Laurie Buys

Learning and Active Aging

ABSTRACT Learning is an important aspect of aging productively. This paper describes results from 2645 respondents (aged from 50 to 74 + years) to a 165-variable postal survey in Australia. The focus is on learning and its relation to work; social, spiritual, and emotional status; health; vision; home; life events; and demographic details. Clustering analysis showed that learning and health were most important. The relationship between variables was then investigated using the Gamma test by age, and factor and regression analyses. Of the respondents, 6% discussed learning in the open statement on the questionnaire. Implications are drawn from the results for learning.

The Impact of Social Capital on Residential Water-Affecting Behaviors in a Drought-Prone Australian Community

Australians report the second highest rate of water consumption in the industrialized world, despite the continents generally dry conditions. With researchers suggesting that fostering social capital may encourage people to work together on environmental and sustainable initiatives, this article explores whether social capital, environmental responsibility, and socio-demographic lifestyle factors might predict environmentally friendly or unfriendly home water use behaviors, specifically gardening and car washing, in a drought-prone Australian community. Residents who scored higher on the Neighborhood Connections element of social capital were more likely to wash their car in an environmentally friendly manner. Conversely, residents who scored higher on the Proactivity element of social capital were more likely to engage in the potentially harmful gardening practice of using weedkillers, pesticides and herbicides. The role social capital might play in fostering—or restricting—water sustainability, as well as the implications for policy, community engagement, and environmental education programs, is discussed.

Residential satisfaction in inner urban higher-density Brisbane, Australia: role of dwelling design, neighbourhood and neighbours

Increasing the population density of urban areas is a key policy strategy to sustainably manage growth, but many residents often view higher-density living as an undesirable long-term housing option. Thus, this research explores the predictors of residential satisfaction in inner urban higher-density (IUHD) environments, surveying 636 IUHD residents in Brisbane, Australia about the importance of dwelling design (34 specific attributes, assessing satisfaction with facilities, upkeep, size, cost, design, surroundings, location, climate and environmental management) and neighbourhood (73 specific attributes, assessing satisfaction with noise, odours, pollution, safety, growth, neighbourhood characteristics, facilities). Ordinal regression modelling identified the specific features of the neighbourhood and dwelling that were critical in predicting residential satisfaction: satisfaction with dwelling position, design and facilities, noise, walkability, safety and condition of local area and social contacts (family, friends, familiar faces) in the neighbourhood. Identifying the factors that influence residential satisfaction in IUHD will assist with both planning and design of such developments, enhancing quality and appeal to help ensure a lower resident turnover rate and facilitate acceptance and uptake of high-density living.

Conceptualising climate change in rural Australia: community perceptions, attitudes and (in)actions

Public engagement and support is essential for ensuring adaptation to climate change. The first step in achieving engagement is documenting how the general public currently perceive and understand climate change issues, specifically the importance they place on this global problem and identifying any unique challenges for individual communities. For rural communities, which rely heavily on local agriculture industries, climate change brings both potential impacts and opportunities. Yet, to date, our knowledge about how rural residents conceptualise climate change is limited. Thus, this research explores how the broader rural community—not only farmers—conceptualises climate change and responsive activities, focussing on documenting the understandings and risk perceptions of local residents from two small Australian rural communities. Twenty-three semi-structured interviews were conducted in communities in the Eden/Gippsland region on the border of New South Wales and Victoria and the north-east of Tasmania. There are conflicting views on how climate change is conceptualised, the degree of concern and need for action, the role of local industry, who will ‘win’ and ‘lose’, and the willingness of rural communities to adapt. In particular, residents who believed in anthropogenic or human-induced factors described the changing climate as evidence of ‘climate change’, whereas those who were more sceptical termed it ‘weather variability’, suggesting that there is a divide in rural Australia that, unless urgently addressed, will hinder local and national policy responses to this global issue. Engaging these communities in the twenty-first-century climate change debate will require a significant change in terminology and communication strategies.

Life in a Retirement Village: Implications for Contact with Community and Village Friends

Background: Friends provide acceptance, companionship, emotional support, and are important to mental health. One reason that older adults give for seeking alternative accommodations is to reduce their loneliness and isolation. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether older adults living in a retirement village have varying amounts of contact with friends who live within the retirement village or in the wider community. Methods: Three hundred and twenty-three independently living residents of 25 retirement village sites were interviewed. Participants were asked a range of open and closed questions about the amount and kind of contact they had with co-resident friends and community-based friends. Results: Residents engaged in several weekly visits with village friends and maintained regular contact with community friends through telephone calls. Few residents engaged in community outings or participated in village activities with either village or community friends. Conclusion: The nature of living in close proximity with other people, influences the amount of informal contact they have with friends. For those older individuals who seek alternative accommodation due to isolation or loneliness, re-location to congregate-style accommodation may increase their social contacts and have a positive impact on their well-being.

Designing participation in agile ridesharing with mobile social software

Growing participation is a key challenge for the viability of sustainability initiatives, many of which require enactment at a local community level in order to be effective. This paper undertakes a review of technology assisted carpooling in order to understand the challenge of designing participation and consider how mobile social software and interface design can be brought to bear. It was found that while persuasive technology and social networking approaches have roles to play, critical factors in the design of carpooling are convenience, ease of use and fit with contingent circumstances, all of which require a use-centred approach to designing a technological system and building participation. Moreover, the reach of technology platform-based global approaches may be limited if they do not cater to local needs. An approach that focuses on iteratively designing technology to support and grow mobile social ridesharing networks in particular locales is proposed. The paper contributes an understanding of HCI approaches in the context of other designing participation approaches.

Issues of active ageing: perceptions of older people with lifelong intellectual disability.

Objective(s):  The study aimed to investigate the lived experiences of older people with lifelong intellectual disability and to explore the meaning of active ageing for this group.

Ageing, Learning, and Computer Technology in Australia

Learning is an important aspect of active ageing, yet older people are not often included in discussions of the issue. Older people vary in their need, desire, and ability to learn, and this is evident in the context of technology. The focus of the data analysis for this paper was on determining the place of learning and technology in active ageing. The paper describes results from 2,645 respondents aged from 50 to 74 + years, in Australia, to a 178-item variable postal survey. The survey measured aspects of learning;, work; social, spiritual and emotional status; health; vision; home; life events; and demographics. There was also an open-ended question about being actively engaged in life. Ordinal regression analysis showed that interest in learning, keeping up to date, valuing communication, being younger, and being male are predictors of learning about technology. The results are at variance with an earlier analysis of our data which showed that women are generally more interested in learning. The open statements contained mentions of learning about technology for the purposes of communication, learning, family links, keeping up to date, enjoyment, staying mentally alert, and just using the computer. These results are discussed in terms of the subtle but important differences between needing and wanting to learn about technology and the opportunities for such learning by older people.

Care and Support Assistance Provided in Retirement Villages: Expectations vs Reality

Objective: To investigate reasons older people move to a retirement village that does not offer on‐site care and support services.

Mobility and out-of-home activities of older people living in suburban environments: ‘Because I'm a driver, I don't have a problem'

ABSTRACT 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 peoples 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.