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Whilst ageing in place is integral to international policy, there is less understanding of how individuals utilise formal services and informal supports in diverse rural environments to maintain their wellness and independence. Consequently, how older people negotiate their care within rural communities is subject to misconceptions. This paper draws on the convoy of care model to explore how older rural Australians negotiate their preferences and needs in the context of informal networks, availability of community resources, and the health and aged care system. The analysis draws on 60 in-depth interviews in six diverse rural communities across two Australian states. Three distinct care convoys are identified and demonstrate the interaction of multiple factors including individual preferences and needs, availability of family and community supports, and accessibility of local health and aged care services in the context of resource allocation. The findings highlight how families and communities compensate for a lack of accessible formal services. For older people without family and strong social networks, formal services are relied upon despite their inadequacy in some locales. This research has provided evidence that some Australian rural locales have limited resources resulting in challenges for older people to access home care and support. This results in many older people facing challenges to age in place. With aged care and health policy commonly designed for an urban context, our findings illustrate the importance of tailoring policy to respect the strengths and challenges existing in rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older people's civic participation contributes to community development while at the same time providing opportunities for personal growth in later life. One important dimension of civic participation that has been largely underexplored is informal learning. The aim of this study is to explore the learnings experienced by Spanish older people through their participation in political organizations as one important type of participation that has received little attention in the literature to date. A total of 192 people aged 65 years and older and actively engaged in three kinds of political organizations participated in the study. Participants answered an open-ended question regarding learnings through political participation. Results show a range of informal learnings, relating to social, political, or instrumental domains. Both the type of organization and some sociodemographic and participatory characteristics are associated with the type of learnings experienced by participants. Implications for political organizations are discussed.

As a consequence of local population ageing, which is more pronounced in rural areas, the issue of maintaining a positive quality of life for rural older people is attracting significant attention. While environmental psychology theory has advocated the role of place identity in defining the self, there has been little applied research exploring how this occurs in later life. This exploratory, qualitative study (n = 16) utilises 6 and 7 identity process theory to investigate how rural older Australians (retirement migrants and long-term residents) use place to sustain and build a sense of self at a time when many are susceptible to age-related loss. The paper draws on the concepts of distinctiveness, continuity, self-esteem and self-efficacy in order to explore how place identity is supported and maintained. Findings suggest that rural places are beneficial in terms of identity maintenance, with differences between long term and more recent rural residents. Furthermore, findings also highlight that place-related change or growth can potentially threaten older people's identification as a "rural" person. (Contains 6 tables and 1 figure.)

This paper reports the findings from a study that explored the experiential knowledge of older volunteers who participated in university research projects. Findings suggest that most participants were very positive about their experiences, and they appreciated the opportunity to contribute to research into ageing issues. In terms of areas of improvement, many highlighted the need for researchers to provide feedback on research outcomes and to consider access and transport issues. The capacity for critical reflection amongst participants suggests the potential for the development of more responsive research as well as for cultivating partnerships with older people in future research activities. (Contains 2 tables.)

In the absence of large scale Australian studies of volunteering among older adults, this study compared the relevance of two theoretical approaches--social capital theory and sociostructural resources theory--to predict voluntary activity in relation to a large national database. The paper explores volunteering by older people (aged 55+) in order to assess differences in volunteering in the Australian context. A model was developed that comprised social capital variables (organizational membership, religious affiliation, marital status, and migrant status) and sociostructural variables (education, work status, income, gender, and health status). Logistic regression analyses assessed the relationship between these variables and volunteering, and the interaction effects with two key factors relevant to the Australian context, age cohort and locality. Overall, these results suggest (a) that reliance on bivariate analysis for understanding volunteering may hide a more complex picture associated with older people volunteering, and (b) that neither social capital theory nor sociostructural resource theory adequately predicts volunteering by older Australians, but that generational theories may provide added strength to future analyses. (Contains 2 tables.)

The article adopts a developmental approach to successful human aging by exploring the concept of generativity in relation to a study of older Australians' lived experiences of involvement in the family and community. Qualitative data, collected through focus group interviews, were analyzed interpretively using recent developments in Erikson's theory of generativity as a framework. As a result, the present study contributes an in-depth understanding of the role of generative acts to the lives of older people. The data provide illustrative support for Erikson's contention of a generativity/stagnation crisis in later life. Involvement in the family and community is seen as a productive and generative activity, which promotes a positive experience of aging. Two further emergent themes are also explored. First, the experiences of study participants illustrate the reciprocal and cyclical nature of grand-generativity, and the importance of intergenerational relationships. Finally, the data contribute to our knowledge of cultural generativity, and in particular the passing on of cultural knowledge through narratives and modeling. (Contains 1 table.)

This paper discusses a study that examined why older people volunteer for a research registry based at the University of Queensland, Australia. A mailed questionnaire was utilized to explore a list of reported motives developed from an in-depth qualitative phase. An exploratory factor analysis of the findings was conducted, which showed that there were four main motivations for respondents to volunteer in this context. These motives were to make a contribution to society and to research; to be involved in research; to meet others; and to be informed about the university environment. These findings show that older research volunteers have a strong interest in university research outcomes and demonstrate a commitment to aging productively. There are lessons here for researchers and policy-makers, who need to develop additional ways to involve older people in the research that affects them.