title: Who provides care for people dying of cancer? A comparison of a rural and metropolitan cohort in a South Australian bereaved population study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine and compare urban and rural palliative care service availability and patterns of care from randomised, population-based surveys of caregivers of people at the end of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  Survey responses on the death of 'someone close' from 23,588 interviews of South Australians conducted between 2001 and 2007 are analysed.
  
  
  METHODS
  A randomised population survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Explored palliative care service availability, caregiving provided, and characteristics of the deceased and their caregivers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no difference in reported rates of accessing specialist palliative care services between rural and urban respondents (in unadjusted and adjusted analyses) nor did the proportion of people for whom cancer was their life-limiting illness. There was greater reliance on friends than first degree relatives in hands-on care provided at the end of life in rural settings. The rates of reported need for more support did not differ between urban and rural respondents for caregivers of people at the end of life.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Use of palliative care services was similar for rural and urban caregivers for someone close at the end of life with similar levels of met and unmet needs.
authors.affiliation: Discipline, Palliative and Supportive Services, School of Health Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Catherine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dal Grande
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tieman
authors.forename: Amy P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Abernethy
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Currow
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001601:Bereavement; D017028:Caregivers; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms; D010166:Palliative Care; D012424:Rural Population; D013021:South Australia; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D019452:Terminally Ill; D014505:Urban Population
keywords: South Australia; bereavement; cancer; dying; rural