Open Theses & Dissertations

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Tuwhera Open Access Theses & Dissertations contains digital copies of theses, dissertations and research projects from AUT's postgraduate research, deposited with the Library since 2002. The full text digital files are available if the author has given permission for their thesis, dissertation or research projects to be available open access.

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Browsing Open Theses & Dissertations by Supervisor "Adams, Jeffery"

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    The Age-Friendly Attributes of Warkworth: A Case Study of a Rural Town in New Zealand
    (Auckland University of Technology, 2021) Napier, Sara; Neville, Stephen; Adams, Jeffery; Taylor, Lynne
    Background Ageing of the global population is expected to be the predominant demographic pattern of the twenty-first century and is having an impact on nearly every country. The majority of older people have a preference for ageing in place in familiar communities. Ideally, the responsibility for ageing in place should be shared among individuals, communities, and governments. The World Health Organization’s age-friendly cities and communities model has become a favoured policy response globally to support ageing in place. New Zealand has followed global strategic direction in support of ageing in place and is committed to the age-friendly model. Population ageing is occurring at a faster rate in rural communities than in urban centres. Although rural ageing has recently gained global attention in gerontology, little is known about the age-friendliness of rural towns and small rural communities in New Zealand. This study aimed to explore the age-friendly attributes of a small rural town in New Zealand and to identify priorities and opportunities to improve age-friendliness. Design and Methods The study employed a single case study design underpinned by Deweyan pragmatism. Case study research allows multiple perspectives of a phenomenon to be explored in the context of the local community. The WHO age-friendly conceptual framework informed the design of the study. A central assumption underpinning the age-friendly model is the dynamic relationship between older people and their environment. A transactional perspective provided an epistemological lens to gain a deeper understanding of the dynamic process of continually adapting to a constantly changing environment. Data were collected from multiple sources using multiple methods including document review, a cross-sectional survey, walking interviews with people aged 65 years and over and face-to-face interviews with retail and service operators in Warkworth. Data from all sources were triangulated to provide an in-depth and nuanced exploration of the case. Findings Four main themes represented the age-friendly attributes: being established, being present, being involved and being responsive. The findings identified a strong sense of community, older people were custodians of their community, there were strong social networks and local involvement, and the local community was responsive to older people. The participants cared deeply about their town and were committed to making it a better place now and for the future for themselves, other older people ageing in the community and future generations. A range of priorities and opportunities to advance the age-friendliness of the physical, social, and service environments were identified and recommendations were provided to the local community and levels of government. Conclusion Older people in the Warkworth community are making a significant bottom-up contribution to the age-friendliness of the town. Raising awareness of the age-friendly model would ideally build on existing strengths and age-friendly attributes of the community identified in the present study. The identified strengths of community stewardship and custodianship suggest older people in this community could contribute to decision making in a more structured and official capacity at a local, civic level. This study makes a significant original contribution to our understanding of age-friendliness in rural communities in New Zealand. The findings also have international relevance for rural ageing and age-friendly knowledge and practice by contributing highly contextual place-based evidence. Additionally, applying a Deweyan pragmatic perspective contributes to the theoretical understanding of the age-friendly model. There is an opportunity for local government to facilitate engagement with older people in a more innovative, localised response to age-friendliness in this community. Age-friendly principles should be promoted and embedded in planning processes to ensure the future development of Warkworth provides a liveable and age-friendly environment for its oldest citizens ageing in the community.
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    Engaging in a rural community: perceptions of the oldest old
    (Auckland University of Technology, 2016) Napier, Sara; Neville, Stephen; Adams, Jeffery
    The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of people aged 85 years and over about their engagement in a rural community. Although engagement in the community is known to be beneficial to the health and wellbeing of older people, there is a lack of knowledge of how the oldest old engaged in rural communities. Many older people prefer to remain living in familiar communities where they have established connections and social networks. Evidence suggests these connections may be particularly relevant in rural communities as people age. As rural populations are ageing rapidly, there is urgency for communities to respond to the opportunities and challenges presented by this ageing phenomenon by enhancing the quality of the physical and social environments. A qualitative descriptive methodology utilising semi-structured, digitally recorded interviews was undertaken to gather the perceptions of participants. A purposive and snowball sampling technique was employed to recruit 15 participants aged between 85 and 93 years. To satisfy the inclusion criteria, the participants had to live independently at home within the Warkworth sub-division, a rural area in New Zealand. Interview data were analysed thematically. Two themes were identified during data analysis. Firstly, ?getting there and back?, identified mobility as essential for engagement, in particular being able to drive. Secondly, ?places to go, people to see?, embodied the important contribution social networks and belonging to groups made to engagement. The findings from this study identified being engaged in a rural community makes an important contribution to the participants? ability to age in place. Characteristics of the physical and social environment could present both barriers to and enablers for engagement. To support engagement, communities require appropriate infrastructure and resources. This study contributes to knowledge and provides options for local agencies to use to support people aged 85 years and over to be engaged in their rural community. Communities that support the engagement of their oldest residents will not only enhance the liveability for people of all ages but will ultimately support older peoples? choice to age in place.
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    “Who Am I? This Is Me” a Grounded Theory of Transgender Young Adults Navigating the Healthcare System
    (Auckland University of Technology, 2022) Wilson, Tania; Wilson, Denise; Adams, Jeffery
    Youth and young adults often report difficulties in accessing comprehensive healthcare to meet their health and wellbeing needs. An uncoordinated and under-resourced healthcare system results in young people reporting numerous barriers in seeking services when they need them. For transgender young adults, the challenges are even greater. with fewer services able to cater for their specific health and wellbeing needs. A constructivist grounded theory approach was used to guide the collection of data to understand the processes transgender and young gender-diverse adults use to navigate the healthcare system. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with a small cohort of ten transgender young adults aged between 18 and 24 years. The processes of constant comparative analysis, theoretical sampling and saturation were used to generate a substantive grounded theory Who am I? – this is me. Three categories emerged from this study in relation to the young people’s interactions with the healthcare system. These were: Seeking My Authentic Self and the process of gender affirmation and validation; Knowing I Matter But..., which is defined as having meaningful engagement with healthcare providers; and the third category, My Transition Enabled, is about being able to access trusted and accessible health care for life. This study has highlighted that, despite the recent developments in acknowledging the needs of transgender young adults, there continue to be significant gaps in consistent transgender healthcare provision across New Zealand. The study also confirms that there are barriers preventing young people accessing the right level of care for their health, and mental wellbeing needs. From the substantive theory, a framework of affirmative healthcare is proposed to provide healthcare decision-makers and planners a consumer-informed road map, which prioritises meaningful and trusting engagement between healthcare providers and service users. Mitigating barriers to accessing services and building the capability of the workforce in transgender health and mental health is crucial for better healthcare for transgender young adults.

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