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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]

Caring for elderly relatives has predominately been explored from the standpoint of the needs and experiences of the hegemonic culture in multicultural countries like Australia, Canada and the United States of America. Australia, in particular, has paid scant attention to cultural and linguistically diverse groups in relation to caring for the aged. In this paper we focus on Chinese-Australian families caring for elderly relatives. We explore the traditional value of filial piety which is said to underpin social norms and beliefs about caring for aged parents in Chinese cultures. Specifically we draw on four in-depth interviews with Chinese-Australian care-givers of elderly relatives to identify meanings of filial piety and practices of filial piety. Findings indicate that while filial piety is still an important value in caring for the aged, meanings about how to practise filial piety are changing and vary across families. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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]

Objective: The aim of the present study was to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the financial well-being of older Australian retirees. Methods: Thirty Australian retirees (16 females and 14 males), older than 65 years of age, were asked ‘Have your finances been affected by the events surrounding COVID-19?’. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's six-step approach, and Bronfenbrenner’s socio-ecological model was utilised to analyse thematic responses at individual, household, community and societal levels. Results: Two COVID-19- related themes emerged from interviews: COVID-19 and increased financial stress and COVID-19 and frustration with digital banking. Conclusions: This study revealed that the financial well-being of older Australians and especially self-funded retirees has been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants felt financially worse off primarily due to the volatility of the financial markets, the need to support adult children and the increased cost of living. Also, participants expressed their hesitation and frustration with digital banking services, and their desire for greater personal contact with financial institutions, particularly during times of uncertainty. [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 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]

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]

Background Considerable attention is currently being directed towards both active ageing and the revising of standards for disability services within Australia and internationally. Yet, to date, no consideration appears to have been given to ways to promote active ageing among older adults with intellectual disabilities (IDs). Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 Australian professional direct-care support staff (service providers) about their perceptions of ageing among older adults with lifelong IDs and what active ageing might entail for an individual from this population who is currently under their care, in both the present and future. Data were analysed against the six core World Health Organization active ageing outcomes for people with IDs. Results Service providers appeared to be strongly focused on encouraging active ageing among their clients. However, their perceptions of the individual characteristics, circumstances and experiences of older adults with IDs for whom they care suggest that active ageing principles need to be applied to this group in a way that considers both their individual and diverse needs, particularly with respect to them transitioning from day services, employment or voluntary work to reduced activity, and finally to aged care facilities. The appropriateness of this group being placed in nursing homes in old age was also questioned. Conclusion Direct-care staff of older adults with IDs have a vital role to play in encouraging and facilitating active ageing, as well as informing strategies that need to be implemented to ensure appropriate care for this diverse group as they proceed to old age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]