Premium
Coping with ageing in rural Australia
Author(s) -
Anderson Emily M.,
Larkins Sarah,
Beaney Sarah,
Ray Robin A.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
australian journal of rural health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.48
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1440-1584
pISSN - 1038-5282
DOI - 10.1111/ajr.12647
Subject(s) - emotive , coping (psychology) , focus group , psychology , older people , transactional leadership , gerontology , health care , rural area , nursing , medicine , social psychology , sociology , clinical psychology , economic growth , pathology , anthropology , economics
Objective Ageing is a time of change that might involve financial, health and social losses. To maintain well‐being, older people need to engage a range of resources to cope with these losses. However, national policies mainly focus on financial resources. This study used Folkman and Lazarus’s transactional theory to identify coping methods engaged by older adults living in three rural communities. Design A qualitative research design was undertaken using an ethnographic case study approach. Setting Three rural communities within northern Australia. Participants Older Australians aged 65 or over, living in their own homes. Main outcome measures Exploration of techniques that older adults use to cope with ageing (including both problem‐focused and emotion‐focused strategies). Results People in rural areas planned their ageing journey using both problem‐focused and emotion‐focused coping strategies, to deal with the uncertainties of ageing. When participants could control the event, problem‐focused coping strategies were mainly such as used seeking social support and planful problem‐solving. Conversely, emotion‐focused strategies were used to deal with uncertainty and emotive issues such as health decline, and the possibility of needing future care. Conclusion There is a need for health community workers to encourage older people to consider initiating a discussion of future care needs with their social network. This is of particular importance in rural areas, which have larger numbers of older residents and limited resources to support ageing in place.