
Overview
Background
Maree's program of research centres on older people experiencing disadvantage. Underpinning her research is the recognition of the rights of older people to participate in healthy ageing, and as such be housed well with access to community aged care services. Her work incorporates a number of themes but the central aim is to use research to improve the delivery of health and welfare services in the context of elder abuse, housing, homelessness with particular emphasis on the intersection of the policy areas of housing, health and income security necessary for ensuring wellbeing as people as they age. The results from her research have implications for how we think about older people without access to their rights, and living in poverty and at risk of homelessness with restricted access to community aged care and support.
Availability
- Associate Professor Maree Petersen is:
- Available for supervision
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Arts, The University of Queensland
- Postgraduate Diploma, The University of Queensland
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
Research interests
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Older people in precarious housing
Life course with particular attention to the housing history of older people; understanding the pathway to living in precarious housing; access to home modification and maintenance in private rental housing
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Elder abuse
Developing social work intervention to address elder abuse
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Older people (including particular needs of older women) and homelessness
The pathway to homelessness, the nature of services to assist older people to secure housing, addressing homelessness
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Retirement villages and residential aged care
The financial and contractual obligations relating to retirement village entry, residency and exit
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Rural Service provision for older people
Understanding the ways in which people grow older in rural areas; including access to health and aged care services including volunteer initiatives
Research impacts
Findings from a national project concerned with preventing older people homelessness provided empiricial understanding that older people's homelessness in Australia is predominately a pathway arising from renting in the private market. This project also examined approriate policy and practice interventions to prevent, rehouse, and support older people. Invitations to present as several housing conferences; as well as consumer and service provider forums provided opportunity to disseminate results. This has led to ongoing relationships with service providers across housing and community care for older people, and presenting at the Senate Committee of Housing Affordability.
Closely aligned but distinct is research on housing and suport to assist older women experiencing homelessness. This project received extensive media coverage across print, radio and television venues. Politicans has requested this report. I along with the Mercy Foundation, communities agencies specialising in this area work together in a national group to advocate for housing for older women.
Works
Search Professor Maree Petersen’s works on UQ eSpace
2025
Journal Article
Elder Abuse in Migrant Communities in Australia: A Scoping Review
Luong, Quang Hung and Petersen, Maree (2025). Elder Abuse in Migrant Communities in Australia: A Scoping Review. Australian Social Work, ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print), 1-21. doi: 10.1080/0312407x.2024.2424167
2024
Other Outputs
Home and Healthy Evaluation Final Report
Petersen, Maree, Venables, Jemma, Healy, Karen and Nathanson, Caitlin (2024). Home and Healthy Evaluation Final Report. Brisbane, QLD Australia: The University of Queensland.
2023
Journal Article
Women’s life course and precarious housing in older age: an Australian qualitative study
Petersen, Maree and Tilse, Cheryl (2023). Women’s life course and precarious housing in older age: an Australian qualitative study. Housing Studies, 39 (12), 1-23. doi: 10.1080/02673037.2023.2254721
2023
Journal Article
Relationships between housing and health for older private renters: evidence from a pilot study in Australia
Aplin, Tammy and Petersen, Maree (2023). Relationships between housing and health for older private renters: evidence from a pilot study in Australia. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 38 (3), 1869-1888. doi: 10.1007/s10901-022-10007-9
2022
Journal Article
Negotiating the care convoys for a diverse group of older Australians living in rural communities: a large qualitative study
Petersen, Maree, Winterton, Rachel, Warburton, Jeni and Wilson, Jill (2022). Negotiating the care convoys for a diverse group of older Australians living in rural communities: a large qualitative study. Ageing and Society, 44 (7), 1-21. doi: 10.1017/s0144686x22000125
2021
Journal Article
Exploring older tenants’ healthy ageing in privately rented homes
Petersen, Maree and Aplin, Tammy (2021). Exploring older tenants’ healthy ageing in privately rented homes. Australian Social Work, 76 (1), 1-13. doi: 10.1080/0312407x.2021.1970783
2021
Book Chapter
Rural ageing, housing and homelessness
Petersen, Maree (2021). Rural ageing, housing and homelessness. Rural gerontology: towards critical perspectives on rural ageing. (pp. 129-139) edited by Mark Skinner, Rachel Winterton and Kieran Walsh. Abingdon, Oxon, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003019435-14
2020
Other Outputs
Independent Review of timeframes for exit payments in Queensland retirement villages
Therese Wilson , Laurie Buys , Maree Petersen and Jacqueline Carmont (2020). Independent Review of timeframes for exit payments in Queensland retirement villages. Brisbane : Department for Communities, Housing, Digital Economy .
2020
Other Outputs
Interim Report Independent review of timeframes for exit payments in Queensland retirement villages
Therese Wilson , Laurie Buys, Maree Petersen and Jacqueline Carmont (2020). Interim Report Independent review of timeframes for exit payments in Queensland retirement villages. Brisbane: Department for Housing and Public Works.
2020
Journal Article
The family relationships of older Australians at risk of homelessness
Petersen, Maree and Parsell, Cameron (2020). The family relationships of older Australians at risk of homelessness. The British Journal of Social Work, 50 (5), 1440-1456. doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcaa007
2020
Journal Article
The experience of home for social housing tenants with a disability: security and connection but limited control
Aplin, Tammy, Canagasuriam, Shari, Petersen, Maree and Gustafsson, Louise (2020). The experience of home for social housing tenants with a disability: security and connection but limited control. Housing and Society, 47 (63), 79-79. doi: 10.1080/08882746.2019.1697606
2017
Journal Article
"Although we're isolated, we're not really isolated': The value of information and communication technology for older people in rural Australia
Berg, Turi, Winterton, Rachel, Petersen, Maree and Warburton, Jeni (2017). "Although we're isolated, we're not really isolated': The value of information and communication technology for older people in rural Australia. Australasian Journal On Ageing, 36 (4), 313-317. doi: 10.1111/ajag.12449
2017
Journal Article
Living in a retirement village: choice, contracts, and constraints
Petersen, Maree, Tilse, Cheryl and Cockburn, Tina (2017). Living in a retirement village: choice, contracts, and constraints. Journal of Housing for the Elderly, 31 (3), 1-14. doi: 10.1080/02763893.2017.1280580
2016
Journal Article
Cost offsets of supportive housing: evidence for social work
Parsell, Cameron, Petersen, Maree and Culhane, Dennis (2016). Cost offsets of supportive housing: evidence for social work. British Journal of Social Work, 47 (5), 1534-1553. doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcw115
2016
Journal Article
The Space of Family Care-Giving in Australian Aged Care Facilities: Implications for Social Work
Petersen, Maree, Wilson, Jill, Wright, Olivia, Ward, Elizabeth and Capra, Sandra (2016). The Space of Family Care-Giving in Australian Aged Care Facilities: Implications for Social Work. British Journal of Social Work, 46 (1), 81-97. doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcu108
2016
Other Outputs
Brisbane Common Ground evaluation: final report
Parsell, Cameron, Petersen, Maree, Moutou, Ornella, Culhane, Dennis, Lucio, Ed and Dick, Alan (2016). Brisbane Common Ground evaluation: final report. ISSR Research Report Brisbane, QLD, Australia: Department of Housing and Public Works.
2015
Journal Article
Addressing older women's homelessness: service and housing models
Petersen, Maree (2015). Addressing older women's homelessness: service and housing models. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 50 (4), 419-438. doi: 10.1002/j.1839-4655.2015.tb00358.x
2015
Journal Article
Understanding the influence of community characteristics on wellness for rural older adults: A meta-synthesis
Winterton, Rachel, Warburton, Jeni, Keating, Norah, Petersen, Maree, Berg, Turi and Wilson, Jill (2015). Understanding the influence of community characteristics on wellness for rural older adults: A meta-synthesis. Journal of Rural Studies, 45, 320-327. doi: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2015.12.010
2015
Other Outputs
Tasmanian HACC program client group analysis: stage 1 report. Prepared for the Department of Health and Human Services, Tasmania
Jones, Andrew, Povey, Jenny, Ferris, Jason and Petersen, Maree (2015). Tasmanian HACC program client group analysis: stage 1 report. Prepared for the Department of Health and Human Services, Tasmania. The University of Queensland: Institute for Social Science Research.
2015
Journal Article
Single-site supportive housing: tenant perspectives
Parsell, Cameron, Petersen, Maree and Moutou, Ornella (2015). Single-site supportive housing: tenant perspectives. Housing Studies, 30 (8), 1189-1209. doi: 10.1080/02673037.2015.1009874
Funding
Supervision
Availability
- Associate Professor Maree Petersen is:
- Available for supervision
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Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Older Chinese speaking migrants experience and expectations of healthy ageing
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Shuang Liu
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Doctor Philosophy
From policy to person: How does the 2021-2025 Aged Care Reform Program impact the experience of vulnerable older people receiving in home care in regional and remote Queensland?
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jemma Venables
-
Doctor Philosophy
Older Chinese speaking migrants experience and expectations of healthy ageing
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Shuang Liu
-
Doctor Philosophy
A Facilitated Conversation Method for Engaging With Homeless Health Care in a Rural Town
Principal Advisor
-
Doctor Philosophy
From policy to person: How does the 2021-2025 Aged Care Reform Program impact the experience of vulnerable older people receiving in home care in regional and remote Queensland?
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jemma Venables
-
Doctor Philosophy
Examining the Nature of Elder Abuse for People With and Without Cognitive Impairment
Principal Advisor
-
Doctor Philosophy
The experience of elder abuse in a CALD community
Principal Advisor
-
Doctor Philosophy
Older Chinese speaking migrants experience and expectations of healthy ageing
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Shuang Liu
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Doctor Philosophy
The experience of elder abuse in a CALD community
Principal Advisor
-
Doctor Philosophy
The experience of elder abuse in a CALD community
Principal Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
Exploring wellbeing in young people treated for cancer
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jemma Venables
Completed supervision
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Developing a prioritisation framework for social work referrals in an Australian tertiary hospital context: A modified Delphi study
Principal Advisor
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2023
Master Philosophy
Experiences of supported accommodation for people with a serious mental illness: Life course approach.
Associate Advisor
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2016
Doctor Philosophy
The housing security afforded by the later life housing circumstances of ex-service households of Queensland: A life course perspective.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Mark Western, Professor Cameron Parsell
Media
Enquiries
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