CARING FOR SOMEONE WITH DEMENTIA IN A RURAL TOWN .1. FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Caring for someone with dementia at home is a difficult task. Support services call do much to assist carers. However, ill rural areas these may not be readily available or accessible. This paper reports on a q ualitative study ill which a group of carers living in a rural communi ty participated in a focus group and interviews. Issues explored inclu ded the carers' experiences of caring, and the effects of rural life o n this, Through content analysis of the data, it was found that these carers faced many challenges but were also able to access a number of supports, particularly in terms of family and the local community.