Availability and primary health care orientation of dementia-related services in rural Saskatchewan, Canada

Morgan, DG; Kosteniuk, JG; Stewart, NJ; O’Connell, ME; Kirk, A; Crossley, M; Dal Bello-Haas, V; Forbes, D; Innes, A

Abstract

Community-based services are important for improving outcomes for individuals with dementia and their caregivers. This study examined: (a) availability of rural dementia-related services in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, and (b) orientation of services toward six key attributes of primary health care (i.e., information/education, accessibility, population orientation, coordinated care, comprehensiveness, quality of care). Data were collected from 71 rural Home Care Assessors via cross-sectional survey. Basic health services were available in most communities (e.g., pharmacists, family physicians, palliative care, adult day programs, home care, long-term care facilities). Dementia-specific services typically were unavailable (e.g., health promotion, counseling, caregiver support groups, transportation, week-end/night respite). Mean scores on the primary health care orientation scales were low (range 12.4 to 17.5/25). Specific services to address needs of rural individuals with dementia and their caregivers are limited in availability and fit with primary health care attributes.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Oct 23, 2015
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2015
• Deposit Date: Jun 28, 2017
• Journal: Home Health Care Services Quarterly
• Print ISSN: 0162-1424
• Electronic ISSN: 1545-0856
• Publisher: Routledge
• Volume: 34
• Issue: 3-4
• Pages: 137-158
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01621424.2015.1092907
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/01621424.2015.1092907
• Related Public URLs: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/whhc20/current
• Additional Information: Funders : CIHR