Abstract
Background: Access to cognitive screening in rural underserved communities is limited and was further diminished during the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined whether a telephone-based cognitive screening intervention would be effective in increasing ADRD knowledge, detecting the need for further cognitive evaluation, and making and tracking the results of referrals.
Method: Using a dependent t-test design, older, largely African American and Afro-Caribbean participants completed a brief educational intervention, pre/post AD knowledge measure, and cognitive screening.
Results: Sixty of 85 eligible individuals consented. Seventy-percent of the sample self-reported as African American, Haitian Creole, or Hispanic, and 75% were female, with an average age of 70. AD knowledge pre-post scores improved significantly (t (49) = −3.4, p < .001). Of the 11 referred after positive cognitive screening, 72% completed follow-up with their provider. Five were newly diagnosed with dementia. Three reported no change in diagnosis or treatment. Ninety-percent consented to enrolling in a registry for future research.
Conclusion: Remote engagement is feasible for recruiting, educating, and conducting cognitive screening with rural older adults during a pandemic.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-20-2021
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1177/23337214211058919
Funding Information
This study is supported by National Institutes of Aging (K01AG064047).
Repository Citation
Wiese, Lisa Kirk; Williams, Ishan C.; Schoenberg, Nancy E.; Galvin, James E.; and Lingler, Jennifer, "Overcoming the COVID-19 Pandemic for Dementia Research: Engaging Rural, Older, Racially and Ethnically Diverse Church Attendees in Remote Recruitment, Intervention and Assessment" (2021). Behavioral Science Faculty Publications. 73.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/behavsci_facpub/73
Included in
Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms Commons, Geriatrics Commons, Neurology Commons, Nursing Commons
Notes/Citation Information
Published in Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, v. 7.
© The Author(s) 2021
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).