Search

Purpose – In light of the fact that the “baby boomer” generation is moving into early old age, the purpose of this paper is to examine what aspects of ageing and old age concerned an age cohort of 25 gay men aged 60 plus. Design/methodology/approach – The primary data for this paper came from interviews with 25 men aged 60 and older who were recruited in Auckland, London, Manchester, Melbourne, and New York. Interviewees were contacted by a variety of means, such as by e-mail introductions, advertisements placed on social media, and recommendations of mutual friends or acquaintances. Once contacted, the men were sent a plain-language statement outlining the purpose of the study and the intention to publish the results and were asked to sign and return a consent form. Narrative identity was central to understandings of the men’s lives got from analysing their interview transcripts. Findings – Analysis of extracts from their life stories showed the men interviewed for this paper drew on two principal narratives when discussing their apprehensions about growing old. The first related to general fears or concerns about old age that would be fairly common among members of the general population. The second narrative related to gay-specific fears or concerns. Significant claims: that class affects gay men’s experience of old age just as it does for everyone else; and that fears of being ostracised because of their sexuality were strongest when the men spoke about aged-accommodation settings. Research limitations/implications – More research is needed on gay men’s experience of in-home supported care and residential care to see if the reality of the heterosexism and/or homophobia matches the fears of some in this sample. Originality/value – This is a relatively new field and there is a growing number of researchers examining the ageing concerns and experiences of the GLBT population. The originality of this paper lies in the international sample on which it is based, its use of narrative analysis, and its relevance to policy makers as well as to members of the GLBT population, carers, and owners/managers of aged-care accommodation facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spirituality permeates our land, our waters, and our people; it is inherent in Māori culture, often explicit for new migrants, but frequently ignored or tokenistically acknowledged in mainstream culture. Older New Zealanders are a pluralistic population, often fiercely secular, with a small but active religious population. How we now treat our elders requires work, needs careful consideration, and vision. As a country, New Zealand has embraced the notion of 'well-being', with the first 'well-being budget' announced in 2019. But well-being, or hauora as it is known for Māori, is incomplete without spirituality. This paper examines the place of spirituality, based on understandings and observations grounded in the New Zealand context, which comprises four interrelated areas: zeitgeist, scope and definitions, models, and evidence. We suggest this framework is a useful approach to examining what can be an ineffable personal experience and challenge to society's provision of aged care and healthy ageing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This paper describes a workshop process conducted to guide funding priorities for the Ageing Well National Science Challenge in New Zealand (NZ). Methods: Based on the Checklist for Health Research Priority Setting, stakeholders networking workshops were conducted in five main cities in NZ (n = 133 attendees). Each workshop involved an introductory presentation; small group work exploring the a priori areas of: mind health, social well‐being, health services and age‐friendly environments; capturing key ideas on flip charts; feedback; and discussion of documented content. Results: Suggested strategies to address these issues incorporated reduction in segregated "villages," delivery of integrated care and provision of age‐friendly transport. Proposed examples of monitoring impact included increased tertiary participation by older people and presence of more housing options. Conclusion: Actively engaging older adults and community stakeholders in setting research priorities provided a unique opportunity to understand the key areas older adults think important for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to economic resources influences the material conditions of life for older people, as well as the freedoms and capacities of older people to achieve the kind of lives they value. Security is one aspect of later life valued by older people. Ontological security provides a sense of order and continuity and needs to be understood in terms of the situated life experiences and circumstances of older people. The study reported in this paper analysed 145 qualitative interviews with New Zealanders aged 63–93 in order to explore how participants understand ontological security. Varying levels of access to economic resources were associated with differing abilities of participants to manage the unpredictability of everyday life. Among the wealthy, security was strongly connected to the freedoms provided by ample financial resources. Contrary to what might be expected, those with the lowest levels of economic resources did not express higher levels of insecurity, but instead drew upon life experiences of managing and making do to construct a trajectory of security. Those with mid-range levels of economic resources expressed most insecurity, including anxiety over changing economic conditions and concerns over their ability to manage reductions in economic resources. In discussing the implications of this, the paper highlights the need to recognise ways in which access to economic resources intersect with life circumstances, past experiences and future social expectations to provide opportunities for all older people to pursue security as they strive to age well. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper examines age-related differences in voice quality between 15 young and 15 old speakers, using electroglottographic (EGG) recordings of three elicitation types: sustained vowels, hVd word lists, and readings of the Rainbow Passage. For each elicitation type, fundamental frequency (F0), contact quotient (Qx), and their standard deviations are analysed. Results found, for all three elicitations, that Qx was significantly lower for older speakers. F0 was higher for the older speakers, but this was only significant for the hVd word lists. Sustained vowels were used to examine the effect of target pitch and loudness on F0 and Qx. Both Qx and F0 were raised with increased target loudness. The hVd word lists were used to examine the phonetic effects of different vowels. Lip rounded vowels had higher Qx than non-lip rounded vowels. Readings of the Rainbow Passage encompassed prosodic and phonetic variations in F0 and Qx, in addition to voice quality. F0 and Qx contours of the hVd word lists and the vowel/ei/taken from the Rainbow Passage were analysed using the discrete cosine transform. The hVd frame produced coarticulation effects on the Qx contour, but no such effects were evident for the vowel /ei/. The study concluded that using multiple elicitation types is beneficial in the study of the effect of age on the voice, and that analysing contour tracks for F0 and Qx will allow further examination of how prosodic and phonetic effects interact with age-related changes in voice quality. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Contemporary Western social policy encourages older adults to maintain independence in the community. Socio-cultural norms of independence have recently become associated with successful ageing. Personal autonomy and self-responsibility are cultural markers by which older adults increasingly define their lives and identity. Many older adults seek to remain independent within their communities, while coping with age-related decline, and living alone with decreased social connectedness. These characteristics have also been associated with personal and social vulnerability and explain why older adults are at higher risk of experiencing disproportionate negative outcomes during disasters. This paper describes findings from narrative interviews with a sample of independent community-dwelling New Zealand older adults. The interviews sought to explore their views about disaster preparedness. However, within their accounts was a collective and bigger story about personal preparedness, and social relationships in later life, which extended beyond the context of preparing for a future disaster event. Older adults identified age-specific preparedness as a way to maintain independence in the everyday context of their lives. Concerns about health influenced their choices and actions as they evaluated and prioritised goals and strategies to maintain independence and wellbeing. Social relationships were also considered an important resource to support independence. Understanding the role of preparedness in the everyday lives of older adults has implications for improving the disproportionate negative outcomes this vulnerable age group can experience during a disaster. Therefore, health, gerontology and emergency management have much in common when considering older adults' preparedness during non-disaster times. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Aim The purpose of this paper is to explore the immigrant experiences of older Korean people and their intergenerational family relationships in the New Zealand context. Methods Data were collected from qualitative interviews with older people, community leaders and professionals in Christchurch and Auckland. Data analysis was conducted using concept mapping techniques in the cross-cultural context where two languages were simultaneously used. Results The findings of the study show that older Korean people in New Zealand were likely to face multiple challenges due to the combined effects of immigration and ageing in a new country. Some older people experienced difficulties in managing their immigrant lives and intergenerational relationships in the transnational family context in which their family members were dispersed across two or more nations. Conclusion The immigrant experiences of older migrants might be affected by an 'invisible' source of isolation and exclusion at familial, community, societal and transnational levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concerns about the economic impact of an ageing population have triggered many developed countries to advance policies that attempt to extend working lives and discourage early retirement. There is considerable evidence of a relationship between poor health and early retirement, but some researchers have suggested that there is a ' justification bias ' in claims that ill-health is the cause of retirement. This paper reports a longitudinal qualitative study that interviewed 60 New Zealanders aged between 55 and 70 years on two occasions, and analysed their explanations of health-related retirement decisions. Although the participants' explanations included poor health as an important reason for retirement, two additional health-related retirement pathways were identified : the 'maximisation of life', being decisions to retire whilst healthy to fulfil other life goals; and ' health protection', being decisions motivated by health protection and promotion. These health pathways interacted with other factors such as financial security. An elucidation of these motivations pays particular attention to the social and discursive context of explanations of retirement, and considers the three identified health-retirement pathways in relation to the sickness justification bias and current government policies to extend working lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discourse on male sexuality in mid-to-later life has exploded in recent years ( Gullette 1998 ). Attention to this topic has been spurred by the advent of (highly profitable) sexuopharmaceutical ‘solutions’ to erectile changes affecting older men. ‘Success’ stories abound in the media and in medical literature related to the restoration of faulty erections and ailing sex lives through drugs such as Viagra (sildenafil citrate), Uprima (apomorphine) and Cialis (tadalafil). In this paper we explore some of the ways in which notions about ageing and male sexuality are changing in popular cultural and medical texts in response to the advent of Viagra and the increasing authority of biomedicine in this area. We also demonstrate how the recent biomedical endorsement of ‘sex for life’ (the imperative to maintain an active youthful masculine [hetero]sexuality – defined in terms of male orgasm through penetrative sex) may be challenged by the very accounts of older men who are, or have been, affected by erectile difficulties and have used drugs like Viagra themselves. We present the perspectives of mid-to-late life heterosexual men in New Zealand whose stories question the contemporary biomedical privileging of erections and intercourse ‘at any cost and at any age’. We argue that the current push to identify and treat so-called erectile dysfunction (and restore erections and penetrative sex to relationships) neglects some men's own experiences of alternative modes of relating sexually that they identify as ‘normal’, ‘healthy’, ‘enjoyable’ and ‘satisfying’ for them and their partners; and undermines their understanding of such changes as positive outcomes of ageing, experience and maturity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Individuals with schizophrenia develop dementia in late life at higher rates than the general population. This is arguably explained by high rates of chronic medical conditions and exposure to antipsychotic medications. This risk has implications for public health. We aimed to test this in a large New Zealand database. Methods: Participants in this study were New Zealanders aged 65 years or older who had an interRAI assessment completed during the study period (July 2013–June 2020). This cohort study analysed data from 168,780 individuals. The majority were European (87%), and mostly assessment was for home care (86%). Results: There were 2103 individuals with schizophrenia, 1.25% of the total sample, mean age of 75 years (±1.9) and 61% female. A minority of individuals with schizophrenia, 23%, also had a dementia diagnosis. At 82 years of age (±1.7) and 60% female, 25% of individuals without schizophrenia had a dementia diagnosis; the difference from rate of dementia in individuals with schizophrenia was not statistically significant. Conclusions: These findings suggest that further study is needed about the processes that lead to dementia diagnoses in older individuals with schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To project the prevalence of people receiving dialysis in Australia for 2021–30 to inform service planning and health policy. Methods. Estimates were based on data from 2011 to 2020 from the Australia & New Zealand Dialysis & Transplant (ANZDATA) Registry and the Australian Bureau of Statistics. We projected dialysis and functioning kidney transplant recipient populations for the years 2021–30. Discrete-time, non-homogenous Markov models were built on probabilities for transition between three mutually exclusive states (Dialysis, Functioning Transplant, Death), for five age groups. Two scenarios were employed – stable transplant rate vs a continued increase – to assess the impact of these scenarios on the projected prevalences. Results. Models projected a 22.5–30.4% growth in the dialysis population from 14 554 in 2020 to 17 829 (‘transplant growth’) – 18 973 (‘transplant stable’) by 2030. An additional 4983–6484 kidney transplant recipients were also projected by 2030. Dialysis incidence per population increased and dialysis prevalence growth exceeded population ageing in 40–59 and 60–69 year age groups. The greatest dialysis prevalence growth was seen among those aged ≥70 years. Conclusion. Modelling of the future prevalence of dialysis use highlights the increasing demand on services expected overall and especially by people aged ≥70 years. Appropriate funding and healthcare planning must meet this demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study analyses the different factors contributing to the retention and turnover of local- and overseas-born workers in the elderly care sector as an integral part of ensuring a stable workforce and quality care for the growing elderly population. Design/methodology/approach: Using a respondent-driven sampling method, a sample of individuals who worked or are working in residential aged care facilities in Dunedin, New Zealand were surveyed. Findings: The factors associated with intention to stay or leave are not necessarily the same factors influencing workers to leave. Practical implications: Policies need to consider how to make workers want to stay and address the issues that make workers leave the aged care sector. Social implications: Results of this study can be used to develop more relevant labour and migration policies that reflect a more grounded insight into the experiences of those who are directly and personally affected by these policies. Originality/value: There are limited international or national empirical studies on the economics of care worker migration and the labour market. This study can provide practical policy advice to help improve recruitment and retention strategies for care workers in countries dependent on global labour markets for health workers. In New Zealand, changes in policies concerning remuneration and immigration highlight the importance of ensuring that care worker needs are met both financially and in terms of institutional support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore the constituents of spirituality for six residential aged care residents and six bereaved family members. Transcripts were analysed thematically and mapped to Lartey's integrated dimensions of spirituality. Findings suggest that spirituality is best described through the lens of connection, whether with the transcendent (religious belief), in oneself (identity), with another (family support), with a group (religion), or with space (RAC descriptor). The findings of this study highlight the importance of creating a balance between biomedical and spiritual aspects of care in RAC especially for culturally diverse residents and families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Within studies of ageing, rurality and family relations, the prevalent “point of view” is based on the perspectives of adults, particularly older people themselves. However, taking seriously the reciprocal nature of kinship relations also challenges researchers to find ways to explore younger people''s views and experiences of intergenerational ties. The study on which this paper is based addressed this challenge, by considering the dynamics of ageing in rural families through the lens of young people''s experience. In the South Island of New Zealand, Area Schools serve families in rural regions specifically defined in terms of a catchment area based on distance from any other state school. This research study selected five (from 16) of these schools, and invited the classes of Year 7 and 8 students to take part in a classroom activity, led by the researcher with support from the class teacher. The activity involved a total of 98 young people (aged 11–13) in written completion of a survey which outlined their relationships and contacts with the people they know as grandparents, along with basic demographics of their own age, gender, family and household situation, and length of attendance at the school. From this survey, information was derived about 380 grandparents (of whom 73 were no longer alive), the nature and frequency of their contacts, and the types of activities they shared with these grandchildren. Around 40 percent of the students have daily or weekly contact with a grandparent, one third “regularly do things together”, and one fifth say they have “a special relationship” with a grandparent. By controlling the age group of the grandchild, and focussing on rural families, this study adds insights and detail to a growing body of research interest in understanding the roles and contributions made by grandparents to New Zealand families, in particular those in rural communities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Resilience is a concept of growing interest in relation to older people and within the context of population ageing. In this paper we explore older people''s understandings and experiences of resilience, drawing on interviews and participant-led focus groups with 121 older people living in two case-study communities in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Close reading of extended conversations about what characterises resilience, such as positive attitude, counting blessings or keeping busy, reveal how all of these apparently internal or personal characteristics are deeply embedded in social and physical contexts. We argue that resilience should be seen as a contextualised process which can be both individual and environmental. Older people''s experiences highlight the need to consider the effectiveness of environmental community resources and social–political structures such as state-funded service availability, as well as the personal characteristics that are usually focused on when considering resilience in old age. We also argue that it is important to consider different aspects of resilience, so that a person or group might face constraints in one area, such as physical or economic wellbeing, but be strong in other areas such as social relationships or mobility. Resilience can mean acknowledging and incorporating ‘vulnerability’ and balancing wellbeing across a range of areas. Thus even those living with significant illness or hardship can be understood to be ageing well and indeed to be resilient. Far from using resilience as a narrow measure against which to succeed or fail, resilience is a useful concept framing how ageing well can incorporate multidimensional pathways including both vulnerability and flourishing. We must pay adequate attention to the broader physical and social contexts and scales that underpin – or undermine – individual resilience. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Sleep disturbances are challenging symptoms associated with mild cognitive impairment or dementia (MCIoD). This study assessed the feasibility of sleep monitoring and non-pharmacological interventions to improve the sleep of New Zealanders with MCIoD and their family carers. Methods: A 5-week multi-modal intervention consisting of timed bright light therapy, physical activity, and sleep education was piloted. Sleep was monitored for a week at baseline and conclusion of the trial using actigraphy, diaries, and questionnaires alongside additional health and wellbeing information concerning both care recipients and carers. Results: Fifteen pairs participated, 9 completed the trial. Patterns of attrition and participant feedback are discussed. Case studies showed that six of the care recipients had minor improvements to sleep efficiency. Some also had improved subjective sleep ratings and quality of life. Changes did not clearly translate to family carers. However, five of them also showed some improvements in sleep status and mental health. Health deterioration of care recipients may mask the effects of the intervention. Conclusions: It is feasible to use non-pharmacological sleep interventions for people with MCIoD and their family carers. Given the limited treatment options, further consideration of such interventions in future research and clinical practice is warranted. Trial registration: As this study was to assess the feasibility of proposed methods, it was an observational study without case-control groups nor a medical-based intervention, clinical registration was not required. A future full version of the trial would be registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trails Registry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sleep is important for healthy ageing. Data are limited concerning the sleep and health of New Zealand families affected by cognitive impairment or dementia. This postal survey asked about the sleep of 526 family carers and explored predictors of, and outcomes associated with poorer sleep. Linear and binominal logistic regression were used to identify independent predictors and outcomes of carers' sleep status. Using the Insomnia Severity Index, 23.5% of carers scored in the moderate–severe range and 43.0% in the mild range for sleep disturbance. More than a quarter indicated that their family member had difficulties falling asleep, getting up during the night, or waking too early. Over half of care recipients were considered to sleep too much during the day. Independent predictors for carers' reporting greater sleep disturbance included being female, caregiving at night, poorer self-rated health, and the care recipient having more disturbed sleep. Moderate–severe sleep disturbance was independently associated with poorer self-rated health and living standards, use of sleeping medications, as well as considering transitioning their family member into formal care within the year. These findings have implications for the wellbeing and trajectory of family carers as well as for health and aged care services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fin spines from elephantfish Callorhinchus milii were sectioned and viewed with transmitted white light under a compound microscope. The sections displayed growth bands but their interpretation and significance were unclear. Three different methods were used for counting growth bands. The results were compared with reference growth curves based on length‐at‐age estimates for six juvenile year classes derived from length‐frequency distributions, and tagging data that showed longevity is at least 20 years. None of the three ageing methods showed good correspondence with the reference curves and all methods departed markedly from the reference curves at ages above 2 years old. Therefore, growth bands present in C. milii spines are not useful for ageing, at least with the three methods tested here. Spine bands may not represent age marks, but instead may be layers of material deposited irregularly to strengthen the spine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Suicide rates increase in late life. There is, however, a gap in understanding suicide in the very old. We aimed to underscore the evidence for high rates of death by suicide in the oldest-old men (age 85+) in New Zealand and to provide a conjectural discussion about factors driving these rates.Method: Provisional suicide data were obtained from the New Zealand Coronial Services website for the period 2011-2019. Yearly suicide rates for those aged 85+ were plotted over time. Mean suicide rates were calculated for three youth and young adult male cohorts, identified by the Coroner as having very high rates, and compared with the 85+ age cohort.Results: Between 2011 and 2019, rates of death by suicide of older males remained consistently high never overlapping female suicide rates. Mean suicide deaths/100,000 population for all four age cohorts were comparable; 15-19 years: 23.5; 20-24 years: 29.0; 25-29 years: 27.0; 85+ years: 27.9.Conclusions: Deaths by suicide are very high for older males. In addition to established risk factors, psychosocial adversity as reflected by loneliness, poverty and shift to residential care may be major reasons for the high suicide rates. Research to inform about this vulnerable population and prevention are urgently needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demographic ageing of New Zealand society, as elsewhere in the developed world, has dramatically increased the proportion of older people (aged 65 years and over) in the population. This has major policy implications for the future organisation of social care. Our objective was to test the effects on social care use, first, of putative changes in the overall disability profile of older people, and second, of alterations to the balance of their care, i.e. whether it was community-based or residential. In order to undertake these experiments, we developed a microsimulation model of the later life course using individual-level data from two official national survey series on health and disability, respectively, to generate a synthetic version which replicated original data and parameter settings. A baseline projection under current settings from 2001 to 2021 showed moderate increases in disability and associated social care use. Artificially decreasing disability levels, below the baseline projection, only moderately reduced the use of community care (both informal and formal). Scenarios implemented by rebalancing towards informal care use moderately reduced formal care use. However, only moderate compensatory increases in community-based care were required to markedly decrease the transition to residential care. The disability impact of demographic ageing may not have a major negative effect on system resources in developed countries like New Zealand. As well as healthy ageing, changing the balance of social care may alleviate the impact of increasing demand due to an expanding population of older people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims To identify why some nurses cope well with continuing to work as they age and others struggle. Background There is a need to understand better the challenges older nurses face and how they manage them. Design Secondary analysis of existing data. Methods Data collected in two separate studies were analysed. The first study (2012) was an online, anonymous survey that collected free text (qualitative) and categorical data ( n = 3273, 57·6% response rate). The second (2014) was an explorative, descriptive study that collected data through focus groups and interviews ( n = 46). Qualitative data from both studies were analysed using David Thomas' () general inductive approach. Research Ethics Committee approval was gained for the 2012 and 2014 studies. Results Data were categorised in two themes: the challenges of ageing and nursing; and factors that enable nurses to continue to practice. Physical challenges, fatigue, guilt, ageism and demands to complete continuing education were considered challenges. Maintaining personal fitness, self care, flexible working and a strong belief in their ability to contribute to the profession were present in older nurses who continued to practice. Conclusion While older nurses face growing physical and cognitive challenges as they age, they demonstrate strong resilience in the face of these challenges. It is recommended nurses seek support from their workplaces early to address challenges. Organisations must address ageism in the workplace and provide practical interventions such as supporting changes to work hours, shifting nurses to less physical roles and providing career planning to support resilience in older workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims To investigate relationships between caregiving and subjective sleep reports among older New Zealanders. Methods Participants were 434 carers (177 home-based) and 1747 non-carers (aged 55-72 years) who completed the 2008 Health Work and Retirement survey. Sleep outcomes (feeling worn out, tired, or dissatisfied with sleep or having a diagnosed sleep disorder) were explored by caregiving status. Logistic regression was used to investigate caregiving as an independent predictor of poor sleep health after controlling for other demographic variables. Results Home-based carers were more likely to report feeling tired some/all of the time than non-carers (odds ratio 1.6, 95% confidence interval 1.1-2.2). Being Māori, a woman, younger or more socioeconomically deprived ( New Zealand Deprivation Index 2006) were also significant independent predictors of poor sleep outcomes. Conclusions Carers are at increased risk of feeling tired in the daytime. Early recognition and management of underlying sleep problems are particularly important for older people providing care at home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A policy focus on healthy ageing has been critiqued for homogenising, oppressing and neglecting the physical realities of older age. Current healthy ageing discourse places responsibility on individuals for achieving good physical health and ignores their broader circumstances. Sen’s capability approach provides a basis for including the physical changes of ageing and the social environment by focusing on what older people themselves value in regards to healthy ageing. Accounts of desired living standards in 145 interviews with people aged 63–93 years in New Zealand were subjected to a thematic analysis which revealed six commonly valued ‘functionings’: physical comfort, social integration, contribution, security, autonomy and enjoyment. The capability to achieve the valued functionings was of high importance regardless of physical health status while this capability was often limited by social and material circumstances. The importance of an environment supportive of valued functionings provides a framework for understanding health for older adults, whatever their present physical abilities. We suggest that health psychology is in a good position to reflect critically on the impact of discourses promoting healthy ageing in the lives of older adults, and consider broader models that include understandings of resilience and capability. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Aim To describe temporary and permanent separation patterns and changes in nursing practice over 5 years, for the 2006 cohort of nurses aged ≥50 years in New Zealand. Background As ageing populations increase demand on nursing services, workforce projections need better information on work and retirement decision-making of large 'baby-boomer' cohorts. Design Retrospective cohort analysis using the Nursing Council of New Zealand administrative dataset. Methods A cohort of all nurses aged ≥50 years on the register and practising in 2006 ( n = 12,606) was tracked until 2011. Results After 5 years, a quarter ( n = 3161) of the cohort (equivalent to 8·4% of all 2006 practising nurses) was no longer practising. There were no significant differences in permanent separation rates between the ages of 50-58; between 18-54% of annual separations re-entered the workforce. On re-entry, 56% returned to the same clinical area. Annual separations from the workforce declined sharply during the global financial crisis and more of those leaving re-entered the workforce. In 2006, half the cohort worked in hospitals. After 5 years, the number of cohort nurses working in hospitals fell by 45%, while those in community settings increased by 12%. Over 5 years, weekly nursing practice hours declined significantly for every age-band. Conclusions To retain the experience of older nurses for longer, workforce strategies need to take account of patterns of leaving and re-entering the workforce, preferences for work hours and the differences between the sub-groups across employment settings and practice areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of studies have explored the relationship between socio-economic status and mortality, although these have mostly been based on the working-age population, despite the fact that the burden of mortality is highest in older people. Using Poisson regression on linked New Zealand census and mortality data (2001–04, 1.3 million person years) with a comprehensive set of socio-economic indicators (education, income, car access, housing tenure, neighourhood deprivation), we examined the association of socio-economic characteristics and older adult mortality (65+ years) in New Zealand. We found that socio-economic mortality gradients persist into old age. Substantial relative risks of mortality were observed for all socio-economic factors, except housing tenure. Most relative risk associations decreased in strength with ageing [e.g. most deprived compared to least deprived rate ratio for males reducing from 1.40 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.28–1.53) for 65–74-year-olds to 1.13 (CI 1.00–1.28) for 85 + -year-olds], except for income and education among women where the rate ratios changed little with increasing age. This suggests individual-level measures of socio-economic status are more closely related to mortality in older women than older men. Comparing across genders, the only statistically significantly different association between men and women was for a weaker association for women for car access. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Aims and objectives To explore the ageing experiences of gay men in New Zealand over the age of 65 years. Background An increased acceptance by many people in Western societies towards men who are same-sex attracted is likely to result in a corresponding increase in the number of visible older gay men being the recipients of nursing care. Previous research has shown that nursing has some way to go towards providing a service that is culturally safe and appropriate. Design A critical gerontological approach was employed to explore the ageing experiences of gay men in New Zealand over the age of 65 years. This methodology ensured the voices of older gay men were foregrounded in the research. Methods Semi-structured digitally recorded individual interviews with 12 gay men aged between 65-81 years who lived in the community were undertaken. Data were analysed using thematic analysis to identify the repeated patterns across the men's talk. Results Three main themes relating to the ageing experiences of these men were identified: 'homophobia', 'being with someone' and 'future care'. Conclusions Resilience was a significant factor in how well older gay men aged even in an environment where homophobia and heterosexism were common. Having a strong social support network was an important factor that contributed to supporting the ageing process. These gay men were wary about having to go into residential care, preferring to age in their own homes. Relevance to clinical practice Nurses and other healthcare professionals need to ensure healthcare services meet the needs of older gay men. Any interaction with older gay men should occur in a way that is open and respectful. The usage of best practice guidelines will assist organisations to deliver culturally safe and appropriate care to this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumption practices involving disposal can provide important insights into how 'being' is accumulated. Analysis of 36 semi-structured interviews with 13 individuals aged 59-70 in the Manawatu, Kapiti, Rangitikei and Horowhenua regions of the North Island in New Zealand illustrates how practices of gifting, ridding and passing on goods as legacy contribute to the production of familial and individual subjectivities. The research revealed that practices of disposal are performative, with both the absent presence of the objects placed away and the practices by which this occurs having agentic effects. The places that objects were assumed to occupy in the real and imagined lives of others and the moving of things away contributed to older adults' identities as caring parents, productive citizens and individuals of significance. Disposal practices consequently enabled participants to stabilise and order parent and child relations and one's relative position in the life course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an overview of the New Zealand Health, Work and Retirement Study (HWR), the focus of which is on determinants of cultural-contextual factors on physical and mental health among 6,662 New Zealand citizens, a nationally representative sample of adults between 55 and 70 years of age. The HWR was initiated in 2006 with two-year re-assessment intervals. The health and wellbeing of older Māori was a study priority as previous research has shown large health disparities between Māori and non-Māori in New Zealand. Persons of Māori origin were over-sampled to ensure adequate information for subsequent analyses. First-wave results indicated that socioeconomic status, social support and retirement status were associated with optimal ageing among older adults in New Zealand. Māori scored lower on markers of physical and mental health, which was partially explained by restrictive factors including reduced economic living standards and a propensity towards less physical activity. After controlling for multiple socio-contextual and biological variables, ethnicity continued to predict health, suggesting that there are other markers of health and wellbeing in ageing among Māori. Structural variables which restrict access to health care and predispose Māori to engage in maladaptive lifestyle behaviours combined with the distal effects of colonisation may contribute to the health disparities found between Māori and the majority population in New Zealand. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study examines suggestions that inequalities in health related to socioeconomic status (SES) will increase in older age. A representative sample of the New Zealand population aged 55–70 years (N = 6662) responded to a postal questionnaire with measures of health (SF-36), SES, and health-related behaviours. Hierarchical multiple regressions supported predictions that the SES of working life will continue to influence physical and mental health in early old age. The strongest predictor was self-reported economic living standards. This subjective measure of SES is an important construct for future investigations of health and wellbeing among older people in an ageing population. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This research examined what proportion of adults aged 65 years and over from the Canterbury and West Coast regions of New Zealand adhere to physical activity guidelines that recommend 30 minutes of physical activity on most, but preferably all, days of the week (Criterion 1). Alternatively, a physical activity threshold of 2.5 hours a week has been utilised by some New Zealand agencies to determine physical activity compliance (criterion 2). Participants' heart rates (hr) were continuously monitored and recorded every minute for 4 days, from waking in the morning until night. Sixty-two (31 female, 31 male) older individuals (age 71.6 ± 6.4 years, body weight 72.4 ± 11.7 kg, height 168.4 ± 8.8 cm, BMI 25.4 ± 3.8, mean ± sd) provided full sets of HR data. Participants were required to elevate their HR above 108 min-1 for the number of minutes necessary to meet each of the criteria. Only 18% of participants engaged in appropriate amounts of physical activity to meet criterion 1 and 40% to Criterion 2. Furthermore, physical activity participation diminished with advancing age, was relatively similar for males and females and was higher in Canterbury residents compared to their West Coast counterparts. The low compliance levels of older adults to the physical activity criteria signals the requirement for an enhanced research focus into the physical activity behaviours of older New Zealanders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]