Purpose: The purpose of this study was to co-design a falls prevention education programme with aged care home residents and staff and evaluate its feasibility. The intention of providing the education programme was to assist residents to stay safe and mobile whilst reducing their risk of falling. Design/methodology/approach: A two-phase mixed…

The implementation of action learning workshops in three nursing homes in rural Victoria, Australia has been critical in the re-visioning of how care can be enhanced for residents. The workshops were designed with the intent of improving quality of care for residents by providing health care staff with opportunities to learn together and effect…

Background: Access to support services in rural areas is known to be problematic both in Australia, and in other countries around the world, but the majority of research on the population of people ageing with learning disability has so far focussed on metropolitan residents. The authors report about select aspects of the lived experience of older…

Background: This study reports on the hospitalisation experiences of older adults with intellectual disability living in group homes. Methods: Grounded dimensional analysis was used to guide data collection and analysis. Group home residents were tracked prospectively over a 3-year period. Interviews were conducted with family, group home, and…

Explores an art education program offered in two aged-care homes in South Australia. Examines the argument for the establishment of gerogogy (education for older adults). Addresses considerations of art education for older adults, the research approach, the learning model that emerged, teaching, and recommendations for further research. (CMK)

Background: Increased life expectancy for people with intellectual disability is accompanied by increased age-related health concerns. People ageing with intellectual disability experience more health conditions and are relocated to aged care earlier than their age peers. Method: Group home staff were surveyed about their (a) training and…

Understanding the nature of career mentoring is important for improving the career experience of aged care workers. This study explores the career mentoring behaviours of sponsorship, coaching, advocacy, challenging assignments, exposure and visibility in the residential aged care context. Interviews were conducted with 32 aged workers from…

Background: Australian government policy regards people with intellectual disability (ID) as citizens with equal rights, which means that they should have access to the same opportunities as the wider community. Ageing in place is central to aged care policy in Australia for the general population. Method: This paper reviews policy to support the…

Background: This paper explores how group home staff in Victoria, Australia, responded to residents with an intellectual disability (ID) as residents developed age-related health conditions. Method: The analysis was based on a longitudinal study that followed 17 ageing group home residents over a 3-year period. Eighty-three interviews were…

Background: Planning for future care after the death of parental caregivers and adapting disability support systems to achieve the best possible quality of life for people with intellectual disability as they age have been important issues for more than two decades. This study examined perceptions held by family members, group home staff and…

Background: Most people with a disability want to remain living in their own home as they age. Without additional support, people with a disability may not be able to avoid moving into residential aged care, attending day programs, or becoming isolated from participation in the wider community. This study examined whether participants perceived…

The perspective of people with dementia, particularly late-stage dementia, is often excluded from research, even from methods like Participatory Action Research (PAR), which aim to democratise research. This research note outlines how a PAR project engaged with the perspective of people with late-stage dementia in a residential aged care facility.…

This paper explores the impact of a student learning activity involving service learning. As part of a vocational course in the Academy of Health Sciences at a Western Australian TAFE (Technical and Further Education) institute, Allied Health Assistant (AHA) students participated in a service learning program focused on work-based learning in…

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:…

This paper examines and compares learning narratives associated with older men's participation in three community organisations in an Australian rural setting: an adult and community education provider, an emergency service organization and an aged care facility. The interview data are from a larger Australian study of learning in community…