What Do Rural Caregivers Need? Implications of Formal Service Usage and the Role of Cooperative Extension Systems

The well-being of caregivers in the U.S. is a public health crisis. Caregivers experience greater rates of depression, chronic disease, and social isolation; however, the context of rural and urban living experiences creates different caregiving realities. Using two representative datasets of caregivers in the North Central and Northeast regions of the U.S., this paper examined the experiences of rural and urban caregivers in using formal support services. Rurality was negatively related to formal support service usage. Results from a multiple regression revealed a positive association between formal service utilization and caregiver well-being. These findings suggested that formal services can play a crucial role in alleviating caregiver burden and promoting positive well-being outcomes. These results show that rural caregivers, despite potentially having a greater need for such services due to limited informal support networks, were less likely to utilize them when available. This disparity warrants further investigation and identifies a potential need for future Cooperative Extension caregiving programs and resources that address the unique experiences of rural caregivers and the barriers to and perceptions of formal care usage.