care. Accessible and well-coordinated specialist housing and support responses, that offer timely access to health care professionals and carers trained in both ageing and disability, and enable greater support for "ageing in place", are required to manage changing care needs of people ageing with injury. There needs to be greater involvement of geriatricians, nurses, and allied health care professionals within the aged care sector in order to care for people with complex needs, including older adults with injury-related disability. To reduce gaps in care and support for injured older adults, Australia needs better coordinated system interfaces, shared funding models or packages of care across sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the stability of propositional density (PD) in written texts, as this aspect of language shows promise as an indicator and as a predictor of language decline with ageing. This descriptive longitudinal study analysed written texts obtained from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women's Health in which participants were invited to respond to an open-ended question about their health. The 635 texts used for this study were taken from 127 middle-aged women who responded to this question on each of the five surveys conducted at 3-year intervals over a 16-year period. The study made use of an automated PD rater (CPIDR-3) for the analysis. PD was found to be a stable measure over time when comparing the grouped data, but there was between- and within-subject variation over time. Further research is needed to explore the valid use of this measure in research into language and ageing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The role of the psychologist within End of Life (EOL) care is poorly established, despite calls for greater involvement from both Australian and international researchers. The current study aims to develop a deeper understanding of Australian psychologists' perceptions on their current and potential roles in EOL care. Methods: Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with registered psychologists (N = 35), and thematic analysis was applied to these interviews to identify themes and subthemes pertaining to psychologists' understandings of their role in EOL care. Results: Six overarching themes were developed from the interview data: (a) Specific EOL Clients Assessment Skills; (b) Diverse and Multifaceted Interventions with Clients; (c) Skills Used in the Broader EOL system; (d) Barriers to Greater Visibility from Outside the Profession; (e) Barriers within the Profession; (f) Pathways to Greater Visibility. Conclusion: The potential exists for psychologists to improve psycho‐social‐spiritual‐community outcomes at EOL and to meet the increasing demands of an ageing demographic with greater associated caregiver burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapidly ageing populations are coinciding with urbanisation and climate change providing a global challenge. Older people experience higher rates of mortality and morbidity from extreme heat. Climate change is expected to magnify urban heat island effects. Green infrastructure is increasingly recognised as capable of mitigating urban heat and could alleviate some heat burdens on seniors. This research investigated the enablers and barriers to green infrastructure provision in aged care facilities in Australia with senior management from four large national aged care providers. While potential multiple advantages were identified, providers need evidence-based research to justify investment in future green infrastructure interventions. 摘要 人口迅速老龄化的同时，城市化和气候变化也带来了全球性的挑战. 老年人因酷热经历更高的死亡率和发病率. 预计气候变化将放大城市热岛效应. 绿色基础设施越来越被认为能够缓解城市热，并能减轻老年人的一些热负担。这项研究调查了澳大利亚老年护理机构中绿色基础设施提供的促成因素和障碍，他们来自四家大型国家老年护理机构的高级管理人员. 虽然已经确定了潜在的多重优势，但供应商需要基于证据的研究，以证明投资于未来绿色基础设施干预措施的合理性. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Urban Policy & Research is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Within the policy and academic literature, the impact of rural retirement migration (RRM) on community sustainability has been questioned. This qualitative study investigated the perceived impact of retirement migration on rural social sustainability from a local government perspective. Focus groups were conducted with local government senior managers and community services staff (n = 39) across six rural local government areas in one Australian state. Data were analysed against the three components of rural social sustainability (equity, community and rurality) proposed by Jones and Tonts [1995. "Rural Restructuring and Social Sustainability: Some Reflections on the Western Australian Wheatbelt." Australian Geographer 26: 133-140]. While RRM is perceived to benefit rural community capacity to facilitate or maintain equity, community and rurality, it also presents challenges for local government. Participants suggested that capacity to facilitate equity, community and rurality in contexts of RRM was impacted by uncertainty around future impacts of RRM on population ageing, increasing advocacy and expectations of older in-migrants, and the impact of RRM on rural heterogeneity. These issues required local governments to think critically about how to accommodate and manage the needs and expectations of older in-migrants, while mediating potential impacts associated with RRM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women’s experiences of drought are often made invisible particularly in terms of their long-term effects. Drought differs from other “natural disasters” in that droughts are, by definition, experienced over an extended time. This means those experiencing drought do so as they age, with elderly cohorts particularly vulnerable. As such, there is a need to better understand the longitudinal needs and experiences of women living with drought. This study investigates the experiences of drought for 15 Australian women aged over 70, over a period of 12 years. Longitudinal qualitative free-text comments written by the oldest cohort of women in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health were subject to a thematic analysis. Findings indicate that experiences of drought have a relationship to women’s ability to age in ways they may have hoped. Themes of Work and Physical activity, Connection to place, and, Service access were prominent in women’s comments. These results demonstrate that place is an important aspect in the experience of ageing, that work and physical activity often intensify during drought for elderly people who might otherwise be expecting to retire, and that drought presents particular challenges for older women in terms of access to services. This study highlights the complex interactions of living and ageing in drought for Australian women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive research examines senses of home in aging, focusing on built and care environments. In parallel, a body of work examines housing governance, reviewing degrees of resident satisfaction. However, there is little crossover between this work, with governance research only rarely considering senses of home. This article argues for attention to the interconnections between provider-scale housing governance and senses of home in older age, arguing that governance mechanisms structure the housing context and provide the framework through which home is experienced and lived. Through a case study of a small, affordable housing community in Sydney, Australia, it shows that housing governance can profoundly shape senses of home in aging, both contributing to and diminishing senses of home. Further, it points to a connection between housing governance and housing design with different housing typologies associated with different aging bodies and forms of management practice, with profound implications for residents' senses of home. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The author reflects on the three areas where the differences between the types of employment may affect planning for and timing of retirement namely expectations of retirement, retirement income and financial planning and job security and workplace accommodations. He asserts that an Australian transition-to-retirement (TTR) program created for people in sheltered employment is an effective model to support older workers with intellectual disability to develop a retirement lifestyle.

The author of this conceptual article was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to travel to the United States, Ireland, and United Kingdom to meet with researchers, practitioners, and community agencies and review how support for people with intellectual disability is provided. A specific focus was upon provision of care for individuals who were either ageing or requiring palliative care. The project took place from June to August 2013 and involved face-to-face interviews and site visits with key academics, government representatives, and community providers in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, New Jersey, Dublin, Edinburgh, London, Oxford, Cambridge, Bath, Bristol, Birmingham, and Stoke-on-Trent. A priority was placed upon examining how the key features of leading practice models could be implemented within the Australian environment featuring a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). On the basis of the observations of practice, key points are discussed regarding the potential for improvements to the support of people with intellectual disability within the Australian context of the NDIS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decline in linguistic function has been associated with decline in cognitive function in previous research. This research investigated the informativeness of written language samples of Australian men from the Health in Men's Study (HIMS) aged from 76 to 93 years using the Computerised Propositional Idea Density Rater (CPIDR 5.1). In total, 60 255 words in 1147 comments were analysed using a linear-mixed model for statistical analysis. Results indicated no relationship with education level ( p = 0.79). Participants for whom English was not their first learnt language showed Propositional Idea Density (PD) scores slightly lower (0.018 per 1 word). Mean PD per 1 word for those for whom English was their first language for comments below 60 words was 0.494 and above 60 words 0.526. Text length was found to have an effect ( p = <0.0001). The mean PD was higher than previously reported for men and lower than previously reported for a similar cohort for Australian women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of regulated residential aged care in Australia is provided by faith-based providers, with the Catholic Church in Australia providing one in ten of all such services. Despite challenges caused by the decline in active involvement of clergy and religious and government regulatory and financial constraints, pastoral care in Catholic residential aged care is present, evolving, and thriving. Fostering a holistic pastoral environment is also essential to the viability and effectiveness of pastoral care in aged care. A new approach to government funding is needed to foster innovation and a holistic response to the needs of older Australians. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background Australia has few policies to support the transition of older people with intellectual disability from employment to retirement. This study aimed to identify the possibilities and barriers to retirement for older employees in supported employment services. Method Five distinct participant groups discussed retirement in 6 separate focus group interviews: staff from disability accommodation (7) and employment services (7), members of mainstream activity programs for older people (4), family members (5), and supported employees (2 groups of 6 people). Results Participants perceived retirement as a risk to the well-being and participation of employees. Participants were pessimistic about the availability of necessary support in retirement. The need for additional resources and skills was identified, but the utility of inclusion strategies was not recognised. Continued segregation through specialist programs or adaptation of existing employment programs was the most commonly suggested retirement option by staff and family members. Conclusion Perceptions did not reflect the current policy imperatives of social participation. This poses an additional obstacle to conceptualising, planning, and supporting quality of life for older people with intellectual disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy, people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) are living longer, into older age, and therefore presenting a host of new challenges for health and social service providers. However, not all PLWHA are likely to experience similar transitions into older age. In particular, research has yet to fully investigate the health and psychosocial well-being of older HIV-positive gay men. Drawing from an Australian population-based sample of 693 HIV-positive gay men, the present study assesses the overall health and well-being of this older group compared to their younger counterparts. While older men reported greater comorbidity and were more likely to be living in poverty, other health and well-being indicators suggest this group to be coping comparatively well as they continue to age with HIV. These findings provide new directions for meeting the present and future needs and challenges of older HIV-positive gay men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-World War II immigration to Australia included many from Eastern Europe. These older ethnic groups now challenge aged-care providers with cultural, language, and religious issues not always understood. This article examines spirituality and meaning in the experience of dementia of older Latvian residents, using in-depth interviews and small group work, based on a model of spiritual tasks of ageing. Data were analyzed using grounded theory and NVIVO7 computer package for qualitative data analysis. Main themes identified were need for connectedness; spiritual and religious practices; vulnerability and transcendence, physical health issues; wisdom and memory, war experiences; hope/fear and communication style of facilitator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]