Abstract
Arkansas and Oklahoma are predominantly rural states with a rapidly growing aging population. When this demographic trend is combined with increasing life expectancy and high rates of disability, the shortage of qualified formal and informal family caregivers becomes more critical. More than 500,000 adults provide care for a family member in Oklahoma, and more than 452,000 in Arkansas. Furthermore, approximately 50% of all caregivers are required to perform medical tasks. Additional issues in rural areas include limited access to transportation and caregiver options; thereby increasing the burden on family caregivers. Reaching family caregivers and identifying potential direct care workers in sparsely populated areas is challenging and outreach into these areas differs greatly than more densely populated urban areas. Therefore creativity and strategic collaborations are essential when educating rural caregivers. Partnering with established aging networks, faith-based initiates, and community development programs have been very successful.