Dementia care training in rural and remote Australia: Findings of roundtable focus group discussions with health and aged care workers.

Dementia care training in rural and remote Australia: Findings of roundtable focus group discussions with health and aged care workers. Conference Paper

Australian & New Zealand Association for Health Professional Educators Conference

• Author(s): Fitzgerald, K, Fyfe, K, Woods, J, Newman, E, Thompson, S
• Published: 2024

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Abstract: Introduction: Dementia is responsible for the most significant burden of any chronic disease in older Australians. Two in five of those with dementia live in rural and remote areas. This research describes education barriers and enablers for the health and aged care workforce who care for those living with dementia in rural and remote Australia. Methods: As part of a more extensive study, this research aimed to better understand barriers and enablers of dementia education with input from sixty-seven participants in roundtable focus groups across six diverse rural and remote locations across Australia. Results: Many commonalities emerged, confirming those identified in prior literature—the most significant challenges related to staffing levels, time constraints, and competing priorities. Enablers of the uptake of training included support from employers, local collaboration, and accessibility. Participants emphasised the need for strong organisational support, content relevant to both local challenges and workers’ scope of practice, the value of local training that brought providers across different organisations together, and flexible, interactive delivery methods by experienced trainers. Participants at all sites highlighted the need for culturally safe aged care practices tailored to local cultures. Discussion: The results of the roundtables, as well as a national survey completed as part of the research, informed key principles of an education and training framework for designing, delivering and evaluating dementia education and training for rural and remote workforce in the critical area of caring for people living with dementia. Three overarching principles were identified: community and stakeholder engagement, culturally responsive training, and research and evaluation. Central to these overarching principles were seven underpinning values: local knowledge and expertise, training in a rural context, inclusivity, equitable access, flexible training design, knowledge translation, and multidisciplinary collaboration. These findings enhance our understanding of how to better meet the educational needs of this workforce.

• Urls: https://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/en/publications/dementia-care-training-in-rural-and-remote-australia-findings-of-
• Publisher Location: Adelaide, South Australia