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Summary Little is known about the quantity, nature and range of Australian social work research on ageing and aged care. This scoping review involved a comprehensive search of seven online bibliographic databases. The review identified 108 peer-reviewed journal articles, published between January 2007 and June 2014, that reported Australian social work research on ageing and aged care. Findings The average number of authors per paper was 2.10 with most social work researchers co-authoring papers with non-social workers. The main topics of research focus were health and rehabilitation, elder abuse, asset management, community services and caregiving, housing and residential aged care, and ageing with an intellectual disability. The findings highlight the contribution social work researchers make to multidisciplinary gerontological research, and to understanding the lived experiences of older people and the provision of services. However, they also point to the relative paucity of research focusing on direct social work practice with older people, and the little evidence of the participation of older people and carers in the design and delivery of research. Applications The findings indicate the need for capacity-building strategies, such as developing networks of Australian social work researchers on ageing and aged care, to improve research outputs in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper illustrates how systems theory can be used in social work research design to understand the systemic issues associated with spousal care in rural Australia. Spousal caregiving is embedded within multiple formal and informal systems, including family, community, health and aged care practice, social policy, and social and cultural norms. It is therefore a complex phenomenon to explore in social research, with each of these systems interacting with and influencing other aspects of the care system. The purpose of this paper is to provide an illustration of a research design that explores this systemic complexity. The design is conceptually underpinned by the transformative paradigm; a critical approach that reflects social work principles of social justice. The methodology is based on an ecosystems approach to assessment, using multiple methods to explore interactions between systems of care at policy, practice and individual levels. This application of systems theory to research presents an innovative opportunity for social work research to reflect long-established practices of understanding complex phenomenon within its sociocultural context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an overview of the types of timber bridges in Australia and identifies the shortcoming associated with the ageing stock in order to preserve these assets and render them safe and useable under new loading standards. Methods available to assess the condition and residual capacity of timber bridges by non destructive techniques and retrofitting techniques to enhance the strength are discussed, with the objective of increasing the design life and satisfying strength criterion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In the context of the National Strategy for an Ageing Australia, the aim of this paper was to highlight some of the challenges for aged mental health services as our population ages. Conclusions: The demand for greater consumer participation in treatment planning and provision, and the increasing complexity of managing medical and psychiatric comorbidity in our 'old-old' population will be major drivers for improving our models of clinical practice and forging stronger partnerships between the public and private sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Older adults utilise health care systems to a higher frequency than younger groups, and are more vulnerable to system bias regarding ageing and expectations of old age. This narrative review attempts to outline the available literature regarding how various health support systems perceive the older adult, with an Australian focus.Conclusions: Perspectives on ageing are generally negative regardless of health industry. Possible contributors to this include elements of death anxiety, inadequate education and inadequate occupational exposure during training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: An increasing burden of chronic disease and associated health service delivery is expected due to the ageing Australian population. Injuries also affect health and wellbeing and have a long-term impact on health service utilisation. There is a lack of comprehensive data on disease and injury in rural and regional areas of Australia. The aim of the Ageing, Chronic Disease and Injury study is to compile data from various sources to better describe the patterns of chronic disease and injury across western Victoria. Design: Ecological study. Methods: Information on demographics, socioeconomic indicators and lifestyle factors are obtained from health surveys and government departments. Data concerning chronic diseases and injuries will be sourced from various registers, health and emergency services, local community health centres and administrative databases and compiled to generate profiles for the study region and for sub-populations within the region. Expected impact for public health: This information is vital to establish current and projected population needs to inform policy and improve targeted health services delivery, care transition needs and infrastructure development. This study provides a model that can be replicated in other geographical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The `cultural tum' in social gerontology addresses how ageing subjectivities emerge from social and cultural cultural contexts. This article report a phenomenological study of experiences of ageing in Thailand and Australia based on ethnography and interviews with older people in each setting. The data suggest that cultural contexts, issues of embodiment, dependency and institutionalization, and positive experiences of care are elements from which older people construct embodied subjectivities. The article is critical of approaches that suggest that reflexive modernization can explain the experience of ageing and suggests that the cultural mediation of a disparate range of social relations can be understood by asking `what can an ageing body do?' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]