2 results
2 - Rural health
-
- By Desley Hegney, Curtin University, Karen Francis, Charles Sturt University, Jane Mills, James Cook University
- Karen Francis, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Ysanne Chapman, Central Queensland University, Carmel Davies, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
-
- Book:
- Rural Nursing
- Published online:
- 06 August 2018
- Print publication:
- 22 August 2014, pp 18-33
-
- Chapter
- Export citation
-
Summary
Learning objectives
On completion of this chapter, the reader will be able to:
define ‘rurality’
describe rural and remote Australia as a place to live and work, highlighting recent changes in the economic, social and industrial fabric of rural and remote communities that impact on health
recognise the importance of rural and remote area nursing within the rural health workforce
identify the advantages and disadvantages of rural and remote area nursing and midwifery
create a resource bank of references and web links for readers to use in further exploring rural and remote area nursing in Australia.
Key words
Rurality, rural health, health workforce, rural nursing and midwifery, health status
Chapter overview
This chapter contextualises ‘rurality’ as a criterion for classifying populations living in areas outside major cities. Differences in health status of rural compared to metropolitan communities are described, as is the composition of the health workforce. The chapter concludes with an overview of the rural nursing and midwifery workforce and the challenges these clinicians face in the delivery of care.
Introduction
Approximately 31% of the Australian population live outside major cities (e.g. capital cities or large regional centres with populations over 250 000). Only about 2% of this rural population live in what are considered to be ‘remote’ communities (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare [AIHW], 2012a). The percentage of the Australian population living in rural areas has declined considerably over the two centuries of white settlement. Much of this attrition has been caused by the merging of family farms (agribusiness) and young farmers leaving ‘the land’ to work and live in major centres (Smith, 2007). The economics of agriculture (e.g. the strong Australian dollar) and the increasing regulation of the industry have meant that the rural population has declined. Further, those still working in the agricultural sector represent an ageing workforce. This population decline and the ageing of the agricultural workforce have been a continuous feature of rural Australia and have occurred not only in livestock and grain industries but also in the fruit and vegetable industry (Smith, 2007; Sutherland, 2012).
Memory and communication support in dementia: research-based strategies for caregivers
- Erin R. Smith, Megan Broughton, Rosemary Baker, Nancy A. Pachana, Anthony J. Angwin, Michael S. Humphreys, Leander Mitchell, Gerard J. Byrne, David A. Copland, Cindy Gallois, Desley Hegney, Helen J. Chenery
-
- Journal:
- International Psychogeriatrics / Volume 23 / Issue 2 / March 2011
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 20 September 2010, pp. 256-263
-
- Article
- Export citation
-
Background: Difficulties with memory and communication are prominent and distressing features of dementia which impact on the person with dementia and contribute to caregiver stress and burden. There is a need to provide caregivers with strategies to support and maximize memory and communication abilities in people with dementia. In this project, a team of clinicians, researchers and educators in neuropsychology, psychogeriatrics, nursing and speech pathology translated research-based knowledge from these fields into a program of practical strategies for everyday use by family and professional caregivers.
Methods: From the available research evidence, the project team identified compensatory or facilitative strategies to assist with common areas of difficulty, and structured these under the mnemonics RECAPS (for memory) and MESSAGE (for communication). This information was adapted for presentation in a DVD-based education program in accordance with known characteristics of effective caregiver education.
Results: The resultant DVD comprises (1) information on the nature and importance of memory and communication in everyday life; (2) explanations of common patterns of difficulty and preserved ability in memory and communication across the stages of dementia; (3) acted vignettes demonstrating the strategies, based on authentic samples of speech in dementia; and (4) scenarios to prompt the viewer to consider the benefits of using the strategies.
Conclusion: Using a knowledge-translation framework, information and strategies can be provided to family and professional caregivers to help them optimize residual memory and communication in people with dementia. Future development of the materials, incorporating consumer feedback, will focus on methods for enabling wider dissemination.