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Background: The global population is ageing rapidly and there is a need for strategies to promote health and wellbeing among older adults. Nutrition knowledge is a key predictor of dietary intake; therefore, effective educational programmes are urgently required to rectify poor dietary patterns. Digital health technologies provide a viable option for delivering nutrition education that is cost‐effective and widely accessible. However, few technologies have been developed to meet the unique needs and preferences of older adults. Objective: The aim of this study was to explore technology use among older adults and qualitatively determine the content needs and design preferences for an online nutrition education resource tailored to older adult consumers in Australia. Methods: Twenty adult participants aged 55 years and older (95% female) participated in one of four 2‐h participatory design workshops. In each workshop, prompted discussion questions were used to explore participants' technology use and preferences and to explore content needs and design preferences for an online nutrition education resource specific to older adults. Results: All participants were regularly using a range of different devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets and computers) and reported being comfortable doing so. Participants wanted a website that provided general nutrition information, practical advice and recipes. To enhance engagement, they sought a personalised resource that could be adjusted to suit their needs, included up‐to‐date information and allowed for easy sharing with others by exporting information as a PDF. Conclusions: Participatory design methods generate new knowledge for designing and tailoring digital health technologies to be appropriate and useful for the target audience. Specifically, older adults seek an online resource that has large and simple fonts with clear categories, providing them with practical advice and general nutrition information that can be personalised to suit their own needs and health concerns, with the option to export and print information into a paper‐based format. Patient or Public Contribution: Older adults actively participated in the development and evaluation process to generate ideas about potential features, functionalities, uses and practicalities of an online nutrition education resource. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Occupational therapists recommending home modifications in Australia are often required by funding bodies to consider 'value' and 'value for money' (VFM); however, clear guidance on how to define and apply these concepts is not always provided. This paper reports on a qualitative study examining how the concepts of value and VFM are currently understood and operationalised by occupational therapists in Australian home modification practice, with the aim of positively contributing to both policy and practice in this area. Methods: The study utilised constructivist grounded theory to collect and analyse qualitative data from 20 occupational therapists who were currently working across Australia and had professional experience in home modifications. Findings: The grounded theory that was derived from the analysis highlights the unique position that occupational therapists occupy in home modification work as they strive to align the values of different stakeholders to create solutions that all consider to be valuable. In the absence of consistent frameworks or methods for determining value and VFM, evidence also emerged of occupational therapists using a range of individual approaches such as using formal and informal care as metrics, cheapest option approaches, and comparative costing. Conclusion: In addition to a clear need for consistent and transparent approaches to understanding and operationalising VFM in home modifications, there is also a need for further investigation into the value systems that underpin this work. A conceptualisation of occupational therapists as street‐level policy agents has proven useful here as it highlights the position occupational therapists occupy, enacting, making, and, at times, challenging policy in day‐to‐day practice as they work to align the values of the various stakeholders. [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]

Occupational therapists have skills to work with people considering or experiencing the transition from paid work to retirement. The aims were to explore: (1) occupational therapists' experiences and perceptions in working with people transitioning to retirement; (2) current scope of practice of occupational therapy in the work-to-retirement transition; and (3) factors influencing current scope of practice of occupational therapy in the work-to-retirement transition. Qualitative semi-structured interviews with Australian occupational therapists were thematically analysed. Fourteen Australian occupational therapists were interviewed. Three overarching themes (12 sub themes) emerged: (1) occupational therapists' application of a contemporary occupational paradigm; (2) current approaches adopted by occupational therapists are add on, stylistic and talk based; and (3) contextual challenges and opportunities encountered by occupational therapists. Occupational therapists use enablement skills (e.g. coach; collaborate) and consider various professional reasons (e.g. engagement in meaningful occupation; health responsibility) when addressing the transition from work to retirement. Overcoming barriers to service provision (e.g. funding; lack of role clarity) will facilitate a more comprehensive service provision to enable health and well-being of older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The population of Australia is ageing, with women being the primary beneficiaries of this increase in longevity. Increasingly older individuals are being diagnosed with different chronic illnesses such as peripheral arterial disease (PAD) which causes blockages of the blood vessels in the legs resulting in pain, non-healing ulcers, immobility and the potential amputation of the threatened limb. PAD has been traditionally thought to affect men more than women. Resultingly, women have been under-represented in clinical trials of PAD and under-diagnosed in the health-care setting. However, it has recently been acknowledged that women are indeed more likely to suffer from PAD than men due to increased presence of disease and survival advantage. As such, very little is known about women's understanding of and the meaning they create of their experiences of PAD. Therefore, how older women with PAD experience the ageing process is the focus of this qualitative research project. Interviews were conducted with 11 women from Sydney, Australia aged over 65 years who had been diagnosed with PAD. The interviews were analysed using an inductive thematic analysis. Three manifest themes were constructed: independence and control, active and involved, and the acceptance of ageing. These findings emphasised the idea that despite the presence of a chronic illness and increased age, remaining independent and engaged with life was vital to these women's wellbeing. Their subjective experiences of ageing reflect the fact that by adapting to the physical, mental and social changes that come with growing older, the focus does not need to be on loss and decline but rather can be about the continuation of life that can be both positive and meaningful. [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]

BACKGROUND: Work experiences have the potential to influence retirement. Occupational therapists' understanding of the importance of engagement in occupation for active healthy ageing places them in a position to facilitate the work-to-retirement transition. OBJECTIVE: To describe the experience of work from retirees' perspectives to understand the influence of work on retirement and to discuss the role of occupational therapy in the work-to-retirement transition. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews with retirees were utilised. Thematic analysis identified themes and categories in relation to the experience of work. Categories were related to the Model of Human Occupation (MOHO). RESULTS: Eleven retirees were interviewed. Twelve categories relating to the experience of work were identified and were captured under three over-arching themes: Varied experiences and motivators; Intersection of work and life; and Impact of context. Categories collectively covered all MOHO concepts. Questions to guide therapeutic reasoning were developed to assist putting MOHO theory in to practice. CONCLUSIONS: Working experiences can be an influencing factor on retirement life. Occupational therapy could enable active healthy ageing through understanding the experience of work and how this can assist older workers to remain in the workforce, find a balance between work and other areas of life, and to choose retirement activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Healthcare providers ( HCPs) can play an important role in supporting the sexual health of older adults; however, we know little about the experiences of older people in talking to HCPs about sex. This article examines older adults' experiences and perceptions of talking to HCPs about sex. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 men and 23 women aged 60 and older recruited from a national, online survey of older Australians. Data were analysed using a thematic approach. Results Most participants did not discuss sex with their HCP, and their HCP did not raise it. For those who did discuss sex with a HCP, negative and stigmatising responses were common. Positive responses could facilitate access to sexual health care. Conclusion Older people benefit when HCPs are proactive and ask about sexual health. Education in how to talk about sex with older people would also be beneficial for HCPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is an overview and summary of the findings from a General Research Fund project funded (2012–2014) by the Research Grants Council of the University Grants Committee of Hong Kong to investigate cross cultural understanding of ageing and learning by seniors in Hong Kong and Australia. Results have been published separately in Boulton-Lewis, & Buys (2015), Boulton-Lewis, Aird, & Buys (2016), Boulton-Lewis, Tam, Buys, & Chui (2016), Tam (2016), Tam & Chui (2016) and Tam, Aird, Boulton-Lewis & Buys (2016). These articles have dealt separately and variously with either a qualitative or quantitative analysis of learning choices in Australia, structural barriers to learning in Australia, a comparison of views of and ageing and learning in both cultures, Chinese views of later life learning, the meaning of ageing and learning to Chinese elders and an analysis and comparison of results in both places. The focus of this article is a summative discussion based mainly on the quantitative and qualitative analyses of the main themes of ageing and learning. It intends to provide an overview of the findings in some of the publications above. Other details can be found in the publications listed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents the study on the health and services usage among old age Australian war veterans who are receiving health care support from the Australian government. Qualitative data gathering was designed and provide information on the group's community living, utilization of services, and the perceived burden of their family members and friends. Results were outlined and conclude the participants valuation of control to maximize and maintain their independence in their daily living.

Men in the gay liberation generation are approaching or entering older age. Being at the forefront of gay rights movements since the 1970s and 1980s, this generation has experienced dramatic changes in gay life. The present study aimed to provide a greater understanding of this generation by examining some of the ways these men perceive their changing lives. Participants included 439 Australian gay-identified men aged 50 years and older who completed an online survey of their health and wellbeing. These men gave unrestricted open-ended responses to a question on how life had changed for them as a gay man since being aged in their twenties. Responses were analysed qualitatively using a thematic analysis approach to identify main themes. Participants expressed many positive changes to their lives, including greater public- and self-acceptance of their sexuality, greater confidence and self-esteem, and more freedom for same-sex relationships. However, some men expressed a loss of gay community compared to their younger years and a perception that the younger generation under-appreciated the struggles they had endured. Age- and HIV-related stigma from within the gay community, as well as a loss of sexual attractiveness, also emerged as concerns for some participants. These findings may assist researchers, health professionals and aged care services to further understand the needs and experiences of this older generation of gay men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research shows that contact with nature plays a vital role in our psychological wellbeing. Domestic gardening is common among older adults who spend more leisure hours gardening than any other age group. Despite this, few studies have systematically explored the significance of domestic gardens in relation to older adults' health and wellbeing. This study examined the perceived therapeutic benefits of gardening, and the effect of ageing in relation to older gardeners' continued participation in gardening, using quantitative and qualitative data from a survey of Australian older adult gardeners (N=331). The quantitative data, which included frequencies, were analysed using the PASW Statistics 18.0 package. The qualitative data, which included participants' responses to open questions, were analysed by deriving themes via Leximancer, an innovative text analytics software that uses word association information to elicit concepts, extracting the most important and grouping these according to themes. In relation to the reasons for gardening, several themes were identified including valuing the aesthetics of gardens, connecting with nature, achievement, and physical and mental activity. The benefits of gardening, and the variety of ways that respondents had adapted or modified their gardening activities in order to continue, are also reported. Gardening was more than a casual leisure pursuit for these participants, who saw it as critical to their physical and psychological wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last two decades, the concept of resilience has become the focus of a growing body of gerontological research. However, there is a dearth of qualitative research that explores how socio-economic and socio-cultural factors shape older people's resilience. This study addresses this gap and explores the concept of resilience through the lens of 25 Australians from a variety of backgrounds, investigating the resilience strategies they employed in the face of different challenging life events. A qualitative narrative methodology involving one focus group and semi-structured interviews was employed. A stratified convenience sample of 34 people aged 60 and over participated in semi-structured interviews between 2009 and 2011. The study describes the meaning participants assigned to the term resilience, and focuses on the range of resilience responses and strategies they employed, bringing to light some key commonalities and differences. The study's findings suggest that access to economic and cultural resources and the nature of the adversity older people face can shape and limit their resilience strategies. The article outlines how the concept of resilience could be incorporated into aged care practice and argues that resilience-focused interventions that potentially broaden the resilience repertoire of older people should be explored within an aged care context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older men from ethnic minority communities living in a regional town in Australia were identified by a government-funded peak advocacy body as failing to access local health and support services and, more broadly, being at risk of not ageing well. A qualitative study was undertaken to explore the health and wellbeing of ethnic minority men growing older in a rural community, and to identify the barriers they faced in accessing appropriate services from a range of different perspectives. Individual interviews were conducted with key informants (service providers and community leaders), followed by focus groups with older men from four ethnic minority communities. The men in this study showed signs that they were at risk of poor mental and physical health, and experienced significant barriers to accessing health and support services. Furthermore, environmental, technological, social and economic changes have brought challenges for the older men as they age. Despite these challenges, this study demonstrated how work, family and ethnic identity was integral to the lives of these older men, and was, in many ways, a resource. Key informants' perspectives mostly confirmed the experiences of the older men in this study. The discrepancies in their views about the extent of health-promoting behaviour indicate some key areas for future health intervention, services and research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Governments are challenged by the need to ensure that ageing populations stay active and engaged as they age. Therefore, it is critical to investigate the role of mobility in older people's engagement in out-of-home activities, and to identify the experiences they have within their communities. This research investigates the use of transportation by older people and its implications for their out-of-home activities within suburban environments. The qualitative, mixed-method approach employs data collection methods which include a daily travel diary (including a questionnaire), Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking and semi-structured interviews with older people living in suburban environments in Brisbane, Australia. Results show that older people are mobile throughout the city, and their car provides them with that opportunity to access desired destinations. This ability to drive allows older people to live independently and to assist others who do not drive, particularly where transport alternatives are not as accessible. The ability to transport goods and other people is a significant advantage of the private car over other transport options. People with no access to private transportation who live in low-density environments are disadvantaged when it comes to participation within the community. Further research is needed to better understand the relationship between transportation and participation within the community environment, to assist policy makers and city and transportation planners to develop strategies for age-friendly environments within the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meeting the medical, nutritional, and psychosocial mealtime needs of aged care residents requires a holistic, multidisciplinary approach. To date the perspectives of this multidisciplinary team have not been adequately explored. The aim of this study was to explore the perspectives of a range of service providers involved in mealtime management in residential aged care. In-depth semistructured interviews were conducted with 61 participants from five service disciplines. Four themes emerged: (1) mealtimes are highly valued; (2) service providers face common barriers to mealtime management; (3) communication among service providers is challenging; and (4) education in mealtime management is limited. Data indicated service providers acknowledge the importance of mealtimes but recognize numerous shortfalls in current care. The need for interdisciplinary training and increased communication and collaboration among providers was emphasized, including the need for clarification of provider roles. Limited consideration of mealtimes in policy and funding documents was identified as a primary barrier in further prioritizing mealtime management and advancing mealtime care. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]