Geographical, economic, social and cultural barriers to accessing services in rural areas are widely reported. Less widely discussed are dilemmas posed by individual and community reluctance to address sensitive health issues. This article, focusing on the highly sensitive area of mental health, and employing a participatory action approach,…

Context: Identifying ways to meet the health care needs of older adults is important because their numbers are increasing and they often have more health care issues. High resilience level may be one factor that helps older adults adjust to the hardships associated with aging. Rural community-dwelling older adults often face unique challenges such…

The author describes the nature of the rural poor in southern Appalachia, with emphasis on the elderly and their attitudes toward health practices and medical care and their resistance to change. He concludes that problems of health care delivery have no easy solution. (MF)

Examines issues and problems confronting 20 caregivers of victims of Alzheimer's disease in rural southwest Missouri and the formal and informal services they received. Suggests that coordination of formal/informal supports must be improved. Describes characteristics and incidence of Alzheimer's disease and implications for rural areas with high…

The Geriatric Assessment Unit (GAU), which has proven successful in urban areas, may be a viable system for providing health care to the elderly in rural areas. GAUs engage in assessment, follow-up response to findings, education, and research. The assessment component includes, at minimum, physical health, functional ability in activities of…

This document contains testimony of witnesses in a field hearing on the future of the rural elderly. The opening statement by Representative Bob Whittaker (Kansas) notes that the aging of America creates a more difficult time for the rural elderly than their urban neighbors. Distance and low population density magnify the difficulties of…

Despite recent efforts to encourage federal funding of psychological services for underserved populations such as the elderly and residents of rural areas, ample evidence suggests that rural areas are underserved by psychologists. Drawing on data from rural and urban areas in Pennsylvania, this paper argues that master's level training can provide…

The purpose of this research was to examine the characteristics of older Canadians with dementia (compared to those without dementia), their use of health care services, and the impact of place (rural/urban) on use of services. Andersen and Newman's Behavioural Model of Health Services Use (1973) guided the study. A cross-sectional design used…

Examines general demographic, social, and economic situation of older rural people and how their conditons do or do not differ from those of older urbanites. Contrasts migration trends, living arrangements, income, housing, transportation, communication, and health. Figures and tables provide population, residency, living arrangement, and poverty…

Most of the world's rapidly expanding aging population is in rural areas of developing countries. Geriatric training programs should include social, economic, and psychological aspects of aging as well as medical, and should focus on enabling primary health caregivers to care for older people in their environments. Efforts to provide rural…

Categories of age-related disabilities are described. The goal of rehabilitation is to enable elderly individuals to continue living at home with some independence. In rural areas, this goal can be attained through rehabilitation in the community by nurses, volunteers, the elderly themselves, and family members; provision of appropriate assistive…

Rural ghettos are created when proportionately large numbers of unemployed, low income, and elderly residents live in communities located 30 miles or more from communities which can provide the range of goods and services necessary for a decent quality of life. This definition may apply to 300 Iowa towns. (JHZ)

This document contains a compilation of articles that have been assembled because of their potential for enhancing understanding of rural health care issues and for their unwavering high standards. The articles promote high quality research in an area which is rapidly becoming a legitimate and recognized field of inquiry among scholars. Besides…

This instructor's resource guide, one in a series of products from a project to develop an associate degree program for paraprofessional rural family health promoters, deals with teaching a course in paraprofessional skills. Covered in the first section of this guide are the role of paraprofessional skills in rural health promotional training,…

This document details how Australia's government intends to implement the New National Agenda for Women, which was formulated in 1993 after a review of many recent reports and after a forum to obtain input from women in the community, representatives of many women's organizations, and all areas of government. Sixteen of the 23 chapters examine the…