Learning from lived experience: rural older Australians’ perspectives of mental health, wellbeing, and support

Objectives: Older adults with poor mental health living in rural areas are seldom heard in research and disadvantaged in health service provision. Consequently, this study aimed to explore rural older Australians’ perspectives of mental health, wellbeing, and access to and receipt of support. Method: Six older adults with recent self- or clinically-diagnosed mental ill-health in rural Australia (mean age 67.33 years; 66% female), and six informal carers of such individuals (67.33 years; 83% female), participated in interviews exploring their lived and living experiences of rural older adult mental health. Results: Four themes describing participant experiences were identified: ‘how perceived attitudes about mental health reduce help-seeking’, ‘the impact of social transparency in rural areas’, ‘the interconnected nature of physical and mental health in later life’, and ‘the contextual complexities in accessing timely and appropriate supports in rural areas’. Conclusion: The identified themes highlight the personal and contextual complexity affecting access to mental health supports for older adults and informal carers in rural areas. These findings provide valuable lived experience insights to support the design and delivery of appropriate and accessible mental health supports that meet the needs of older rural Australians.