Mike Rungie

…at the intersection of good lives and aged care

Publications

2025-2026

  • In 2025-2026 Mike focused his writings into a book. To bring together in one place the way elders are wanting to continue their journeying habit into frailty. And the way the rest of us are individually signing up to this, but collectively doing the opposite.

  • The 20 losses that come with moving into a nursing home. Mike Rungie October 2026 (unpublished).

2024

  • Why do we institutionalise older people, but no one else? Australian Association of Gerontology National Conference Abstract (11/24).

  • Aged care’s love affair with institutions. Aged Care Insite (3/24).

  • More of the same: response to the Taskforce report. Aged Care Insite (3/24).

2023

  • Older life is in the transitions. Aged Care Insite (12/23).

  • Closing the divide between aged care quality and good lives. Australian Association of Gerontology National Conference Abstract (11/23).

  • Isn’t aged care quality meant to delight us? Aged Care Insite (9/23).

  • Where on earth are aged care CEOs taking us? Aged Care Insite (8/23).

  • Frail lives matter. Aged Care Insite (6/23).

  • Governing for good aged care. Aged Care Insite (3/23).

  • Enough of reforming aged care. Modern elders want something different. Aged Care Insite (2/23).

2022

  • The modern elder customer journey. Aged Care Insite (12/22).

  • Where’s the gain from merging the aged care peaks? Aged Care Insite (10/22).

  • Why no outcry over record aged care deaths? Aged Care Insite (9/22).

  • Why our need to learn peaks again in retirement. Aged Care Insite (7/22).

  • Get busy living or get busy dying. Aged Care Insite (5/22).

  • Better pay, more training, same crappy job: nursing homes under labour. Aged Care Insite (4/22).

  • Nudging an ageing Australia away from retirement and aged care. Aged Care Insite (3/22).

  • Zero neglect by 2030 in aged care? Not while we are all denies. Aged Care Insite (1/22).

  • The importance of social roles and technology to develop purpose for aged care residents. KPMG Governance for Reform National Seminar Series (2020).

2021

  • Forget ageing well, it’s what we do that counts. Aged Care Insite (12/21).

  • Is aged care an ageist institution? Aged Care Insite (10/21).

  • We need productivity gains in aged care. But what if the biggest gains make the least profit? Aged Care Insite (9/21).

  • Intergenerational Report 2021: same old, same old. Aged Care Insite (7/21).

  • Retirement Villages. What do you buy if you don’t want the retirement or the aged care? Aged Care Insite (6/21).

  • What one aged care message should government hear ahead of its next budget? Aged Care Insite (5/21).

  • Where have all our elders gone? The wilful destruction of the worlds most loved brand. Aged Care Insite (3/21).

2020

  • The wounding of older people, and their most common wounds. (Rungie and Wolfensberger). Chapter 2 in “Ageing and the Good Things of Life”. Valor Press (2020).

  • Roles for Older People, the ultimate prize of Social Role Valorisation. Chapter 7 in “Ageing and the Good Things of Life”. Valor Press (2020).

  • Does anyone really know what a good frail life looks like? Aged Care Insite (10/20).

  • Can we look forward to much better post-Covid residential aged care? Aged Care Insite (7/20).

  • Coronavirus highlights the strengths and weaknesses of aged care. Aged Care Insite (5/20).

Earlier publications

  • The top 15 practices for becoming a work-ready elder. Report of the COTA National Policy Conference (2019).

  • Roles for people in their 70s, 80’s and 90’s specifically relating to work, volunteering, learning, sport and networks. Churchill Fellowship Report (2013).