Barriers to the Provision of Care for People with Dementia and their carers in a Rural Community

This article describes results from a community initiated qualitative research project investigating barriers to the provision of care for people with dementia (PWD) and their carers. The study was conducted in a rural remote Tasmanian community ("Cape Coastal"). Focus group discussions were held with family member carers of PWD, members of the Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT), nurses employed in the local hospital and a local nursing home, community health nurses and local general practitioners. In addition, two semi-structured interviews were conducted with a dementia support worker allocated to service the region and a single family member carer. Barriers to the effective provision of care for PWD and their carers were identified. These were: distance and isolation; perceptions of geographic and professional boundaries including issues of medical dominance; and gaps in health care provider and carers' knowledge about dementia and dementia services. These results demonstrate that while Cape Coastal has many points in common with other rural and remote communities in Australia and in Canada and the United States (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare [AIHW], 2002), it is important to recognise local context when planning and providing services for PWD and other chronic diseases.