To examine issues related to the working life of registered nurses in residential care for older people in New Zealand, 48 registered nurses completed surveys (n = 28) or participated in discussions (n = 26) regarding their work roles, continuing education and interactions with specialist nurse services when providing care for older people living with chronic illnesses. This nursing workforce is characterised by ageing, relative isolation, reduced confidence and few opportunities for induction of new graduates. Registered nurses reported their struggle to deliver the appropriate quality of care to residents as acuity increases, general practitioner availability decreases and the opportunities for increasing their knowledge and competence remain limited. The provision of nursing services in residential care for older people is an area of growing concern to many Western countries. Nurse practitioners offer opportunities to improve the quality of residential care.

Objective:The efficacy of telephone-administered cognitive screening instruments used with hearing-impaired populations is as yet unknown. Method: In a pilot study, performance of hearing-impaired veterans (N = 46) was compared on telephone-administered (Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status -modified; TICS-m) and face-to-face administered (Mini-Mental State Examination; MMSE) instruments.Results: Correlations between the MMSE and the TICS-m (r = 0.39) are lower than previously reported in the literature. Participants had difficulty perceiving words from the TICS-m on registration and thus also on later recall, regardless of whether hearing aids were worn. Further analyses revealed that when these items were removed from the TICS-m scores, correlations with the MMSE improved significantly. Conclusions: Hearing-impaired participants may have difficulties with telephone-administered instruments requiring accurate hearing of words in the absence of any context. Participants' hearing should be taken into account when administering and interpreting cognitive screens over the telephone.

A third of Aotearoa New Zealand’s increasingly ageing population resides in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. This most populous cosmopolitan urban area in the country is also home to the largest Polynesian population of any global city. Sprawling across a North Island isthmus inclusive of Hauraki Gulf islands, 70% of the city region is rural, whilst almost 90% of the ethnically diverse residents live in urban areas. Members of Auckland Council’s Seniors Advisory Panel (SAP) advocated for, and in 2018 secured unanimous support from the governing body to resource an Age-friendly City (AFC) Project. This case study inquiry applied bricolage methodology to provide diverse contextual perspectives of this unique Polynesian setting, prior to exploring interview narratives of three SAP members who served two consecutive terms (six years) as AFC advocates. Weaving insights gleaned from their interview transcripts responding to relational leadership prompts about their age-friendly advocacy with the findings from the council’s AFC Community Engagement report highlighted the achievements and challenges of the evolving AFC Project. Service-learning recommendations include co-developing: (1) A sustainable co-governance framework for an independent steering group that embodies the values and principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi to enable empowered active ageing for all residents; (2) A succession plan that enables the timely transfer of knowledge and skills to empower incoming SAP members.

Objective: The present study investigated the relationships between structural and qualitative aspects of social support, combat‐related post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and cognitive status in a New Zealand veterans sample. Methods: A random sample of 232 New Zealand veterans completed a self‐report questionnaire and participated in a face‐to‐face interview. Results: Regression analysis showed that when controlling for age, income, education, depression and general health, PTSD scores had a negative relationship with cognitive status. Those who reported having private, restricted social networks had poorer cognitive functioning. These relationships were independent of each other. Conclusions: The findings suggest that while social support might be a potential target for interventions in at‐risk older adults, health professionals need to be aware of the concomitant possible influence of past trauma when dealing with this specific population.

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