Definitions and Meanings

As this blog is talking about Occupational Therapists working in rural and remote areas it is important first to define these.

Rural (2012), “in, relating to, or characteristic of the countryside rather than the town”.

Remote (2012), “(of a place) situated far from the main centres of population; distant”.

The definitions of these words are quite similar in some ways, yet the interpretation of these can be quite different and individual to various people. To one person they may consider being in a rural location when there are farmlands or other natural geography in that area, to another it could be considered rural when there is simply no access to a fast-food outlet. In comparison another may consider rural as being a three or more hour drive from the nearest hospital. All of these situations may be referred to as remote locations as well depending on the individuals interpretation of the word and it is for that reason that throughout this blog these two words will be interchangeable.

To understand the reason for these different interpretations of rural and remote it is important to consider ‘worldview’. Worldview is “a philosophy of life or conception of the world” (Worldview, 2012), that therefore has influence on how people see or interpret things resulting in these variations among different individuals.

In occupational therapy the term rural or remote is likely to vary significantly also, based on the worldview of therapists, organisations, and even countries. This may also be a result of the size of the country, region that services are offered in and the number of services available in a particular area.

Personally, I would historically have considered rural and remote to be the countryside and of a distance from a main township or CBD. This was definitely influenced by my experience of growing up and living in New Zealand. This view of mine has definitely altered over time to consider rural as being a lot further away from major amenities, to an extent that it could be a few hours to a few days drive to reach any major township or services such as a hospital. This has been influenced by my travels, the experience of my parents as nurses in remote places of Australia, and literature that I have found.

Remote. (2012). In Oxford dictionaries. Retrieved June 12, 2012, from http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/remote?q=remote

Rural. (2012). In Oxford dictionaries. Retrieved June 12, 2012, from http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/rural?q=rural

Worldview. (2012). In Google dictionary. Retrieved June 12, 2012, from https://www.google.co.nz/#hl=en&q=worldview&tbs=dfn:1&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=vo4PPU7ALPCTiAf794F4&sqi=2&ved=0CFkQkQ4&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=e406f5e9e17aa29b&biw=1366&bih=639