Service provision for people with dementia in rural Scotland

Abstract

The provision of health and social care services to people with dementia and their carers living in remote and rural areas has been neglected globally. Meeting the needs of people with dementia poses many challenges for service providers. Such challenges may be compounded by the difficulties of providing and accessing services in rural areas.This article explores the views of Scottish service providers drawn from the voluntary, statutory and private sectors. Our findings highlight the difficulties relating to dementia and rurality faced by service providers in Scotland. We also consider innovative measures reported by service providers. Such measures indicate that not only can the distinct challenges of dementia service provision be overcome, but also challenges posed by providing services to people with dementia and their carers in rural and remote areas.These findings extend the literature on rural dementia service provision.The article concludes with a consideration of the practice and policy implications of providing dementia services in remote and rural Scotland.

Living with dementia in rural and remote Scotland: Diverse experiences of people with dementia and their carers

“…The edited collection by Murphy et al (2001) reinforces the importance of 'hearing the user's voice'. However, Innes et al (2002) illustrate how only half of rural providers, surveyed in Scotland during 2001-02, consulted their users about the provision of dementia services.…”

“…Indeed Key (2003) argues little research exists on the broader topic of social exclusion of older people in rural areas; and Parr et al (2004) make a similar point with regard to the mentally ill. When considered in an explicitly Scottish context, we believe that no such studies combining dementia with rurality exist (Innes et al, 2003c).…”

“…This paper tackles an under researched topic-the relationship between the experience of service provision for people with dementia and their carers, and their rural location (Innes et al, 2003c;Dementia Services Development Centre, 1998). This research problem is the result of gaps in two distinct research communities.…”

Mobile Demenzberatung als niedrigschwelliges Hilfeangebot für pflegende Angehörige

“…Hierzu zählen eine mangelnde Erreichbarkeit, z. B. aufgrund großer Entfernung oder unzureichender Anbindung an den öffentlichen Personennahverkehr [6,7], Einschränkungen in der Mobilität der Ratsuchenden durch körperliche Einschränkungen [15], aber auch die Tabuisierung des Krankheitsbildes Demenz [1]. Abgeleitet aus diesen Erkenntnissen ist eine möglichst niedrigschwellige, d. h. besonders leicht erreichbare und unbürokratische Ausgestaltung von Beratungsleistung zu empfehlen.…”

Availability and Primary Health Care Orientation of Dementia-Related Services in Rural Saskatchewan, Canada

“…Underutilization of existing services was attributed to services being inappropriate. Formal care providers identified distance and lack of transport, cost of services for the user, lack of choice in services, and a shortage of skilled staff as challenges in dementia service delivery (Innes, Cox, Smith, & Mason, 2006). In a third study, which explored rural dementia services from the perspective of rural service organizations (Mason, Blackstock, Cox, Innes, & Smith, 2005), 72% of respondents reported that dementia service coverage was inadequate.…”