Breaking Barriers: Understanding the social connection challenges of older adults — An Auckland and Tauranga perspective
Age Concern Auckland and Age Concern Tauranga
Publisher: Age Concern Auckland; funded by CHT Aged Care Fund
Community knowledge
Community provider
2026-10-09
Next review not yet scheduled
New Zealand
Medium confidence
verified
SNZ editorial review
Evidence boundary: Selected 102-person community sample, not national prevalence or a causal intervention evaluation. Excludes residential-care residents and severe cognitive impairment; Māori/Pasifika under-represented. Cover has no exact publication day; August 2024 is supported by the dated CHT announcement, separate from June 2026 capture and October 2026 review.
Short Answer
Age Concern research funded by CHT explores how older adults experience social connection in Auckland and Tauranga.
Key Points
- •The sample comprised 102 adults aged 65+: 72 in Auckland and 30 in Tauranga (physical p.16 / printed p.14).
- •Recruitment through Age Concern clients, community publicity, events and word of mouth was not a national probability sample; rest-home/long-term-care residents and people with severe cognitive impairment were excluded.
- •A 62-question mixed qualitative/quantitative questionnaire and informal interviews explored social connection; Mandarin, Japanese and Korean translations supported participation (physical p.17).
- •59% of participants had recently felt lonely and/or isolated. The 30% who felt this often/always is a proportion of that lonely/isolated subset, not of all 102 participants (physical p.3).
- •The report explicitly identifies under-representation of Māori and Pasifika; findings should not be generalised to these populations or all older New Zealanders.
- •The Personal Wellbeing Index covers seven life domains on a 0–100 scale and does not directly measure loneliness (physical pp.20–21).
Full Summary & Notes
Age Concern research funded by CHT explores how older adults experience social connection in Auckland and Tauranga. Emily Pedersen and Nikki Moloney used questionnaires and informal interviews with 102 adults aged 65+, recruited through services and community channels. Participants described challenges involving family relationships, health services, housing, purpose, confidence, grief and retirement. The report combines their accounts with wellbeing measures to inform community responses. Its 59% loneliness/isolation finding describes this selected cohort, not national prevalence. Rest-home residents and people with severe cognitive impairment were excluded, and Māori and Pasifika were under-represented. The report was publicly announced by 22 August 2024; that announcement does not establish the exact first PDF publication day.
Read bundled source notes
The saved source file may include fuller notes and references than the indexed summary. Check its dates and evidence limits.
Loading saved source notes…
Document Details & Metadata
Related Resources
Physical p. 3 explicitly says Published April 2024; May 2024 PDF upload/modification clues and the [13 May publisher launch story](https://www.ageingwellchallenge.co.nz/ka-mua-ka-muri/) are separate dates. The preserved 116-page file matched the current publisher download on 10 October 2026. For present clinical information use [Health NZ dementia guidance](https://www.healthnz.govt.nz/health-topics/conditions-treatments/brain-and-nerves/dementia); the book’s research tools and reported uptake do not establish current nationwide availability.
The [publisher’s publications list](https://alzheimers.org.nz/explore/advocacy/publications/) identifies the August 2024 submission. The [Health Committee’s later release](https://www3.parliament.nz/en/pb/sc/committees-press-releases/health-committee-reports-findings-of-aged-care-inquiry-to-the-house/) records its final report on 20 November 2025; that report is distinct from this submission. Dementia NZ published its [successor 2026–2031 sector plan article](https://dementia.nz/dementia-mate-wareware-action-plan-2026-2031/) on 24 September 2025. The submission’s blanket no-treatment statement should not guide care: current [Health NZ](https://www.healthnz.govt.nz/health-topics/conditions-treatments/brain-and-nerves/dementia) and [WHO](https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia) guidance discuss symptom management and support. The [Ministry’s endorsement release](https://www.health.govt.nz/information-releases/endorsement-of-improving-dementia-mate-wareware-services-in-aotearoa-new-zealand-action-plan) records Cabinet endorsement of the September 2021 sector plan; endorsement remains distinct from full implementation.
The [HDC publisher page](https://www.hdc.org.nz/our-work/aged-care-commissioner/amplifying-the-voices-of-older-people-in-aotearoa-new-zealand/), dated 7 March 2024 for the main report, also links this separate April 2024 desktop review. Its cover spells the author Jane Ferriera, while Author metadata spells Jane Ferreira; both clues are preserved. For present legal rights use the [HDC Code](https://www.hdc.org.nz/your-rights/about-the-code/code-of-health-and-disability-services-consumers-rights/), rather than treating this historical author’s review as legislation or an investigation decision.
Section 2: Current Issues in Population Oral Health and Oral Health Services 2.1: State of Oral Health 2.2: Tooth Decay and Inequity Section 3: Oral Health Promotion and Disease Prevention 12 3.1: Personal Care and Healthy Environments 13 3.2: Sugars and Sugary Drinks 3.3:...
For Care Partners of People Living with Dementia Mate Wareware This document is intended as a resource to support care partners and family/Whnau members of people living with dementia mate wareware.
Health inequities worsening — dementia increasing faster among Māori, Pacific peoples, and Asian communities.