A researcher at Thompson Rivers University has been awarded a Canadian Research Chair in Nursing and Population Health to help improve health equity and quality of life for rural adults living with dementia.

Receiving $600,000 in federal grant funding towards her research, Dr. Juanita-Dawne Bacsu says her goal is to improve equitable access to health care and allow older people in small communities to “age in place.”

“Aging in Place refers to having the health supports and services necessary to be able to live independently and also safely in your own home or your community for as long as you choose to do so.”

Bascu says this will include addressing issues surrounding access to healthcare in rural and remote communities.

“We do find that rural older adults often experience unique healthcare disparities usually relating to issues with limited public transportation, housing, and limited access to health care and support services,” she explained. “Limited access to public transportation makes it more difficult to access those services within the larger city centers.

Additionally, Bascu says over the next five years she has three main goals she would like to reach.

The first of those goals is to support independence for rural Canadians living with Alzheimer’s.

“I’m looking to enhance rural people with dementia and their care partner’s navigation to health care and support services. So that will be kind of focused on developing a Community Collaborative Intervention. I’m not sure what it will look like, but that’s where lived experiences are so important,” added Bascu.

The second goal is to improve the quality of life for rural people with dementia, which Bacsu hopes to target by developing “collaborative intergenerational intervention” with students at TRU.

“Usually what we’re finding in the research is having that intergenerational connection seems to break down, you know, preconceived stereotypes and negative attitudes towards people living with dementia.

As for her third goal, Bacsu says its to support rural dementia care by focusing on knowledge and awareness among rural healthcare professionals.