Grant: Team Grant: Community-Based Primary Healthcare - LOI

Canadian seniors account for a greater share of the rural than urban population (15% vs 13%) and the seniors' share of the population is increasing more rapidly in rural regions. Rural and remote residents with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia and their caregivers face considerable geographic challenges accessing necessary services, challenges that are intensified by age, behavioral symptoms, and comorbidities. International research suggests many barriers to care are specific to rural areas, such as time, travel, and cost. The number of Canadians with dementia is expected to more than double from 480,000 in 2008 to 1.1 million people in 2038. Strategies are urgently needed to address the rising tide of dementia in Canada, including models that are effective in rural contexts. Canadian dementia experts call for the recruitment of additional healthcare professionals into dementia care and promotion of new collaborative models of care. Our RaDAR (Rural Dementia Action Research) Innovation Program is a series of 4 projects aimed at developing and supporting dementia friendly communities with an emphasis on improving primary healthcare delivery, prevention, early detection, and quality of life. Co-led by team members across provinces and the UK the 4 projects of the RaDAR Innovation Program include: 1) A Dementia Advisor Model to improve primary healthcare services and health outcomes for people with MCI or dementia and their families; 2) Training and Continuing Education Program for primary healthcare professionals to improve knowledge and provision of high quality care; 3) Public Awareness, Prevention, and Early Detection Program to increase awareness of brain health and dementia risk factors for primary and secondary prevention; 4) a Chronic Disease Management Program to improve primary healthcare service delivery by healthcare professionals and primary healthcare service use by individuals and families.