Improving access to dementia care: development and evaluation of a rural and remote memory clinic.
The availability, accessibility and acceptability of services are critical factors in rural health service delivery. In Canada, the aging population and the consequent increase in prevalence of dementia challenge the ability of many rural communities to provide specialized dementia care. This paper describes the development, operation and evaluation of an interdisciplinary memory clinic designed to improve access to diagnosis and management of early stage dementia for older persons living in rural and remote areas in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. We describe the clinic structure, processes and clinical assessment, as well as the evaluation research design and instruments. Finally, we report the demographic characteristics and geographic distribution of individuals referred during the first three years.
Morgan
Debra G
DG
University of Saskatchewan, Canadian Centre for Health and Safety in Agriculture, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. debra.morgan@usask.ca
Crossley
Margaret
M
Kirk
Andrew
A
D'Arcy
Carl
C
Stewart
Norma
N
Biem
Jay
J
Forbes
Dorothy
D
Harder
Sheri
S
Basran
Jenny
J
Dal Bello-Haas
Vanina
V
McBain
Lesley
L
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D003704:Dementia; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008875:Middle Aged; D010348:Patient Care Team; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D016730:Program Development; D019114:Remote Consultation; D019035:Rural Health Services; D012525:Saskatchewan; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D049269:Videoconferencing