A-07: Foundational Digital Readiness for Brain Healthcare in a Community-Based Rural Aging Population
Abstract
Objective: Tele-neuropsychology care models, including virtual visits, virtual dementia support groups, and/or digital cognitive assessments, hold promise for bridging gaps in access to brain healthcare in rural regions. We assessed foundational digital readiness for brain healthcare among older adults in a community-based sample from Arkansas, a highly rural state, with attention to structural access and individual-level factors influencing engagement. Method/Data Selection: Participants (N=148; agemean=75.81 years, 75% post-secondary education, 73% female, 89.2% White) were recruited from Garland County, Arkansas, a mixed rural–micropolitan region, and provided information their cognitive and physical health, technology access (internet, email, device ownership), and comfort using technology for brain healthcare (e.g., telehealth visits, digital cognitive assessments). We examined associations between participant characteristics and digital readiness. Results/Data Synthesis: Technology access was high: 94.9% reported home internet access and 100% owned at least one digital device. Most expressed comfort with digital brain healthcare, including virtual visits (75.7%), digital cognitive assessments (82.9%), and virtual programming (88.1%). Lower educational attainment was associated with lower technology comfort across multiple digital brain health tasks (ps≤.002). Worse self-reported cognitive functioning and health status were associated with reduced access (p=.023) and comfort (p=.037) respectively. Digital readiness was not associated with age, race/ethnicity, or rurality. Conclusions: In this community sample, older adults demonstrated high levels of digital access and willingness to engage in tele-neuropsychology care models. Disparities in digital confidence related to education and cognitive/physical health highlight the need for targeted support to ensure equitable implementation of digital healthcare. Findings underscore the importance of pre-implementation digital readiness assessments in rural settings.