A Gis Approach to Identifying Service Access Disparities in Rural Appalachia

Abstract

Formal service use can help decrease caregiving burden for family members of persons with dementia; however, barriers related to service use are common. For example, driving distance can be problematic in rural areas with mountainous terrain, as in the Appalachian region of Virginia. The purpose of this study was to examine distance from family homes to services and its association with service use. Thirty-nine caregivers’ residences and 84 service locations were mapped, then driving distance to and distribution of services were analyzed using Service Area Solver and Closest Facility Solver in ArcGIS. Results suggest that services were unevenly distributed based on caregiver location. Specifically, of all services examined, food banks and medical facilities had the most facilities near caregiver locations, whereas adult day services, support groups, and educational programs for caregivers were sparse. Findings are discussed in light of identifying vulnerable caregivers as well as hot-spots for potential interventions.

Dementia Caregiving During the “Stay-at-Home” Phase of COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Nevertheless, our findings revealed that communities demonstrated resourcefulness in striving to continue meeting CG and PwD needs (e.g., meal delivery program, telehealth) and sustaining CGs’ ability to continue providing care for PwD. Even beyond the pandemic, home-delivered and internet-based services are convenient for rural families who must travel 45–60 min for specialty care clinics and sometimes basic services like banking and pharmacy ( Harris et al, 2018 ). Expansion of broadband internet service to rural communities is essential both for managing the current pandemic with an uncertain length of restricted movement and for fostering preparedness for future challenges ( Friedenberger, 2020 ).…”