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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| The factors influencing access to health and social care in the farming communities of County Down, Northern Ireland | | Author(s) | Deirdre Heenan |
| Journal title | Ageing and Society, vol 26, part 3, May 2006 |
| Pages | pp 373-391 |
| Source | http://www.journals.cambridge.org/jid_ASO |
| Keywords | Health services ; Services ; Usage [services] ; Accessibility ; Agricultural Industry ; Rural areas ; Social surveys ; Northern Ireland. |
| Annotation | Against a background of limited previous research, this paper examines access to health and social care among older people in the farming communities of County Down, Northern Ireland. In-depth interviews were conducted with 45 people aged 60+ living on family farms, to collect information about health care needs and service use and adequacy. In addition, interviews with service providers provided information on their perceptions of farming communities' needs. The findings indicate that there are specific rural dimensions of access to services, and that there was substantial unmet need among the respondents. For many farming families, using services is determined by much more than being able to reach them physically. The lack of reliable information, the culture of stoicism, and the absence of appropriate services impeded obtaining effective support. Recent health care policies and strategies have stressed the importance of developing local services that are responsive to need in consultation with service users, but there is worryingly little evidence that this has occurred. If effective outcomes are to be achieved, policies must recognise the specific characteristics of rural populations and be sensitive to farming families' needs, attitudes and expectations. The current lack of understanding about the distinct needs of these communities exacerbates the isolation and marginalisation of already vulnerable older people. (KJ/RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-060511203 A |
| Classmark | L: I: QLD: 5CA: X4: RL: 3F: 9Y |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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