The Rural Dementia Action Research (RaDAR) team is looking for participants for a new project. 

Debra Morgan, Professor at the Canadian Centre for Health and Safety in Agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan says RaDAR is a group of researchers from different disciplines, who have been working together for 20 years to improve access to health care for people with dementia living in rural Saskatchewan.  

“In 2004 we started a specialist memory clinic at the university to provide diagnoses of less common, more difficult to diagnose cases of dementia.” 

Morgan says they would often receive referrals for Alzheimer's disease, which is recommended to be diagnosed by primary care providers. This led in to what they’re doing with Rural Primary Healthcare teams. 

“We realized that from our research and other people's research as well that making a dementia diagnosis can be challenging. So, we started to partner with rural Primary Health care teams to find ways to support diagnosis and post-diagnostic care right in the rural community and also save travel to specialists.”   

Valerie Elliot, Research Officer with the RaDAR team at the U of S says the new project is an environmental scan of local community-based programs and services in and around the areas where there are rural memory clinics. 

“At this stage of the project, we're seeking participants who are people living with dementia and family, caregivers of people living with dementia who reside in and around the areas where we have the memory clinic, Kipling, Weyburn, Bengough, Radville, and Carlyle.” 

Elliot says the participants would take part in a phone interview to discuss their experience with local community-based programs and services.  

“The interview would take about 45 to 60 minutes, and persons living with dementia and family or caregivers can choose whether to participate on their own or together.” 

Participants can sign up by emailing v.elliot@usask.ca or calling 306-966-6645. Recruitment is taking place until September of 2022.