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Marita Chisholm

Access to dementia care and support services in rural Victorian communities

Portrait of Marita Chisholm
  • Award

    2012 AADRF Top-Up Scholarship

  • Status

    Completed

  • Start Date

    1 January 2013

About the project

Ms Chisolms' research aims to explore and understand the experiences of people in rural Victorian communities with dementia and their carers when seeking to access care and support services, describing the pathways taken, barriers and facilitators to access, as well as the information needs of carers. Most importantly, her research aims to improve access to timely and appropriate services to meet both the needs of the person with dementia and their carer.

Dementia is an Australian National Health Priority Area, and as the number of Australians with dementia increases, the demand for care and support for people with dementia and their carers will also increase. As dementia is progressive, it is important that people with dementia and their carers are able to access care and support services to meet their needs, in ways that are timely and appropriate. In rural communities, access to such services poses many challenges. Information and health literacy are also important factors in accessing care and support services, especially for carers who have an important role in facilitating access to services for the person with dementia. My research aims to explore the experiences of people with dementia and their carers when accessing care and support services in rural Victorian communities by:

(1) describing the pathways taken when accessing care and support services, identifying the barriers and facilitators to access; and

2) describing the health literacy and information needs of carers to ensure information is provided in such a way that improves access to care and support services for both the person with dementia and their carer.

The overall objective of this research is to inform policies as well as service and program providers to improve access to care and support services for people with dementia and their carers living in rural communities.

Publications and presentations resulting from award

Centre of Research Excellence in Rural and Remote Primary Health Care (CRERRPHC) Seminar Series, 12 February 2013.

Monash University, School of Rural Health PhD Forum, 4 June 2013.
3 Minute Thesis Competition.

Monash University, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences 3 Minute Thesis Competition, 26 July 2013.

La Trobe University (LTU) and Monash University Research Bootcamp HDR (Higher Degree by Research) day, 22 January 2014.

Where are they now?

Ms Chisolm is a PhD candidate based at the School of Rural Health, Monash University and plans to complete and submit in early to mid 2015.

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Last updated
3 January 2024