#04-286
Oct. 13, 2004

Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving investigates best practices in rural caregiving

Panel of national experts convenes Oct. 14-15 in Atlanta

AMERICUS--Family members provide 80 to 90 percent of the care of their siblings, spouses, parents, neighbors and friends. Families and friends are the sole source of assistance for almost 75 percent of impaired elder adults in the community. In rural areas, resources to support these caregivers are often severely limited. In Georgia, 33 percent of the population aged 60 and older live in rural counties, presenting unique challenges to the aging network assisting older persons and their caregivers. 

To discuss what is currently available to assist caregivers in rural areas and recommend what is still needed, the Johnson & Johnson/Rosalynn Carter Institute Caregivers Program is hosting a panel of national experts October 14-15 at the Carter Center in Atlanta. 

"We know that rural caregivers often travel many miles to access health services," said Ronda C. Talley, Ph.D., executive director of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving (RCI), Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus, Ga., and in Washington, DC. "State and local governments must become increasingly sensitive to the needs of rural caregivers and care recipients, providing mechanisms for local support, such as the CARE-NET, or Caregivers Network, developed by the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving," Talley said. 

The expert panel will report out on a number of critical rural caregiving issues. Expert panelists will consider studies from the caregiving literature that indicate many rural communities are losing their hospitals, long-term care facilities and, in some cases, primary care services. In addition, care of the chronically ill or disabled is being deinstitutionalized and respite or physical therapy services are scarce, becoming centralized and more difficult to access. The numbers of rural family caregivers are increasing, while insecurity regarding Medicare and the restructuring of health services is intensifying. 

The RCI was formed in honor of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter in 1987. Through research, education and training, the RCI promotes the mental health and well being of individuals, families, and professional caregivers; delineates effective caregiving practices; builds public awareness of caregiving needs; and advances public and social policies that enhance caring communities. 

Beginning in 2000, Johnson & Johnson joined forces with the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving to host a series of panels on critical caregiving issues. The rural caregiving panel is the tenth in the series. A caregiving book series is being developed from the findings of each expert panel.

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