The purpose of this study was to identify characteristics of and issues faced by female family physicians practicing in rural areas. A 37-item survey was designed to obtain demographic information about the background, community and practice of rural female physicians. An open-ended question regarding the issues and problems faced by female physicians in rural communities was included. Study subjects were identified from the membership of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). The questionnaire was mailed to all 850 active female AAFP members practicing in communities with less than 50,000 inhabitants during the winter of 1999. Completed and usable surveys were received from 587 (69.9 percent). The average age of respondents was 45. The majority were married (81.1 percent) and had children (80.1 percent). Half of the women had grown up in communities of 25,000 or less population. Twenty-seven percent of the respondents had no rural exposure in medical school; 39 percent had no rural exposure in residency; and 16 percent had no rural exposure in medical school or residency. The majority of respondents (62 percent) practiced in communities of less than 10,000. A large majority (70 percent) of these women planned to stay in the community for 10 years or more, with 58.6 percent responding that they plan to stay indefinitely. Assumptions regarding rural physicians, especially women, must be updated to accurately assist communities in recruiting rural physicians and to assist medical schools and residencies in adequately preparing graduates for rural practice.

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New Model of Dementia End of Life Practice – How partnership working between two hospices and other stakeholders can empower people to live well and die well with advanced dementia.The Dementia End of Life Practice Development Team in Cheshire, is a new collaboration between East Cheshire Hospice, St Lukes Hospice and other stakeholders including the End of Life Partnership, three Clinical Commissioning Groups, Dementia UK and a Mental Health Trust.The aim of the team is to improve the end of life care for people with dementia and their families, and attempt to address the inequalities they experience.This is a small multi-disciplinary team including a social worker (team leader), a registered general nurse (educator/facilitator), a mental health nurse (Admiral Nurse) and an allied health therapist.The team works by educating/facilitating/consultancy and supporting service developments in the wider social and healthcare workforce.In particular, the project is aiming at achieving the following: people with dementia remaining in their preferred place of care; increase in patient and informal carer satisfaction and experience; reduction in unnecessary hospital admissions at end of life; reduction in length of stay in hospital; reduction in accident and emergency admissions in last year of life; increase in knowledge and confidence of those caring for people with advanced dementia; end of life care as a core component of workforce education; sharing of knowledge, best practice and information across the partnership; raise awareness of dementia end of life issues and inequalities.The poster/presentation will look at the challenges experienced in meeting the aims and planned outcomes of the project, illustrating a model of close partnership working in a structured and reactive way. It will demonstrate how hospices can reach out beyond their walls, to people with dementia, taking compassionate and holistic care out into the community.

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Dementia is an increasingly common condition among the older population. It is characterised by multiple cognitive deficits leading to decline from premorbid level of functioning. In 2015 it was estimated that there were over 850,000 people in the United Kingdom (UK) living with dementia and approximately 7,000,000 family carers of people with dementia in the UK. Carers are finding themselves providing increasing amounts of care and support for their loved ones, often independently. Whilst carers find that providing support can have its rewards, it is more the case that it can be challenging and have an impact on their psychological and physical health, and can change existing relationships.