Objective: This presentation provides an overview of selected health conditions and needs of rural elderly women and their families. The objective is to explore health concerns and needs that pose challenges for health professionals as well as for women and their family members. We will focus on low-income African American and white women who live in Augusta-Richmond and McDuffie counties in Southeast Georgia
Design: Information for this presentation is drawn from our experiences as faculty at the School of Nursing, Medical College of Georgia located in Augusta-Richmond County. We have reviewed research data, journal articles, field notes and clinical records as well as the professional literature on our chosen topic.
Material and Methods: This presentation is based on clinical practice as well as academic research. JSB conducted a 10 year ethnographic study with African American women who cared for adult children or grandchildren with HIV/AIDS. SLT created a partnership with the Dearing Baptist church to establish a faith-based primary care clinic in rural McDuffie county. Our research and clinical practice has as its aim the involvement of participants, as well as the development of community partnerships and capacity. We are guided by the commitment that the production of knowledge should be applied to problems in the research and clinical settings from which it comes, thus it was our aim to identify closely with the needs and concerns of the women that we worked with, using diverse perspectives that attempted to reconcile action with inquiry.
Results: Health disparities in vulnerable and African American populations are a matter of national concern (Satcher, 1998). Major illnesses, disability and death related to diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke, hypertension and cancer contribute to health disparities among African Americans. The health of vulnerable populations, who are uninsured and underserved, as well as living in economically deprived areas of the country has received national attention and raised concerns in Georgia. Lack of access to care may be related to location, unavailability of services, as well as lack of financial resources. As opportunities to attain adequate health care decrease, many uninsured individuals focus only on urgent health needs. The result is that health promotion and disease prevention are ignored for more pressing concerns. Middle aged or older women, both black and white often perform multiple caregiving roles. These caregiving roles frequently translate into interrupted employment and limited access to health insurance, and they place time constraints on women’s ability to seek care for themselves. Caregiving is time-consuming, labor-intensive and stressful that often has detrimental effects on physical and mental health. Active participation and self-determination on the part of consumers and communities as well as commitment from health professionals are critical determinants in policies to address health disparities in rural vulnerable populations.
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