Isolation. Lack of access to care. Transportation issues. All of those things are factors in helping to support aging rural residents with Alzheimer’s or dementia. But researchers at the University of Minnesota are working to assess how innovations in that care from rural communities are helping those patients.

It’s estimated that more than 7 million Americans have Alzheimer’s. According to recent research on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (collectively referred to as “ADRD”), there is no definitive answer as to how many rural residents may suffer from the diseases. However, that same study found that rural residents are more likely to have a higher prevalence of chronic health issues that put rural residents at increased risk of ADRD.

“Rural residents had significantly higher prevalence of hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and hearing loss compared to urban residents. Disparities were most significant among adults aged 45–64 years and in the South/Midwest region,” the study found. “Rural U.S. adults face a higher burden of modifiable dementia risk factors, particularly cardiometabolic and sensory impairments. Targeted public health strategies are needed to address structural inequities and improve dementia prevention in rural communities.”

But reaching rural residents with ARDR can prove difficult. Researchers said rural and tribal residents also often face delays in diagnosis, as well as limited access to healthcare, and transportation challenges.

Addressing these issues requires specializing care to the community, researchers said. Three Minnesota researchers are tackling the problem from three different angles and identifying how to meet the needs of rural communities and their ARDR patients.

Cliff Whitung, a social worker and public health researcher at the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Duluth campus, is working with Indigenous communities to improve the accuracy of dementia-related data in those communities. ARDR research primarily focuses on more affluent, urban residents, which leads to screening tools and prevention strategies that fail to meet the needs of lower-income and rural communities, he said.

Read the full article about Alzheimer's and dementia in rural communities by Liz Carey at The Daily Yonder.