Living Alone in Australia Project (LAAP). This study investigates one aspect of the changing nature of Australia's social fabric. It asks whether the sharp rise in living alone reflects a breakdown in Australia's social fabric or simply marks a change in the way in which the fabric is woven. Living alone has important implications for social policy, service provision and housing. But before these implications are identified we need a much better understanding of who lives alone and what living ....Living Alone in Australia Project (LAAP). This study investigates one aspect of the changing nature of Australia's social fabric. It asks whether the sharp rise in living alone reflects a breakdown in Australia's social fabric or simply marks a change in the way in which the fabric is woven. Living alone has important implications for social policy, service provision and housing. But before these implications are identified we need a much better understanding of who lives alone and what living alone means for people in terms of their social ties. By understanding the causes and consequences of the increasing popularity of living alone the study will help identify those who are at ?risk? and thus assist with effective targeting of supports and interventions.Read moreRead less
Facilitating intuitive interaction with complex devices for older users. Poorly designed interfaces impact more strongly on older people. Helping designers to make more intuitive interfaces for older community members has great potential for improving their lives and health, and thus benefiting the community generally. Making modern devices easier for older people to use will allow them to participate more fully in society and/or the workplace. This will also help to prevent them from becoming i ....Facilitating intuitive interaction with complex devices for older users. Poorly designed interfaces impact more strongly on older people. Helping designers to make more intuitive interfaces for older community members has great potential for improving their lives and health, and thus benefiting the community generally. Making modern devices easier for older people to use will allow them to participate more fully in society and/or the workplace. This will also help to prevent them from becoming isolated and possibly depressed. This project will apply intuitive interaction to healthcare devices that older people use, which can save costly mistakes and even lives.Read moreRead less
A Platform for Rapid and Flexible Development of Context-Aware Web Services. Context awareness is one of the most exciting trends in computing today, and it holds the potential to make our daily life more productive, convenient and enjoyable. The proposed project will produce a comprehensive platform for developing context-aware Web services, which will facilitate ready implementation of many innovative applications and make important contributions to Australian society and the national economy. ....A Platform for Rapid and Flexible Development of Context-Aware Web Services. Context awareness is one of the most exciting trends in computing today, and it holds the potential to make our daily life more productive, convenient and enjoyable. The proposed project will produce a comprehensive platform for developing context-aware Web services, which will facilitate ready implementation of many innovative applications and make important contributions to Australian society and the national economy. One such application is an intelligent seniors assistance service that will improve quality of life for senior citizens while helping them maintain an independent lifestyle. This project will also place Australia at the forefront of Web service development.Read moreRead less
Domestic Technology and the Management of Time. This project will make a significant contribution to temporary debates about time poverty and work-family balance. It proposes to analyse under-utilised data sources to investigate whether time pressure can be alleviated through the application of information and communications technology, such as personal computers, mobile phones and programmable domestic equipment. It is a widespread assumption that domestic technologies simply save time. This pr ....Domestic Technology and the Management of Time. This project will make a significant contribution to temporary debates about time poverty and work-family balance. It proposes to analyse under-utilised data sources to investigate whether time pressure can be alleviated through the application of information and communications technology, such as personal computers, mobile phones and programmable domestic equipment. It is a widespread assumption that domestic technologies simply save time. This project explores the extent to which technologies in the home instead facilitate 'time-shifting- or the re-scheduling of tasks in a way that may reduce feelings of time pressure and enhance the quality of leisure time.Read moreRead less
The Role and Impact of the Social Support System on the Well-being of the Elderly in China. This research will examine how recent changes to the system of formal and informal support for the elderly in China has affected their well-being. The project will analyse two unique data sets that provide a wealth of information on the economic and social circumstances on the elderly in China in 1992 and 2000. The proposed collaboration with Chinese researchers on aging will generate new insights into ho ....The Role and Impact of the Social Support System on the Well-being of the Elderly in China. This research will examine how recent changes to the system of formal and informal support for the elderly in China has affected their well-being. The project will analyse two unique data sets that provide a wealth of information on the economic and social circumstances on the elderly in China in 1992 and 2000. The proposed collaboration with Chinese researchers on aging will generate new insights into how the circumstances of the elderly are changing in a context of economic transformation and social change. The results will have implications for social policy development in China and shed light on theoretical debate over the role of confucianism in China's version of 'welfare orientalism'.Read moreRead less
Moving beyond crisis management: Creating a future for people with disabilities living with ageing parents. The needs of thousands of people with disabilities being cared for by ageing parents are beyond the capacity of our existing formal mechanisms for providing care. In order to mitigate this national crisis in support, this research will establish effective, resource efficient support strategies where there are currently no plans in place for future care arrangements. By enhancing the capaci ....Moving beyond crisis management: Creating a future for people with disabilities living with ageing parents. The needs of thousands of people with disabilities being cared for by ageing parents are beyond the capacity of our existing formal mechanisms for providing care. In order to mitigate this national crisis in support, this research will establish effective, resource efficient support strategies where there are currently no plans in place for future care arrangements. By enhancing the capacity of the community to provide support the benefit of existing formal supports will be extended to address the needs of more families. This project will position Australian disability research and support at the forefront of international efforts to legitimize the claim of people with disabilities and their families on community resources.Read moreRead less
Men on the home front: spatialities of domesticity and masculinity. This project promotes 'good health and well being for all Australians'. Case studies 1 and 2 investigate the factors underpinning self-reliance and family support in a time of changing household structures. They seek to understand how the domestic lives of men both living alone, and in families, can better contribute to social well-being and wider community interaction and cohesion. Case study 3 focuses on a group of men margina ....Men on the home front: spatialities of domesticity and masculinity. This project promotes 'good health and well being for all Australians'. Case studies 1 and 2 investigate the factors underpinning self-reliance and family support in a time of changing household structures. They seek to understand how the domestic lives of men both living alone, and in families, can better contribute to social well-being and wider community interaction and cohesion. Case study 3 focuses on a group of men marginalised from wider society and the care networks servicing the aged community, thus providing knowledge that will improve the mental and physical capacities of older gay men.Read moreRead less
The individual, the family and the state: expectations, intergenerational obligations and constraints in providing for old age. Intergenerational equity is a principle underpinning policy debates around financing retirement and care in older age. Enhanced understanding of this cohort's expectations and obligations will assist in policy development around financing retirement and paying for care that takes account of this cohort's expectations and obligations. Further, exploring the expectations ....The individual, the family and the state: expectations, intergenerational obligations and constraints in providing for old age. Intergenerational equity is a principle underpinning policy debates around financing retirement and care in older age. Enhanced understanding of this cohort's expectations and obligations will assist in policy development around financing retirement and paying for care that takes account of this cohort's expectations and obligations. Further, exploring the expectations underpinning intergenerational exchanges from this cohort's perspective will assist in understanding the dynamics around these exchanges and lay the ground work for future research into factors that facilitate cross-generation family functioning.Read moreRead less
Housing affordability: the use and misuse of reverse mortgages by older households. Many retirees are without compulsory superannuation although daily living costs have risen substantially. As additional workers in the 'baby boom' generation retire and less tax will be paid to the government, it appears there will be increasing pressure placed on the pension system. A large proportion of the population may struggle to enjoy a fulfilling retirement and be drawn towards a reverse mortgage, which ....Housing affordability: the use and misuse of reverse mortgages by older households. Many retirees are without compulsory superannuation although daily living costs have risen substantially. As additional workers in the 'baby boom' generation retire and less tax will be paid to the government, it appears there will be increasing pressure placed on the pension system. A large proportion of the population may struggle to enjoy a fulfilling retirement and be drawn towards a reverse mortgage, which in turn may be misunderstood. With an increasing proportion of older residents leaving the workforce, the community would be adversely affected if this cohort required government financial assistance due to the misuse of home equity loans.Read moreRead less
Pricing and Hedging Extreme Maturity Contracts. Most Australians belong to superannuation schemes. Hence, the long term performance and risk of these investments is of particular importance to the welfare of Australia. This research will improve the life-long financial security of Australians by clearly demonstrating that many superannuation targets can be achieved with less capital than currently suggested. This project will provide new technology for enhancing the long term performance of sup ....Pricing and Hedging Extreme Maturity Contracts. Most Australians belong to superannuation schemes. Hence, the long term performance and risk of these investments is of particular importance to the welfare of Australia. This research will improve the life-long financial security of Australians by clearly demonstrating that many superannuation targets can be achieved with less capital than currently suggested. This project will provide new technology for enhancing the long term performance of superannuation funds, managed funds, investment banks and insurance companies, giving these Australian institutions a competitive advantage and permitting them to offer innovative financial products to mitigate extreme maturity financial risk in retirement.Read moreRead less