Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

The Rural Dementia Action Research (RaDAR) team is working to improve the quality of primary health care, and quality of life, among individuals affected by dementia in rural areas. In line with this work, the current research aims to map and synthesize the published literature related to support and education for individuals with dementia and their caregivers in rural areas. Specifically, the following questions were posed: 1) What types of support services and education are accessible to people living with dementia and their caregivers in rural areas?; 2) What service needs are being expressed by these populations?; 3) What are the reported barriers to service access and use?; and 4) What are promising solutions to these barriers, as reported in the available literature? Potential articles (2381) were screened according to Arksey and O'Malley's (2005) five-stage scoping review methodology, and 83 articles remained for inclusion after full-text review. Preliminary findings suggest limited availability and use of dementia-related support and education services in most rural contexts; this was particularly salient in relation to respite care and day programs. Barriers to service use included limited availability, low awareness, limited acceptability and accessibility (including geographic and financial), stigma, and the valuation of informal or no support compared to "outside" help. Promising solutions to barriers included attempts to make services as individualized and flexible as possible (including outreach to participants' own homes), coordinating with other service providers and organizations, using technology in service delivery, and using a "point of entry" or single program to link families to further supports. Preliminary findings suggest the importance of innovation and technology in rural dementia service provision, which is well-aligned with the focus of the 2018 Summer Program in Aging.