Rural Health
News by Topic: Older adults
Oct 5, 2026 - Describes bipartisan legislation to extend the reporting deadline for Indian Health Service (IHS) patients who seek emergency care from non-IHS facilities. The bill would increase the deadline from 72 hours to 15 days for most patients. Older adults and people with disabilities would continue to have a 30-day deadline as the current law allows.
Source: Office of Senator Catherine Cortez Masto
Oct 1, 2026 - Discusses using multi-sector plans for aging (MPAs) to coordinate services for residents as they age. Notes challenges for rural residents in accessing services, how the Utah MPA addresses rural transportation, and using Rural Health Transformation Program funds for aging care.
Source: National Conference of State Legislatures
Sep 16, 2026 - Summarizes new research finding that rural older adults are less likely to receive hospice care and intensive hospice services. Notes that future research should explore drivers of this disparity.
Source: Dartmouth Health News & Stories
Sep 2, 2026 - Describes newly funded research investigating chronic pain among rural older adults using machine learning to extract data and make it more useful to clinicians.
Source: Virginia Tech News
Sep 1, 2026 - The National Rural Health Association has trained 223 rural community health workers in Texas and Alabama to strengthen care for rural older adults through the National Rural Age-Friendly Initiative.
Source: National Rural Health Association
Aug 28, 2026 - A new research program has been funded to study rural healthcare access for older adults with serious illness. Highlights common barriers to healthcare for rural residents and discusses planned projects for the institute.
Source: Valley News
Aug 28, 2026 - Announces a new suicide prevention campaign in Oklahoma designed to reach certain groups with high rates of suicide including rural residents, tribal residents, older adults, veterans, and middle-aged men.
Source: Fox 23
Aug 27, 2026 - Authors of a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association found that rural residents and dual-eligible patients had less access to home health rehabilitation services within 48 hours of discharge from the hospital. Results were based on data from Medicare and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries 65 and older who received home healthcare services after hip or knee replacement surgery between 2021-2023.
Source: McKnight's Long-Term Care News