Both the life expectancy and numbers of older people with intellectual disabilities are growing. Until recently, ageing with a disability had not been a major consideration for Australian policy makers and service providers. The situation was similar in countries such as the United States of America and United Kingdom where, unlike aged care, disability policy and practice had not evolved to meet needs. Ageing with long standing disability has now been specified by the Australian government as a priority area. This paper reports results of consultations held with consumers, their organisations, service providers and government in order to explore quality of life and service provision issues for people with long standing disabilities. It reports these issues and uses themes emerging from consultations to structure previously published information specifically related to ageing with an intellectual disability. Seven broad themes are discussed which relate to: life experiences; attitudes, skills and knowledge of consumers; attitudes skills and knowledge of community and service providers, the nature of service provision; the ageing of family care givers; financial security; and ageing in place. It is concluded that disadvantages and barriers experienced throughout life influence well being and quality of life in old age.

We examined relations between organisational perceptions (organisational commitment, organisational climate), personal evaluations (occupational self efficacy, skills/competencies) and subsequent job satisfaction (extrinsic and intrinsic) among a group of 101 New Zealand rehabilitation case managers. Analyses indicated that organisational commitment, organisational climate and perceived skills/competencies made a significant contribution to the prediction of extrinsic job satisfaction while organisational climate alone was a significant predictor of intrinsic job satisfaction. Despite a number of limitations, the findings have implications for the understanding of die occupational dynamics of rehabilitation service provision and illustrate the importance of a continued research focus on the antecedents and consequences of job satisfaction in rehabilitation professionals.

Research on horticultural therapy approaches suggest that its positive impact on clients may extend beyond direct rehabilitation or vocational gains to more generally improved well-being. Persons in rehabilitation programs may relate to gardening as a previously enjoyed past time, or as a new activity for either leisure or employment purposes. While gardening is a popular leisure activity in many countries, few studies have looked at what specific gardening activities community-based populations pursue. As part of a larger mail-out survey looking at gardening interests of mid-aged women, a sub-sample of physically disabled women was compared to healthy age-matched women on gardening activities and interests. Physical and psychological functioning and well-being were also sampled. Both groups completed the SF-36 Health Survey for Australia/New Zealand, the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised, and a gardening questionnaire tapping gardening activities and hours per month on these activities, as well as the reasons for pursuing gardening. Group differences emerged on physical and psychological functioning variables, but for virtually all gardening variables, group differences were minimal. Overall findings suggest that for this sample of mid-aged women, the presence of physical disability or limitation did not adversely affect their access to and enjoyment of gardening activities.

New Zealand's Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), which provides no-fault 24-hour cover for accidents, has been the subject of continuous debate since its inception in 1974. This article provides an up-to-date summary of changes to the legislation and how they have, or might, impact on providers and consumers of services. An attempt is made to look at the outcomes for ACC claimants in different broad categories. Although the ACC system has shown itself over time to be fairly resilient in the face of change, providers and consumers may not agree that the amount of change has delivered a better product for New Zealand.

Notwithstanding the current debate over the use of the term “addiction” to describe certain types of problematic internet use, it is clear that a significant number of people engage in excessive internet use despite its interference with their everyday life. There is also growing evidence to suggest that increasing numbers of regular internet users are using the net for the purposes of accessing pornographic material and adult chat. In a qualitative descriptive framework, this study examines evidence from recovering cybersex addicts to illuminate aspects of the recovery trajectory for persons negatively affected by excessive use of the internet for the purposes of sexual gratification. Significant disruption to functional daily activities was variously reported and included occupational and social impairment, depression, impotence, and relationship breakdown. The paper further examines the therapeutic recovery issues with this addiction and comments on the role of rehabilitation counsellors in this process.