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Symposium

Social Research, Policy, and Practice

Rural Health and Family Caregiving: Identifying Characteristics and Addressing Needs Across Populations

Saturday, November 16, 2024
5:30 PM – 7:00 PM PST
Location: Room 607
CE: 1.5

The rural population in the U.S. is growing and aging faster, and they have more comorbidities, than the overall aging population. Despite the greater need for resources and supports, rural residents may experience the most barriers to formal services (e.g., hospital, hospice/palliative care, nursing home care) and may lack available family caregivers. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of population-based research comparing the characteristics and needs of older adults living and dying in rural vs. urban areas, particularly related to availability of family. This symposium includes 4 presentations focused on rural health and family caregiving and identifying the characteristics and addressing needs across populations. The first presentation uses a retrospective population cohort design with cancer registry and state-wide claims data to examine urban/rural differences in palliative care-related service claims among older adult cancer patients diagnosed with metastatic breast, lung, colorectal, head and neck, bladder, and melanoma cancers. The next two presentations use data from the Utah Caregiving Population Study (Utah C-PopS) to examine how family size and characteristics impact EOL care utilization for urban vs. rural NH residents and for persons with dementia. The last presentation describes a program evaluation of an interagency collaboration to support caregivers in rural communities. Together, these presentations shed light on the diverse characteristics, gaps in care, and novel strategies to address the needs of rural populations to better inform rural health practice and policy considerations.

Learning Objectives:

  • After attending this session, participants will be able to compare social determinants of health associated with health disparities for older adults living and dying in rural vs. urban areas.
  • After attending this session, participants will be able describe 2-3 characteristics of ‘unrepresented’ rural and urban older adults with dementia or those who reside in a nursing home and die without family.
  • After attending this session, participants will be able to identify 2 or more federal or state agencies that provide resources and supports to rural family caregivers.

Presentations:

  • 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM PST
    Role of Family Characteristics of Rural and Urban Nursing Home Residents at End-of-Life (EOL)

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Caroline E. Stephens, PhD, RN, GNP, FGSA, FAAN (she/her/hers) – University of Utah

  • 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM PST
    Interagency Collaboration to Support Caregivers in Rural Communities

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Jacqueline Telonidis, MS (she/her/hers) – University of Utah

  • 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM PST
    Impact of Rurality on Palliative Care–Related Service Use: Findings From a Population Dataset

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Djin Tay, PhD, RN (she/her/hers) – University of Utah

  • 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM PST
    Unrepresented to Flush-With-Family: The Role of Family Structure on Dementia Care by Rurality

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Rebecca Utz, PhD, FGSA (she/her/hers) – University of Utah