| |
Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
 | |
|
The challenges associated with providing community care for people with complex needs in rural areas
— a qualitative investigation | | Author(s) | Siobhan McGann, Assumpta Ann Ryan, Hugh McKenna |
| Journal title | Health & Social Care in the Community, vol 13, no 5, September 2005 |
| Pages | pp 462-469 |
| Source | www.blackwellpublishing.com/hsc |
| Keywords | Community care ; Needs [elderly] ; Rural areas ; Qualitative Studies ; Northern Ireland. |
| Annotation | The experiences of recipients and providers of community care in rural areas of Northern Ireland are explored, also the impact of location, housing and environmental factors on delivering community care to older people with complex needs. Individual, semi-structured interviews were held with 17 service users and 14 family carers. Individual and focus group interviews were conducted with care assistants, health and social care professionals, and senior managers from a large health and social care trust and a health and social service board. The importance of enabling older people to remain in their own homes and communities was emphasised by all participants. The main challenges associated with care provision in rural areas included: difficulties in recruiting care assistants; lack of choice of care assistants; isolation; travel and distance between clients and their care assistants; and poor housing conditions. There was a general consensus that the effectiveness of rural community care was perceived to be reliant on the goodwill of the community. Additionally, changing demographic trends and the predicted shortfall in the number of formal and informal carers were considered key issues for service planners. While community networks could be used to counter the limitations associated with rural isolation, planners also need to acknowledge that additional resources are required to maintain older people in rural communities. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-050825210 A |
| Classmark | PA: IK: RL: 3DP: 9Y |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
|
| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
| |
|