ABSTRACT

This chapter focuses on how critical gerontological perspectives on place and relationships can expand the study of dementia and rural ageing. Research on mental health, dementia and rural ageing remains dominated by biomedical approaches, in spite of the growth and diversity of critical perspectives in gerontology more broadly. Disability is the overlapping territory of mental health, dementia and rural ageing, but studies of rural dementia care have been slow to embrace the insights of disability scholarship. The chapter discusses person-centred care in research and policy and the need to understand the diversity of rural people and contexts. In gerontology, person-centred care represents a fundamental paradigm shift towards understanding the person and recognising personhood. Understanding the social location and relationships of people living with dementia is important in advancing person-centred care and addressing health inequities and the differential power relations that shape access to support as well as inclusion in rural communities.