|
|
Rural Aging
United States
Rural Counties More
Dependent on Social Security (October 31, 2011)
Any
cuts to the Social Security program will
disproportionately affect rural America. Rural counties are more
reliant on
income from Social Security than are the nation’s cities. Social
Security
payments are vital to rural counties and small cities because the money
supports the economy of the local community.
Rural-Urban Health Insurance
Cost Disparity Rises (July 16, 2011)
A study shows a growing
disparity between rural and urban areas of Iowa in the cost, quality
and availability of employer-based health insurance. Rural workers pay
higher premiums and deductibles, and devote a higher percentage of
their income to health insurance coverage than their urban
counterparts. Additionally, many rural employers do not offer health
insurance at all. Thus the study obviously concludes that urban
residents are more likely to say they are in good health than rural
residents.
Report: US: Aging in Place,
Stuck Without Options: Fixing the Mobility Crisis Threatening the Baby
Boom Generation (June 2011)
A report released by the Washington D.C.-based Transportation for
America coalition projects that by 2015, more than 15.5 million US
citizens ages 65 and older are expected to live in communities where
public transportation options are poor or nonexistent. The report
includes different cases in different regions as examples of the
current situation and the future one. The State of Montana, in
particular, will have an aging population facing challenges related to
the distances between cities and the lack of public transportation
options available for traveling between them. Striking information is
that “the New York metropolitan region, which has the most extensive
transit access of any area, is estimated to add 101,159 seniors with
poor transit access by 2015.”
Report: The Health Status and
Unique Health Challenges of Rural Older Adults in California (June 2011)
Almost one in five older California adults age 65 and over live in
rural areas. Rural elders experience more problems related to obesity,
physical inactivity, food insecurity, heart disease, diabetes and
repeated falls than their suburban counterparts. This policy brief
examines the health of rural elders, the unique environment and other
risk factors that affect them. It targets policymakers by proposing
programs and policies aimed at addressing and improving these issues.
Rural Health Care
Facilities Face Additional Challenges in Changing to Electronic Records
(June 21, 2011)
Rural health care facilities are facing obstacles--insufficient
pharmacies, fewer people and lack of internet access--in transferring
medical records to an electronic system. E-records would increase the
quality of care patients receive and make it easier for doctors to
select more effective treatments. Starting in 2015, doctors not using
e-records will lose a percentage of their Medicaid and Medicare
reimbursements fees.
Rural
Patients More Likely Than City Dwellers to Have Common Surgeries (May
16, 2011)
A study on Medicare patients challenges the idea of lack of access to
surgery in rural areas; older residents there are actually more likely
to have common surgeries than people in cities. However, there are
still questions whether rural residents must travel risky distances to
get the surgery, whether they were in worse health than city dwellers
in the first place, or whether they have access to non-surgical
treatments. So, the study does not dismiss the problems about access to
surgical care across the rural US.
Losing Young People,
Keeping Older People (May 6, 2011)
The Mountain States are aging quickly. West Virginians, Kanawha
Countians and Charlestonians are getting older. The mayor in Charleston
concluded that this is occurring because old people are staying
in the state while younger people go to other places seeking better job
opportunuites. The Action Commissioner of the state said that every day
there're 73 people in the sate who turn 60 years old.
In
Rural Communities, Elderly Populations Rely on Other Seniors to Act
as Caregivers (April 25, 2011)
To avoid being forced into nursing homes, seniors in rural
communities tend to rely on and act as caregivers for one another. That
includes driving neighbors around to get meals or to doctors’
appointments. Although this is a good and optimistic practice, it does
not change the fact that the US is getting older, which means that the
volunteers themselves are getting older. And at the end of the day, “if
there's more elderly and there's less money, then what are you going to
do?”
Psychological Support for Elders in
Rural Areas (February 23, 2011)
Aging gracefully poses hardships all over the world. Adjusting to a new
role in society, loss of independence, and even isolation are just some
hurdles that older persons face today. In rural areas however, access
to medical and mental health services is far more difficult than in the
urban US. Traditional values of independence and strong family values
often keep older persons from reaching out for or accepting help
outside their circle, as it signifies failure. Can something be done to
improve the standard of living for older persons in rural areas?
Emotional support and healthcare are a start.
Report: US: Attitudes of Healthcare
Workers towards Older People in a Rural Population: A Survey Using the
Kogan Scale (February 22, 2011)
This paper reports on a survey that aimed to identify
and evaluate the attitudes of nurses, healthcare assistants, and
nursing students towards older people. The survey was undertaken in a
rural county in the Republic of Ireland. It is reassuring that in thisstudy,
researchers found that these healthcare
workers hold positive attitudes towards older people. In addition, itfound
that students who went on toa higher level at the university
appear to have lost their more positive attitudes.
This is an importantbut soberingfinding in light of
the shift towards nursing as an all-graduate profession.
USDA Rural
Development recognizes 35th Anniversary of Milford Housing (August 27,
2010)
USDA Rural Development was in Milford today to recognize the board and
management at Milford Housing for providing quality housing services to
residents in Milford since 1975, especially for rural elderly. USDA
Rural Development currently provides financing for 500 multi-family
housing projects in rural Iowa.
|
|
