2023 Pilot Awards for Global Brain Health Leaders (GBHI)

Inclusive environments for PwD from rural areas of Chile and their families

How can dementia care programs be tailored to rural communities?

Macarena Prince Espina
University of Chile
Santiago, Chile

Background

Optimizing health outcomes for the world’s population requires eliminating disparities and understanding specific risk factors for underserved populations. Major strides in improving global health can best occur by focusing on communities at greatest risk and eliminating barriers to quality healthcare services. Studies have shown that most dementia care programs that aim to address these disparities are tailored to those living in an urban environment and do not consider the unique needs of individuals with dementia living in rural communities.  

Dr. Macarena Espina and colleagues aim to identify the specific challenges faced by those living with dementia in rural Chile, to develop strategies to improve dementia care in this underserved region. 

Research Plan

Dr. Espina and the team will perform interviews with individuals living with dementia and their families living in rural communities of Chile. They will administer quality-of-life surveys to identify specific areas for improvement. The researchers will then share their findings with key local stakeholders to help identify ways in which current dementia care programs could be adapted for rural communities. Lastly, the team will share these strategies with the public to promote quality-of-life improvements for those living with dementia and their care partners in the region.

Impact

If successful, this project may develop a new program to improve the quality of dementia care in the underserved population of rural Chile.