Future Challenges for Older Adults Residing in Ageing Coastal Hamlets on Queensland's Cyclone-Prone Coastline

ResearchOnline@JCU This file is part of the following reference: Astill, Sandra (2016) Future challenges for older adults residing in ageing coastal hamlets on Queensland's cyclone-prone coastline. PhD thesis, James Cook University. Access to this file is available from: http://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/49405/ The author has certified to JCU that they have made a reasonable effort to gain permission and acknowledge the owner of any third party copyright material included in this document. If you believe that this is not the case, please contact [email protected] and quote http://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/49405/ Future challenges for older adults residing in ageing coastal hamlets on Queensland’s cyclone-prone coastline Thesis submitted by Sandra Astill BA (Honours) James Cook University 20 December, 2016 for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Marine and Environmental Sciences James Cook University Australia Acknowledgements As is probably the case with most students at this stage in the PhD process, I am fearful of omitting someone who contributed to my ability to complete this milestone. If I do, I sincerely apologise. I will begin by thanking my original Primary Supervisor, Associate Professor Peter Griggs for his direction and advice, along with his impeccable editing skills. It saddens me that I could not complete this under your direction, but I wish you well in your new endeavours. I would, at this juncture, also like to thank Associate Professor Nerina Caltabiano, who stepped up into the role of Primary Supervisor and assisted me with the final stages of this dissertation. Your kind direction and gentle approach were both supportive and positive, allowing me to complete the process in a timely manner. Thanks also to Dr Sharon Harwood, whose unwavering faith in my capabilities has always encouraged me to investigate areas that may appear controversial. I also must thank Dr James Coughlan, who, despite living overseas, has always taken time out from his retirement to proof read my work, keep me updated with current hazard literature and email me words of encouragement and advice. His eye for detail, passion for humanity and extensive knowledge of ‘everything’ has ensured this dissertation is extensive and inclusive. I must also thank Professor Jon Nott, who inspired me to undertake research into the impact of natural hazard research on vulnerable populations. If there was anyone who had the greatest impact on my PhD experience it was my adjunct supervisor. Very special thanks go to Associate Professor Evonne Miller, whose chance meeting I shall always be grateful for. This dissertation would not have been possible without her support, guidance and encouragement, providing me a shoulder to cry on when all seemed hopeless, instilling me with confidence when I questioned my ability, and for the early morning and late evening texts, emails and messages that seemed to shine a ray of hope on what appeared to be an overwhelming amount of information. I must also acknowledge the participants in this dissertation, particularly the older adults, whose generosity provided unexpected insights into this research topic. Finally, my thanks go to my family, and in particular, my husband Brad, who has more faith in my abilities than anyone else in the world. Without his love and support, this task would never have become a reality for I would have surely given up years ago. ii Statement of Original Authorship I declare that this dissertation is my own work and has not been submitted in any form for another degree or diploma at any university or institution of tertiary education. Information derived from the published or unpublished work of others has been acknowledged in the text and a list of references is given. 20 December 2016 ____________________________ Signature Date Sandra Astill _____________________________ Name iii Statement on the Contribution of Others Nature of Assistance Contribution Names, Titles and Affiliations of Co- Contributors Intellectual support Editorial assistance Katharine J Fowler Data Analysis Associate Professor Evonne Miller Financial support Stipend Australian Postgraduate Award iv Statement of Contribution of Co-authors for Thesis to Published Paper in Chapter 7 In the case of Chapter 7 v Statement of Contribution of Co-authors for Thesis to Published Paper in Chapter 8. In the case of Chapter 8 Astill S & Miller E (revise and resubmit 12 June 2016). “We expect older adults to be able to prepare and recover from a cyclone as well as In the case of Chapter 8 younger members of this community.” Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness. Under review. vi Statement of Contribution of Co-authors for Thesis to Published Paper in Chapter 9. The authors listed below have certified that: In the case of Chater 9 In the case of Chapter 8 Astill S (accepted 9 November 2016). Ageing in remote and cylone-prone communities: Astill S (revise and submit: Resubmitted 19 September 2016: Examining the long- Geography, policy and disaster relief, Geographical Research. Accepted awaiting term effects of past post-disaster decisions and their impacts on future adaptive publication 9 November 2016. capacities of ageing coastal hamlets, Geographical Research. Under review vii Abstract The contemporary political shift towards self-reliant natural hazard disaster management assumes all citizens possess the resources necessary to mitigate the risks they face (Council of Australian Governments (COAG) 2011). Despite the expanding body of literature identifying the potential vulnerability of older adults during a natural hazard, few authors have questioned the neo-liberalist shift in natural hazard disaster management in relation to the impact of these policies on older adults. Moreover, there is limited knowledge in regard to how ageing coastal hamlets will prepare and recover from the impacts of climate-induced natural hazards in the future, particularly in the face of climate change predictions. This dissertation addresses this knowledge gap from the perspectives of 36 older adults aged 65 years or more, ten emergency services officers, seven in situ community health care providers and four local government disaster managers located in townships impacted by both Cyclone Larry (2006) and Cyclone Yasi (2011) in Far North Queensland, Australia. This research presents an insight into the issues facing both older adults, and those who are charged with caring for them on a day-to-day basis and during times of an emergency, by providing an in- depth understanding of the lived cyclone experience of older adults residing in more remote communities impacted by successive cyclones. As such, this dissertation focuses on the self-reliance expectations of national policies and of local government disaster managers, highlighting a contradiction between what is expected and what is achievable. Past post-disaster policies and decisions have negatively impacted the region’s fragile economy, resulting in an out-migration by those seeking employment and a consequential reduction in population statistics-reliant health and community services. Those who remained, many of whom were older adults, did so because of their lack of capacity to migrate, creating an over-representation of social disadvantage, raising questions as to the future adaptive capacity and resilience of these ageing, exposed remote communities. Consequentially, increasing numbers of older adults are facing future tropical cyclones alone, without support from family and friends, relying instead on already stretched government resources, despite policy expectations that all citizens must be self-reliant. viii Conceptually, this dissertation explored the future adaptive capacities and disaster resilience of ageing coastal hamlets through the lens of Paton’s (2003) Social Cognitive Theory, focusing on the influence of individual and collective efficacies on future self- reliance capabilities. By using Paton’s (2003) model, the factors that motivate a person to prepare for the impact of a natural hazard, could be identified, thus outlining a simple, clear link between motivation and intention. Paton’s (2003) model provided an understanding of the impacts of past political decisions on a community’s normative beliefs and the consequential influence normative beliefs have on an individual’s outcome expectancy, by focusing on the important role played by self-efficacy in relation to outcome expectancy. Using a mixed-methods approach, with a focus on phenomenological qualitative analysis, this dissertation utilised a self-administered questionnaire, focus groups and face-to-face interviews to examine the cyclone experience of independent-living older adults residing in vulnerable coastal Far North Queensland locations. Results revealed that in order for independent-living older adults in remote communities to remain self- reliant, natural hazard management authorities need to develop policies that consider the needs, preferences and capacities of these people. In order to do so it is acknowledged that older people’s voices need to be heard by engaging them in policy development. Disaster policy must recognise that self-reliance is not simply the ability to utilise individual and community strengths, it must also acknowledge the increasing dependence more fragile communities have on the provision of institutional resources. The findings of this research have significant implications for disaster policy in the future, particularly in light of climate change

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