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This research describes the experiences of grandparents and other relatives living in rural Maine raising children affected by substance abuse. Stories and practice strategies are presented in the context of program evaluation findings from a three-year data collection effort consisting of survey protocols administered to caregivers and professionals receiving project services and semistructured interviews conducted with relative caregivers. Caregivers who participated in the research effort are satisfied with the services they receive when they are delivered in a manner that is respectful of their individual needs and rural traditions and when services extend beyond information and referral. Results of the evaluation contribute to the tenets of the promising practice of low-barrier service provision and the positive effect that support, both tangible and emotional, has on the well-being of rural kinship families. The use of innovative technologies and approaches in service provision not only increases awareness of resources among caregivers and professionals but also leads to the application of such knowledge to both more effective and seamless access to services and minimization of service utilization barriers for rural families. Results also underscore that research, when configured in a way that is flexible and 292 J. Crittenden et al. meaningful, creates a valuable opportunity to gain insight from a traditionally difficult to reach population.

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The Rural Caregiver Network Project in Eastern Maine is a prime example of indigenous coalition-building in a region struggling to ensure that vulnerable older adults can age-in-place and manage with scarce resources. Through this innovative initiative, a range of elder caregiver interventions were mobilized, coordinated, and sustained in a rural two-county region in Maine, including navigator services, adult day care, information and referral, caregiver support groups, a caregiver resource center, and caregiver skills-building workshops. The endorsement of participatory research, evaluation, and programming principles enabled undergraduate and graduate social work students to assume major roles in all aspects of project planning, implementation, and assessment while remaining grounded in the realities of rural life. Competence in such a generalist gerontological social work practice perspective is critical in small towns and nonmetropolitan communities.

Men and women experience abuse in different ways and older men have particular treatment needs that must be addressed by clinicians. The current design and configuration of clinical services may create barriers to abused older men receiving treatment fully suited to their needs. In this article, the unique experiential dynamics and help seeking behaviors of older men who experience abuse are delineated and recommendations are given for structuring services to better meet their needs. Gender-sensitive clinical techniques and modalities are described and suggestions for interventions that could prove particularly efficacious in the treatment of older men are offered.