EXPLORING BARRIERS TO SERVICE USE AMONG OLDER RURAL RESIDENTS

• Published in: Innovation in aging Vol. 2; no. suppl_1; pp. 867 - 868
• Main Authors: Wiese, L A, Weaver, R H, Hicken, B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: US Oxford University Press 11.11.2018
• Subjects: Abstracts
• ISSN: 2399-5300; 2399-5300
• DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igy023.3238

A greater percentage of older adults resides in rural areas than in urban settings. Older rural adults often face disparities in care fueled by sociocultural barriers including decreased or absent insurance and reluctance to access services, environmental barriers such as distance from specialists (e.g., neurologists, geriatric nurse practitioners) and lack of transportation, and opportunity barriers, including fewer service providers and less information about services among caregivers. These barriers contribute to gaps in health-seeking behaviors and ultimately, to reduced service use. The purpose of this symposium is to shed new light on various service use issues confronting rural older adults and their caregivers in underserved populations and locations. The four studies identified barriers to service use resulting in increased mortality risk of 1,008 older Medicaid-waiver applicants (Paper 1; Weaver), examined the influence of strained family relationships and barriers to service use on care decisions in rural Appalachia (Paper 2; Hoyt), investigated the relationship between home- and community-based services and caregiver efficacy, community service attitudes, and loneliness in rural Appalachia (Paper 3; Vipperman), and explored whether stigma related to cognitive screening exists among an older cohort of residents in Appalachia (Paper 4; Wiese). The papers offer recommendations for enhancing service use by older adults and caregivers in rural areas in order to improve health and well-being of both older adults and their caregivers and reduce caregiver burden.