Our Story

The Rural Dementia Care Team first came together in 2003 with the support of a CIHR New Emerging Team grant. Since 2009 the research program has been supported by a CIHR-SHRF Applied Chair in Health Services and Policy Research.

Strategies to Improve the Care of Persons with Dementia in Rural
and Remote Areas (2003-2009)
Principal Investigator:  Debra Morgan
Research Program:  Canadian Institutes of Health Resesarch (CIHR) New Emerging Team (NET)

CIHR created the New Emerging Team program to facilitate the development of new interdisciplinary research teams, promote cross-disciplinary research, and to train and support new researchers.  Our NET research program, which focused on rural and remote dementia care, included three initial core projects (below).  Numerous related projects have been conducted by team co-investigators and graduate students.  The initial core projects were:

- Development and evaluation of a one-stop telehealth-assisted interdisciplinary Rural and Remote Memory Clinic
- Use of healthcare services by individuals with dementia and their caregivers in rural vs. urban settings
- Evaluation of the Enhancing Care Program in two rural long-term care facilities

Healthcare Delivery Across the Continuum for Rural
and Remote Seniors with Dementia (2009-2014)
Principal Investigator:  Debra Morgan
Research Program:  CIHR-SHRF Applied Chair in Health Services & Policy Research

The CIHR Applied Chair program focuses on the development of an integrated program of research, training/capacity development, and knowledge exchange. Our team’s research program has three main objectives focusing on dementia care in rural and remote areas:

- Community-Based Care:  To develop a model for improving access to early assessment, diagnosis, and care of individuals with dementia in rural and remote areas
- Facility-Based Care:  To support rural long-term care facilities in implementing best practices in dementia care
- Establishment of an international centre of excellence for rural and northern dementia care

The conceptual framework guiding the work of the Rural Dementia Care research team since its inception illustrates that our work is aimed at improving access to appropriate care across the continuum from early to late stage dementia, and from community to facility-based care.  Strategies for accomplishing our objectives include research, mentoring, and knowledge exchange.  Our research is aimed at improving the availability, accessibility, and acceptability of services for individuals with dementia in rural and remote areas, and for their formal and informal caregivers.