Remote access
How do we grow better care and services for those impacted by disabilities living in rural areas?
I have a sweet memory of driving with Ralph from our home in the city to his brother’s place, the family farm. It was a late summer evening, with the sun about an hour from setting. I remember it being the kind of warm temperature that begs for windows to be rolled down. We could smell the country air and hear the crickets. It was a rare moment of respite, and we both just exhaled and smiled.
Rural living intrigued me as a child. I remember visiting cousins and friends on their farms. We’d make forts in the haymow, sell veggies at the road, and I learned to milk cows parlour-style. Fresh eggs were a thrill, and there was never a shortage of barn cats to chase.
Hard knocks
Yet I am not naive to the realities of farm life. Rural and remote living is not just about hay bales, sweet corn and fresh air. Ralph’s mom published letters she wrote about the Pot family’s early years as immigrant farmers:
“We built a silo for corn, but bad weather caused our crops to fail; the silo stood empty. This meant we had to carry the loan of the silo and also finance the purchase of cattle feed. In the winter of 1966 we tried to raise some veal calves, feeding them milk, but the calves became sick, and we didn’t make any money on this venture either. It was a difficult winter.”
I also have stories about my mom’s family that include Uncle John who was born with significant developmental delays in 1951. It was a difficult time for an immigrant family living in rural Ontario to care for a child with numerous challenges.
Beyond reach
Farming has evolved over the years, with significant improvements and innovations. Yet there remains a challenge for those impacted by disability who live in rural and remote areas. I have a friend who lives in a beautiful but remote part of B.C. She shared with me recently what it is like to raise her young son, born with cerebral palsy. Though the family loves their space, challenges include finding flat ground for his wheelchair, accessing resources, hearing feedback from clinicians about the distance for home visits and being out of range for activities hosted only in urban areas. Her insight echoes what was shared through Carleton University’s report on Service Provision for Children and Youth with Disabilities in Rural Canada and Australia (2021): Evidence indicates a lack of sufficient service due to challenges of location, increase in time and financial burdens linked with accessing services, and scarcity of healthcare professionals.
In February of this year, Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland acknowledged the importance of improving healthcare for rural Canadians. I am curious to see how our government will take action. I’m not suggesting we pave the wild paradise of this rural native land, but I wonder how we grow better care and services for those impacted by disability.
