Access to therapy services for people with disability in rural Australia: a carers’ perspective

Abstract

In Australia and around the world, people with disability and their carers living in rural areas face additional challenges compared to their urban-dwelling counterparts. This cross-sectional study explored current access to therapy services for people with disability living in western New South Wales as reported by their primary carers. Data were collected using an online and paper survey distributed to carers, from December 2012 until June 2013. Information was sought about the carers, the person they care for, access to physiotherapy, speech pathology, occupational therapy and psychology services. A total of 166 carers participated. Respondents were mostly the carers of a son or daughter (83.6%) , the person they care for had an average age of 17.6 years (range 1-69 years) and more than half were males (56%). The majority of people with disability (73.5%) had received therapy services in the last 2 years. Waiting time and distance travelled to access physiotherapy, speech and occupational therapy services varied. People with disability had to wait an average of 6.6 months to receive speech pathology and had to travel an average of 2.6 hours to receive physiotherapy. The main provider of all services was the specialist disability government department, except for psychology, which is mainly provided in the private sector. From the carers' perspective, availability and accessibility to services are limited. Carers noted that availability of services was more restricted once people with disability reached adulthood. Lack of choice and frustration with the lack of availability of specialist disability services was reported frequently. Carers believed that timely allied health intervention prevented the development of more severe or complicated conditions that had a greater impact on carers, families, communities and the person with disabilities.

Is there an occupational therapy employment crisis within Australia? An investigation into two consecutive cohorts of occupational therapy graduates from a single Victorian University identifying trends in employment

“…This current study did not go into depth about location of new graduate employment, but it does provide evidence that over one‐third may return home and what factors may influence such decisions. With the reported shortage and difficulties in accessing specialist services in rural and regional areas, including occupational therapy (Gallego et al ., ; McKinstry & Cusick, ) the findings of this research can assist those tackling this important issue. Specifically, targeting potential students from regions with limited services in which the profession and health agencies can provide additional support is worth investigation as a way to improve this situation.…”

Disabilities moderate the association between neighbourhood urbanity and cognitive health: Results from the Irish longitudinal study on ageing

“…However, the moderating role of disabilities has been investigated in very few studies. These have shown that on one hand rural living can impact negatively on health because of geographical isolation and limited accessibility to resources (18,19), but on the other hand, an overcrowded urban environment presents stressors and barriers (e.g., noisy traffic) that can cause withdrawal from outdoor activities (20,21). In line M A N U S C R I P T A C C E P T E D ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT 4 NEIGHBOURHOOD URBANITY, DISABILITIES, AND COGNITIVE HEALTH IN AGEING with these studies, investigations looking at the proximal environment of residence suggest a nonlinear association between neighbourhood urbanity and cognitive outcomes in older age, for instance in terms of residential density (22), or land-use mix (23).…”

Inanspruchnahme und wahrgenommene Barrieren des Gesundheitswesens bei Menschen mit Behinderung in Deutschland: Ergebnisse des GEDA 2014/2015-EHIS-Survey

“…Das Vorhandensein von Barrieren im Gesundheitswesen kann sich negativ auf die Inanspruchnahme von Gesundheitsleistungen auswirken, weshalb ein gleichberechtigter Zugang zum Gesundheitswesen ohne Barrieren elementar für eine bedarfsgerechte Gesundheitsversorgung ohne Diskriminierung ist [5,22,29]. Im zweiten Nationalen Aktionsplan der Bundesregierung zur Umsetzung der UN-BRK wurde deshalb ein Handlungsschwerpunkt auf die "Bedarfsgerechte Ausgestaltung der Gesundheitsversorgung und Pflege für Menschen mit Behinderung" gelegt [7].…”

“…Bezüglich der Inanspruchnahme von psychologischen Fachärzt*innen werden die aufgezeigten Ergebnisse durch nationale Studien bestätigt, welche sich allerdings nur auf Menschen mit geistiger Behinderung beziehen [8,24]. Aus internationalen Studien wird ersichtlich, dass Menschen mit Behinderung häufiger eine psychologische Gesundheitsversorgung erhalten als Menschen ohne Behinderung [7,26]. Dies könnte bspw.…”