Greater Sydney Research Articles

Membership of the University of the Third Age (U3A) and perceived well-being

To study the perceived well-being of members of the University of the Third Age (U3A) a sample of 975 members with a mean age of 67.9 ± 6.98 years (range 50–94) was obtained from within the Greater Sydney Metropolitan Region and administered the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) Short Form 36-item (SF-36) health survey. The SF-36 assesses eight health concepts: limitations in physical activities because of health problems; limitations in social activities because of physical or emotional problems; limitations in usual role activities because of physical health problems; bodily pain; general mental health; limitations in usual role activities because of emotional problems; vitality; and general health perception. Comparisons were made with USA normative peer groups, and the U3A sample scored as well as, or better than, their American peers. It is concluded that members of U3A had better-than-average general, physical and mental health, and that membership of U3A can, even in the very elderly, assist in conferring a much more positive perception of well-being.

Private practice in the recession

Abstract Informal and anecdotal evidence suggests that property consultants—including surveyors—are currently discounting fees to attract work. A case study of common survey fees is used to verify the general conclusions. The case study is a sampling of fees charged by surveyors in the greater Sydney region. The study provides firm data from which definite observations may be made.

ETHNICALLY SEGREGATED RETIREMENT ACCOMMODATION: AN OVERVIEW OF THE MIGRANT AGED AND A REPORT OF RESEARCH IN TWO ETHNICALLY SPECIFIC VILLAGES.

Scattered throughout the greater Sydney region are ethnic specific retirement villages. The villages vary greatly from each other in the facilities they offer and the population they attract. Old people can frequently gain an enhanced quality of life through contact with their experiental cohort, in contact with others who, metaphorically and actually, speak the same language. Despite the diversity of the villages they can be divided into three categories by examining the population they service.

Right Hemisphericity of Australian Aboriginal Children: Effects of Culture, Sex, and Age on Performances of Closure and Similarities Tests

Right-handed Aboriginal and White Australian urban children were compared in two Greater Sydney areas having substantial Aboriginal subpopulations. The Aboriginal children performed better than their White counterparts on a (right-hemisphere dependent) Closure or Gestalt Completion test, even though they did not do as well on the (left-hemisphere dependent) WISC-R Similarities test. Performance on both tests varied directly with age. Similarities performance as a function of age increased at a greater rate for White than for Aboriginal children. Partition of the Closure items into those containing or not containing one or more parts with elaborated part boundaries showed that items with such elaboration improved with age more than items without elaboration. The sex difference in Closure performance was limited to a male advantage for items without elaborated parts.

City government and greater Sydney

City government and greater Sydney