Objective: To report on self-reported physical and mental health of informal carers in rural regions of New South Wales, Australia. Methods: A cross-sectional community-based sample (n=222) of carers completed a questionnaire incorporating self-reported measures of health from validated international instruments including Medical Outcomes Study Scale (SF-36), the Centre for Epidemiology-Depression (CES-D) and Kessler-10 (K-10) Psychological Distress Scales, along with information on participant demographics and other key caregiving characteristics such as health condition of care recipient. Results: Rural carers' self-reported health was poor as evident on the SF-36 Physical and Mental Health component scores as well as each individual domain of the SF-36. Results from the CES-D and K-10 scores indicated very high rates of depressive symptoms and psychological distress. Over 70% of carers within the current study had CES-D scores indicative of depressive symptoms. Scores on the K-10 indicate almost half the carers were experiencing high levels of psychological distress, which is over 4 times the rate reported in the general Australian population. Conclusions and implications: Results from this study were compared to Australian population normative data and were found to be significantly below Australian age-matched population norms for SF-36, CES-D and K-10. These findings illustrate the poor health profile of informal carers relative to the general Australian population, especially in terms of depressive symptoms and psychological distress. This highlights the need for additional support for rural carers in order to ease the accumulated mental and physical health burdens of this group.

Background: Informal carers play a vital role in our society particularly in rural areas where options for health services are limited. Informal carers receive minimal support from organisations, financial assistance from the government, and burnout is commonly described as a problem in the literature. Approach: A survey of informal carers designed as a pilot questionnaire was conducted with 225 participants from regional northern New South Wales. Questions on demographics, perceptions of health services, support groups, validated measures of mental and physical health (SF36, CESD and K10) were also used to assess the status of this group. Outcomes/results: Most carers were female (86%), primary caregivers (83%) who resided with the care recipient (75%). Many respondents had low physical and mental health scores, the latter correlating with clinical levels of depression. Carer Support groups were seldom utilised (27%). Take home message: • This cohort is a vulnerable group and without appropriate intervention and support experience poor health which may compound social and economic disadvantage. Preventative health measures need to be put in place to alleviate vulnerability. • A study with a larger sample size to better understand the interplay between geographic and other disadvantages is recommended to best advise rural policies for intervention.

Background: Life expectancy for persons with intellectual disability has increased dramatically over the past decade, which has seen an associated rise in the need for end-of-life care. However, little is known regarding how end-of-life affects the individual’s personal relationships with family, friends and staff. Methods: Focus group interviews were undertaken with 35 disability support workers from four rural and two metropolitan locations in NSW and Queensland, Australia. A semi-structured interview guide was used, with a focus on gaining an understanding of the impact that end-of-life has on personal relationships for persons with intellectual disability. Results: The thematic analysis identified three key thematic areas: Relationships with Family, Relationships with Friends and Staff Roles. Relationships with Family had three sub-themes of ‘Active and Ongoing’, ‘Active but Limited’ and ‘After Death’. Relationships with Friends had two sub-themes of ‘Positive Experiences’ and ‘Negative Experiences’, and Staff Roles had two sub-themes of ‘Loss of Contact’ and ‘Default Decision Making’. Discussion: The frequency of family contact was not reported as increasing or decreasing following the diagnosis of a life-ending illness and during an individual’s end-of-life. A lack of counselling support was noted as potentially impairing the individual’s friends’ ability to cope with death. Staff also reported a number of concerns regarding how their relationships with the individual changed, particularly when end-of-life entailed potential movement of the individual with intellectual disability to a new residential setting.

Aim: There is an emerging need for end-of-life care for people with intellectual disabilities; however, there is limited research that concurrently examines support issues within both rural and metropolitan localities. The aim of the current study was to gain insights from paid carers in both city and country areas of Australia in order to identify facilitators and barriers to the provision of appropriate end-of-life care support. Method: Seven focus groups with a total of 35 participants were conducted in metropolitan (Sydney and Brisbane) and rural (Armidale, Inverell, Lismore and Warwick) locations using a semi-structured interview guide. All focus group data were independently transcribed, and thematic analysis was undertaken. Results: There were seven main themes recognised in the data. These were Training and Staff Support; Health Services; Relationships; Policy and Practice Barriers; Pain and Medication Management; Quality of Life; and Infrastructure. Similarities and differences based upon geographic location were identified. Conclusion: The differing end-of-life needs of rural and metropolitan residents are nominated. Specific recommendations are made for Australian-based services regarding changes to daily practice that better support people during their end-of-life.

Australia has one of the world's highest life expectancy rates, and there is a rapidly growing need for informal caregivers to support individuals who are ageing, have chronic illness or a lifelong disability. These informal carers themselves face numerous physical and psychological stressors in attempting to balance the provision of care with their personal life, their work commitments and family responsibilities. However, little is known about the specific challenges facing rural carers and the barriers that limit their capacity to provide ongoing support. A cross-sectional survey composed of open-ended responses and demographic/socioeconomic measures used routinely by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and the Australian Institute of Health & Welfare (AIHW) was used with a cohort of 225 rurally-based carers within New South Wales, Australia. Demographic questions specified the respondents' age, gender, employment, caregiving status, condition of and relationship to the care recipient, postcode, residency status, and distance and frequency travelled to provide care. Open-ended comments sections were provided to allow participants to describe any issues and problems associated with caregiving including employment, travel, residency, carer support groups and any other general information. The results show that most rural carers were middle-aged women supporting a spouse or a child. Unpredictability associated with providing care exacerbated demands on carers' time, with many reporting significant employment consequences associated with inflexibility and limited job options in rural locations. Specific issues associated with travel requirements to assist with care were reported, as were the impacts of care provision on the respondents' own personal health. The majority of carers were aware of the social supports available in their local rural community, but did not access them, leaving the carers vulnerable to marginalisation. Problems associated with employment were noted as resulting in financial pressures and associated personal stress and anxiety for the caregivers. While this issue is not necessarily limited to rural areas, it would appear that the lack of opportunity and flexibility evident in rural areas would exacerbate this problem for non-metropolitan residents. The participants also identified specific barriers to the provision of care in rural areas, including the significant impact of travel. Access to support services, such as carer groups, were rarely accessed due to a mix of factors including inaccessibility, poor timing and a lack of anonymity. Financially, there was considerable evidence of hardship, and there is an urgent need for a comprehensive review of government and community-based support to better meet the needs of rural carers.

Background: Access to support services in rural areas is known to be problematic both in Australia, and in other countries around the world, but the majority of research on the population of people ageing with learning disability has so far focussed on metropolitan residents. The authors report about select aspects of the lived experience of older adults with learning disability resident in rural locations in two states of Australia. Materials and Methods: This pilot project examined data drawn from 34 semi-structured interviews conducted with 17 older adults and 17 carers. Responses were analysed for thematic areas. Results: It was observed that the capacity of certain rural areas to support meaningful choice-making was limited due to constraints of access to key services, including community-based aged care, generic and specialist health services, and both supported disability and aged-care residential options. Responses indicated that those living in both small- and medium-sized congregate care settings (such as group homes and residential aged-care facilities) had more limited choices and only partial (if any) control over their living situation. Conclusion: An understanding of the needs of older adults with learning disability resident in rural areas is important to ensure that both aged-care and disability support structures are built on individuals' needs.