HEALTH CARE NEEDS OF RURAL OLDER ADULT CANCER SURVIVORS

ABSTRACT

Introduction Older (65+) cancer survivors have unique complications after chemotherapy, including physical and cognitive impairments and geriatric syndromes. Survivorship research has generally focused on younger and urban populations. We explored the survivorship needs of rural older adult survivors. Methods Thirteen rural older adults who finished curative-intent chemotherapy completed open-ended interviews and health surveys. Transcripts were coded independently by two coders using thematic analysis. Results Mean age was 74 (SD=5.1). Most participants were non-Hispanic White (92.3%), female (69.2%), and married (46.2%). All had health insurance and 76.9% had an annual income <$50k. Most were diagnosed with colon (46.2%) or lung (23.1%) cancer. Themes (Table 1) included 1) No survivorship care plan developed (100%), 2) No coordination between primary and oncology team (100%), 3) Symptomatic toxicities present (100%), 4) No discussion on long-term chemotherapy effects (61.4%);5) Financial challenges (53.8%), 6) Isolation due to COVID19 pandemic (38.5%), 7) Organizational barriers to care (30.8%), 8) Patient does what doctor says (23.1%), and Recommendations included 1) referral to support groups (23.1%), 2) discussion on survivorship care (23.1%), and 2) information on exercise (15.4%) Conclusions Rural older survivors have unmet survivorship needs. Aging-sensitive interventions may lead to improved survivorship health post-treatment among rural older adult survivors.