Pattern of multimorbidity in middle-aged and older-aged people with mild intellectual disability in Australia.

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), also known as chronic diseases, now constitute a major proportion of ill-health across most adult and older populations including in people with intellectual disability. The current paper is a comparative analysis of prevalence of NCDs across mid-aged and older-aged people with mild intellectual disability.

Method: Comparative data comes from two cross-sectional surveys using similar methodology and timeframes.

Perceived health and wellbeing among community-dwelling older Australians with intellectual disability: A comparison with age peers.

Data specifically comparing outcomes for people with and without intellectual disability is limited. This paper reports perceived health and wellbeing of older Australians resident in metropolitan and rural locations in New South Wales and Queensland. Respondents were community-residing individuals with intellectual disability and mainstream age peers [age ≥ 60].

Mitigating the impact of the 'silos' between the disability and aged-care sectors in Australia: Development of a Best Practice Framework.

Background: Although a 'person-centred focus' is a legislated objective for both aged-care and disability services sectors in Australia, evidence suggests limited translation into systems and practices due to entrenched silos. This paper proposes a Best Practice Framework to mitigate these silos.

Methods: Mixed-methods research comprising key informant interviews with major stakeholders across both sectors; a survey of people with/without intellectual disability aged 60+ years; qualitative in-depth interviews; and survey of health professionals.

Societal Need for Interdisciplinary Ageing Research: An International Alliance of Research Universities "Ageing, Longevity and Health" Stream (IARU-ALH) Position Statement.

Ageing is a global concern with major social, health, and economic implications. While individual countries seek to develop responses to immediate, pressing needs, international attention and collaboration is required to most effectively address the multifaceted challenges and opportunities an ageing global population presents in the longer term. The Ageing, Longevity and Health stream of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU-ALH) was built on a solid foundation of first-class interdisciplinary research and on innovative outreach and communication centres.

Multimorbidity in older people with intellectual disability.

Background: There is paucity of research from Australia about comorbidity in older people with intellectual disability (PwID). This paper examines the burden of chronic diseases and associated sociodemographic correlates in a cohort of PwID aged 60+.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was used with community-dwelling older PwID in urban/rural regions of two Australian states.

Personal relationships during end-of-life care: Support staff views of issues for individuals with intellectual disability.

Background: Life expectancy for persons with intellectual disability has increased dramatically over the past decade, which has seen an associated rise in the need for end-of-life care. However, little is known regarding how end-of-life affects the individual's personal relationships with family, friends and staff.

Methods: Focus group interviews were undertaken with 35 disability support workers from four rural and two metropolitan locations in NSW and Queensland, Australia.

Caregiving, Employment and Social Isolation: Challenges for Rural Carers in Australia.

Australia has one of the world's highest life expectancy rates, and there is a rapidly growing need for informal caregivers to support individuals who are ageing, have chronic illness or a lifelong disability. These informal carers themselves face numerous physical and psychological stressors in attempting to balance the provision of care with their personal life, their work commitments and family responsibilities. However, little is known about the specific challenges facing rural carers and the barriers that limit their capacity to provide ongoing support.

An explanation of turnover intention among early-career nursing and allied health professionals working in rural and remote Australia - findings from a grounded theory study.

Introduction: Rural health workforce shortages are a global phenomenon. Countries like Australia, with industrialised economies, large land masses and broadly dispersed populations, face unique rural health challenges in providing adequate services and addressing workforce shortages. This article focuses on retention of early-career nursing and allied health professionals working in rural and remote Australia.

Challenges in providing end-of-life care for people with intellectual disability: Health services access.

Background: Increasing life expectancy for people with intellectual disability is resulting in greater need for end-of-life care services. However, limited knowledge is available regarding what barriers to accessing end-of-life care support are evident, particularly comparatively across rural and metropolitan locations.

Methods: Focus group interviews were undertaken with 35 direct-care staff from four rural and two metropolitan locations.

Factors affecting job satisfaction of Aboriginal mental health workers working in community mental health in rural and remote New South Wales.

Objective The aim of the present study was to identify factors affecting the job satisfaction and subsequent retention of Aboriginal mental health workers (AMHWs). Methods Five AMHWs working in New South Wales (NSW) for NSW Health in rural and remote community mental health (CMH) services participated in in-depth, semi-structured interviews to understand how employment and rural living factors affected workers' decisions to stay or leave their CMH positions. Results Using a constructivist grounded theory analysis, three aspects negatively impacting the job satisfaction of AMHWs were identified: (1) difficulties being accepted into the team and organisation; (2) culturally specific work challenges; and (3) professional differences and inequality.

Self-reported physical and mental health of Australian carers: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: To report on self-reported physical and mental health of informal carers in rural regions of New South Wales, Australia.

Methods: A cross-sectional community-based sample (n=222) of carers completed a questionnaire incorporating self-reported measures of health from validated international instruments including Medical Outcomes Study Scale (SF-36), the Centre for Epidemiology-Depression (CES-D) and Kessler-10 (K-10) Psychological Distress Scales, along with information on participant demographics and other key caregiving characteristics such as health condition of care recipient.

Results: Rural carers' self-reported health was poor as evident on the SF-36 Physical and Mental Health component scores as well as each individual domain of the SF-36.

Rurality and Self-Reported Health in Women with a History of Intimate Partner Violence.

Objective: To investigate differences in self-reported health among Australian women with a history of intimate partner violence (IPV) in relation to rurality of residence.

Methods: Data were drawn from six survey waves of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health 1973-78 birth cohort. Self-reported general and mental health scores derived from the SF-36 scale were compared for women with a history of IPV living in metropolitan, regional and rural areas.

The main signs of ageing in people with intellectual disability.

Objective: Investigations around ageing with an intellectual disability have increased substantially in the past three decades. A research gap continued to exist regarding the detection of ageing issues in this cohort of people, particularly in rural areas where access to specialist support continued to be limited. The purpose of this study was to identify the main signs of ageing in rural people with intellectual disabilities.

Influence of Intimate Partner Violence on Domestic Relocation in Metropolitan and Non-Metropolitan Young Australian Women.

Data from a national, population-based longitudinal study of Australian women (26-34 years) were analyzed to investigate the association between domestic relocation and multiple explanatory factors, namely intimate partner violence (IPV), metropolitan versus non-metropolitan residence, education, income, housing tenure, number of children, and changes in relationship status. Experience of IPV in the past 12 months was significantly associated with increased odds of domestic relocation. This association remained significant after controlling for age, social support, area of residence, income, number of children, education, and housing situation.

Nurses' involvement in end-of-life care of patients after a do not resuscitate decision on general medical units in Saudi Arabia.

Objectives: To describe the essence of the nurses' lived experience and explore the meaning of their involvement in end-of-life care after a do-not-resuscitate decision has been made.

Research Methodology/design: The research design embraced qualitative, exploratory and descriptive approaches utilising aspects of phenomenology. Purposive sampling of twenty-six registered nurses was used.

THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL SUPPORT ON PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS IN OLDER PERSONS: AN EXAMINATION OF INTERACTION PROCESSES IN AUSTRALIA.

Social support is proposed as a coping mechanism against anxiety and depression amongst older persons, but few data have examined how this occurs. This study assessed the contributions of two sub-components of social support as mediators against psychological distress-broadly defined as anxiety and depression. 1,560 men and 1,758 women from the Hunter Community Study (Australia) completed the Duke Social Support Scale and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale.

The Fly-in Fly-out and Drive-in Drive-out model of health care service provision for rural and remote Australia: benefits and disadvantages.

Context: Rural Australians experience poorer health and poorer access to health care services than their urban counterparts, and there is a chronic shortage of health professionals in rural and remote Australia. Strategies designed to reduce this rural-urban divide include fly-in fly-out (FIFO) and drive-in drive-out (DIDO) services. The aim of this article is to examine the opportunities and challenges involved in these forms of service delivery.

Retention challenge facing Australia's rural community mental health services: Service managers' perspectives.

Objective: This paper aims to contribute to the development of a more sustainable Australian rural community mental health workforce by comparing the findings from a literature search investigating impacting factors on retention with the experiences of community mental health service managers running services in rural Australia.

Design: Semi-structured interviews.

Setting: Public health sector, rural New South Wales.

Physicians' perceived barriers to management of sexually transmitted infections in Vietnam.

Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a public health problem in Vietnam with sub-optimal care in medical practice. Identifying practitioners' perceived barriers to STI care is important to improve care for patients with STIs.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 451 physicians.

Parental perceptions of information needs and service provision for children with developmental disabilities in rural Australia.

Purpose: Rural Australians comprise a third of the population. However, there are relatively few research studies that have focused on issues for children with developmental disabilities in rural regions. In particular, there is very limited research that gives voice to parents regarding challenges faced by them due to their location in rural regions.

Impediments to community-based care for people ageing with intellectual disability in rural New South Wales.

The emerging phenomenon of ageing with an intellectual disability has become subject to an increasing research focus in recent years. However, there remains little knowledge regarding the specific impediments that community workers face in supporting this cohort. The aims of the current study were to identify the major factors that, direct care staff believe, have most impact upon individuals ageing with an intellectual disability in the community.