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Objective: To review and synthesise research related to the ageing farming workforce influence on the health and sustainability of agricultural communities. Design: Using the PRISMA framework as a guide, the CINHAL and Medline databases were searched. Search 1 used the key search terms of ageing OR aging, farm*, workforce. Search 2 used health, sustainability and 'agricultural OR farm communit*. Search 3 combined Searches 1 and 2. Search 4 followed journal citations to identify other relevant articles. A process of narrative synthesis was applied to the results through the prism of rural social capital that described the current state of knowledge and understanding under four themes. Result: Database searches and searching of citations identified 16 contemporary articles. Seven of the papers were from Australia, and the balance from five other high‐income countries. The four that themes emerged are: vulnerabilities of ageing farmers; economic and climatic drivers; social capital and sustainability; and integrative strategies, that might offer a way forward. Conclusion: Integrating these forces of nature, economics and sociology to address the ageing farming workforce and the associated health and sustainability of agricultural communities remains a major challenge for researchers, governments, the agricultural sector and rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This paper explores women's experiences of drought in Australia. Despite the significance of drought for rural life in Australia, there is little research seeking to understand its psychological consequences. There is also a need to recognise gendered experiences of drought and for research that addresses its long-term effects as people age in prolonged drought-affected areas. Design: The study explores longitudinal qualitative data collected by the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. Free-text comments ( n = 217), collected via mailed survey at five time points (1996, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007) from the same 77 women, were subjected to a narrative analysis. Participants: Participants from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health who were aged 45-50 when the study began in 1996. Results: Findings indicate that drought has an impact on women as they age, particularly in reference to menopause, access to support systems and retirement. Conclusion: This study concludes that the experience of drought cannot be disentangled from the realities of gender and ageing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Ageing is a time of change that might involve financial, health and social losses. To maintain well‐being, older people need to engage a range of resources to cope with these losses. However, national policies mainly focus on financial resources. This study used Folkman and Lazarus's transactional theory to identify coping methods engaged by older adults living in three rural communities. Design: A qualitative research design was undertaken using an ethnographic case study approach. Setting: Three rural communities within northern Australia. Participants: Older Australians aged 65 or over, living in their own homes. Main outcome measures: Exploration of techniques that older adults use to cope with ageing (including both problem‐focused and emotion‐focused strategies). Results: People in rural areas planned their ageing journey using both problem‐focused and emotion‐focused coping strategies, to deal with the uncertainties of ageing. When participants could control the event, problem‐focused coping strategies were mainly such as used seeking social support and planful problem‐solving. Conversely, emotion‐focused strategies were used to deal with uncertainty and emotive issues such as health decline, and the possibility of needing future care. Conclusion: There is a need for health community workers to encourage older people to consider initiating a discussion of future care needs with their social network. This is of particular importance in rural areas, which have larger numbers of older residents and limited resources to support ageing in place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The barriers and enablers to the uptake of advance care plans has been well documented but more so in metropolitan health services. Rural and regional areas have their own challenges of higher rates of chronic illness and an aging population when considering end of life care. This study aimed to explore the creation of advance care plans in a regional location that has service links to smaller health services. Design: A qualitative study involving thematic analysis of interview data. Setting: A regional local government area in Victoria, Australia. Participants: Twelve representatives from rural and regional health services, including hospital, private practice and community organisation staff. Main outcome measures: Barriers and enablers to the creation of advance care planning documents. Results: The data analysis yielded two main identified themes around Plan creation and communication of patient wishes: system and societal challenges to the creation and communication in advance care planning; and rural communities' expectation of the health service‐patient relationship and advance care planning. Conclusion: Although barriers to advance care planning are well known, rural and regional practitioners need to be aware of the effect long‐term continuity of care from health practitioners and connections with health services has on advance care plan creation, and whether the paucity of written Plans effects end‐of‐life care. A potential solution was seen in the pending linkages to the national electronic patient record. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To describe the nursing workforce in very remote Australia, characteristics and key issues. Data were collected from four main sources: the refined CRANAplus database of remote health facilities; the 2006 census which provided population and percentage of Indigenous people in communities in very remote Australia; a national survey on occupational stress among nurses and an earlier study into violence and remote area nurses conducted in 1995. A descriptive analysis of the data was conducted. Health facilities in very remote Australia. The registered nursing workforce in very remote Australia is mostly female (89%) and ageing, with 40.2% 50 years or over, compared to 33% nationally. Many (43%) are in remote Indigenous communities. Over the last decade, there has been a significant decrease in registered nurses with midwifery qualifications (55%) and in child health nurses (39%) in very remote Australia. Only 5% have postgraduate qualifications in remote health practice. The nursing workforce in very remote areas of Australia is in trouble. The workforce is ageing, the numbers of nurses per population has fallen and the numbers of midwives and child health nurses have dropped significantly over the last 15 years. As many of these nurses work in Indigenous communities, if these trends continue it is likely to have a negative effect on 'closing the gap' in Indigenous health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reflects on the growing number of people 85 years and older in Australia, and its impact of the said increase in longevity. The author says that the rapid increase of older people in the country will result to high demand for health services; thus, leads to health care crisis. He also discusses the factors to influence the rise of longevity, the community participation and voluntary labour by older Australian, and the high rate of depression in residential aged-care facilities.