Rural System-Based Coping Strategies for Advancing Research and Healthcare While Transitioning to the New Normal

Thursday, November 3, 2022

8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET

Location: 238 CC

CE: 1.5

Chair(s)

Joan Ilardo, PhD LMSW

Director of Research Initiatives
College of Human Medicine
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan, United States

Co-Chair(s)

Angela Zell, MPH, MS

Project Coordinator
College of Human Medicine, Office of Research
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan, United States

Individual Symposium Abstract First Author(s)

Joan Ilardo, PhD LMSW

Director of Research Initiatives
College of Human Medicine
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan, United States
Angela Zell, MPH, MS

Project Coordinator
College of Human Medicine, Office of Research
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan, United States
Lisa Wiese, PhD, MSN, RN, GERO-BC, PHNA-BC, CNE

Associate Professor, Nursing
C.E. Lynn College of Nursing
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, Florida, United States
Pamela Monaghan-Geernaert, PhD

Assistant Professor
Department of History and Social Sciences
Northern State University
Aberdeen, South Dakota, United States
Shannon Freeman, PhD

Associate Professor
School of Nursing
University of Northern British Columbia
Prince George, British Columbia, Canada

The pandemic brought about many changes at a system level that were necessary to facilitate continuity of research and the practice of healthcare. Rural and underserved populations were and continue to be the hardest to reach both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the innovative coping strategies that were implemented during the pandemic are essential to continue as we transition into the endemic stage and realize our new normal as researchers and practitioners. This symposium will highlight adaptations made to research and practice during the COVID-19 pandemic that will apply to future system-level strategies. Drs. Wiese and Park will present results from an online exercise intervention for rural older adults that are at risk of cognitive decline. Drs. Ilardo and Zell will present a roadmap inspired by the pandemic to promote food equity. Drs. Zell and Haque will address rural solutions to polypharmacy issues using an interdisciplinary team approach. Dr. Monaghan-Geernaert will discuss important implications that international caregivers have in fulfilling caregiving gaps in the US, followed by Dr. Freeman et al.’s discussion of rural, long-term care facilities (LTCF) experiences during the pandemic. These system-based coping strategies have policy implications for rural healthcare as we transition to the new normal.

Learning Objectives:

Applying five lessons learned during the pandemic to continuing research and health care practices among rural older adults.
Discuss five implications of moving to a post-pandemic new normal in rural settings.

Presentations:

8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET

Pandemic-Inspired Collaborative Roadmap to Promote Rural Food Equity Across the Lifespan
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Joan Ilardo, PhD LMSW – Michigan State University
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET

Teams and Tools: Addressing Polypharmacy Using the ARMOR Tool in a Rural Nursing Care Facility
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Angela Zell, MPH, MS – Michigan State University
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET

Digital Learning and Online Chair Yoga for Rural Underserved Older Adults at Risk of Cognitive Decline
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Lisa A. Wiese, PhD, MSN, RN, GERO-BC, PHNA-BC, CNE – Florida Atlantic University
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET

The Effects of COVID-19 on the Migration of Home Healthcare Worker
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Pamela Monaghan-Geernaert, PhD – Northern State University
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET

Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on the Health and Wellness of the Long-Term Care Workforce in Rural and Northern Areas
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Shannon Freeman, PhD – University of Northern British Columbia