ABSTRACT
Aging is a complex multifaceted policy problem that is compounded by a growing and potentially frail elderly population. Existing policy approaches are embedded in a medical conception of aging and modernist forms of political economy. The multifaceted nature of aging as a policy problem challenges this approach, and in rural areas many aspects of the problem are magnified. If aging is approached in cultural terms, a deeper understanding of aging can be developed, and the dimensions of the problem exposed, and it is shown that collaborative approaches may offer a way forward. The new public governance offers a way of incorporating collaborative approaches into public decision-making to address complex problems. The chapter concludes by making some policy recommendations as to how the problems highlighted can be addressed within the framework of the new public governance.
