An estimated two out of five people living with dementia live in regional and rural towns and cities in Australia. People living in these areas often have to travel longer distances to access health care, there may be fewer health professionals and can have less access to community services, compared to metropolitan areas.
Timely access to critical health services can be an issue in these areas, particularly for those caring for people living with dementia where changes in behaviour may be affecting their care.
Dementia Support Australia (DSA) recognises that people living in rural and remote regions of Australia require the same standard of access to support programs as those in metropolitan cities.
Located in every state and territory, the team of accredited dementia consultants travel to all regions of Australia to provide tailored advice and recommendations to individuals in need of support.
The consultants link with local networks and health professionals in the area and take the time to understand every individual’s situation and provide the tailored support they need.
“We want people to know that we will travel anywhere in Australia to provide practical solutions for people with dementia that need us,” says Head of DSA, Andrew Haszard. “The team of dedicated consultants travel enormous distances to ensure DSA services are available and in the same time frame as those in metropolitan cities.
“We were recently contacted by an aged care centre on an island off the coast of Arnhem land where a person with a diagnosis of dementia was experiencing increased confusion and disorientation and was finding this, and lapses in memory, very distressing.
"To provide support as quickly as possible, two consultants travelled together from Perth to Darwin and then on to the island, covering a distance of more than 3000km.”