Flexible services for regional dementia
The issues faced by people with dementia are compounded for those living in regional New South Wales because of distance and isolation.
The issues faced by people with dementia are compounded for those living in regional New South Wales because of distance and isolation, leading to calls for policy makers to be more innovative and flexible to ensure services are available to meet their needs.
A new discussion paper, Living with Dementia in Regional NSW, released last week by Alzheimer’s Australia NSW, has found that the complex issues faced by people with dementia are made worse for people in regional areas who often have to travel long distances to access medical and support services, face long waiting periods to see a GP, have little or no access to specialists and have limited choice when it comes to aged care and respite places.
The discussion paper also found there were lengthy waiting periods to access home care packages and, when packages did become available, those eligible often did not receive the hours they needed due to travel costs reducing their service time.
John Watkins, Alzheimer’s Australia NSW chief executive, said there needed to be greater flexibility and understanding by policy makers and service providers of the types of challenges faced by people in regional NSW.
“People with dementia and carers living in regional, rural and remote NSW have a right to access good quality dementia care and support services,” Mr Watkins said.
“Governments have attempted to address these issues, however the challenges still remain. The good news is there are some great examples of quality care and service provision already happening.
Services like the Mobile Respite Team – a mobile support service that can travel to people’s homes in more remote areas operating out of the Alzheimer’s Australia NSW’s Bega centre – and the telehealth service operated by the Western NSW Local Health District Aged Care Service, which uses technology to enable local staff to facilitate consultations over the internet for people with dementia with metropolitan-based specialists, show that geographical barriers can be overcome.
