A social network analysis of rural dementia‐related home‐ and community‐based service providers

INTRODUCTION The rural United States has a higher proportion of older adults than urban areas, and rural older adults have a higher risk of dementia. These areas also have fewer dementia‐related services and fragmented care networks. We investigated how a rural dementia‐related home‐ and community‐based service network collaborates to provide care. METHODS A cross‐sectional social network analysis of 45 home‐ and community‐based service organizations that provide dementia‐related care across rural Southern Illinois was conducted. We surveyed the organizations to assess their awareness of, frequency of contact with, collaboration with, and referrals to the other organizations. Node‐ and network‐level analyses and visualizations were conducted. RESULTS Fourteen organizations (31%) participated. There was moderate awareness among the organizations (density = 0.47) and high reciprocity (reciprocity = 0.80), meaning organizations were often mutually aware of each other. DISCUSSION Results suggest a relatively dense, mutually connected core with some peripheral organizations, highlighting potential targets for strengthening collaboration and coordination in rural dementia systems.