ABSTRACT
Rural and remote regions worldwide face sociodemographic challenges that affect the provision and efficiency of healthcare services, including dementia care. This chapter focuses primarily on informal caregivers of people with dementia, with some attention also given to individuals with dementia. It outlines the geographical, demographic, and organisational challenges in providing dementia care in rural areas. We discuss the benefits and challenges of living in these areas for both people with dementia and their caregivers, emphasising the need to restructure fragmented and uncoordinated care into an integrated approach. Additionally, we describe assistive technologies for dementia care in rural contexts, with a focus on our study on the development and preliminary implementation of iSupport-Sp, a training and support programme for caregivers of people with dementia in remote rural municipalities. Finally, we address the limitations, facilitators, and future directions for dementia care in rural areas.
