Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

The prevalence of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) is increasing across the country. At the same time, older people in Canada are choosing to age in their homes and communities. Care for the older population in general, and aging people living with ADRD more specifically, is taking place in many diverse settings with medical and social dimensions. Where people live with, and find care for, ADRD has raised concerns about the uneven availability, accessibility and suitability of services in specific locations, particularly rural areas that generally have fewer formal health services and a higher proportion of seniors than urban areas. Although most people with ADRD receive care in their homes at the onset of the disease, the majority die in institutionalized settings. How people living with ADRD experience and use care in rural areas is not yet well understood. The study examines the continuum of care settings and the suitability of care services for those living with ADRD, including family/support networks, in rural areas. The research features a case study of service providers, informal carers and seniors in rural Ontario. It will involve focus groups and interviews to assess the roles, resources, challenges and strategies associated with providing care for those with ADRD in formal and informal settings, as well as oral histories to gather in-depth stories of care from service users. The research will answer the questions: how do those living with/caring for someone with ADRD experience places of care and what are their specific needs and challenges over the course of the disease? The research will look at how care needs change in relation to settings of care and the services available in each setting with the goal of developing place-specific and person-centred approaches to care. The research will inform future policy development and contribute in a meaningful way to the lives of those with ADRD, their families and their communities.