Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Elderly population
Closing the Care Gap: Strengthening Long-Term Services and Supports in Rural California
Describes gaps in long-term services and providers for rural older adults in California and offers policy recommendations to address those gaps. Discusses the direct care workforce, aging-related barriers to support, family caregiving support, and workforce education.
Author(s): Pauline DeLange Martinez, Elizabeth Bogumil, Helen Miltiades, et al.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organizations: The SCAN Foundation, UC Davis Health
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Describes gaps in long-term services and providers for rural older adults in California and offers policy recommendations to address those gaps. Discusses the direct care workforce, aging-related barriers to support, family caregiving support, and workforce education.
Author(s): Pauline DeLange Martinez, Elizabeth Bogumil, Helen Miltiades, et al.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organizations: The SCAN Foundation, UC Davis Health
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Rural Health Care Policy Solutions for California's Older Adults
Describes healthcare disparities for rural older adults in California and offers policy recommendations to address those disparities. Discusses the healthcare workforce, workforce training, navigating complex systems, age-friendly care, care coordination, transportation, digital health, and community-based support and resources.
Author(s): Pauline DeLange Martinez, Elizabeth Bogumil, Helen Miltiades, et al.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organizations: The SCAN Foundation, UC Davis Health
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Describes healthcare disparities for rural older adults in California and offers policy recommendations to address those disparities. Discusses the healthcare workforce, workforce training, navigating complex systems, age-friendly care, care coordination, transportation, digital health, and community-based support and resources.
Author(s): Pauline DeLange Martinez, Elizabeth Bogumil, Helen Miltiades, et al.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organizations: The SCAN Foundation, UC Davis Health
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Current and Maximum Acceptable Travel Times to Primary Care Among US Older Adults
Explores the threshold of travel time at which it becomes a barrier to primary care access and for which groups. Uses data from a study conducted in February 2025 of adults age 50 and older. Features demographics and statistics with breakdowns by urban, suburban, and rural or other areas.
Author(s): Tabasa Ozawa, Ying Liu, Soeren Mattke
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 8(11), e2545280
Date: 11/2025
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Explores the threshold of travel time at which it becomes a barrier to primary care access and for which groups. Uses data from a study conducted in February 2025 of adults age 50 and older. Features demographics and statistics with breakdowns by urban, suburban, and rural or other areas.
Author(s): Tabasa Ozawa, Ying Liu, Soeren Mattke
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 8(11), e2545280
Date: 11/2025
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PACE in Rural Communities: Emerging Evidence on Integrated Care for Older Adults
An interview conversation with Carrie Henning-Smith of the the University of Minnesota School of Public Health (UMN) Rural Health Research Center about All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). Covers how PACE supports older adults, the impact of PACE in rural communities as well as potential barriers, and policy and partnership needs.
Author(s): Megan Lisch
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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An interview conversation with Carrie Henning-Smith of the the University of Minnesota School of Public Health (UMN) Rural Health Research Center about All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). Covers how PACE supports older adults, the impact of PACE in rural communities as well as potential barriers, and policy and partnership needs.
Author(s): Megan Lisch
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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Rural-Urban Differences in Barriers to Care and Utilization of Preventive Care Among Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage Beneficiaries
Discusses the differences in barriers to care and preventive care utilization for older adults enrolled in traditional Medicare versus Medicare Advantage and makes a rural-urban comparison. Explores barriers to care, such as quality of care and out-of-pocket costs, as well as care utilization, such as regular vaccinations, cancer screenings, and cholesterol tests, among others.
Author(s): Gawain J. Williams, Dan M. Shane, Whitney E. Zahnd, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Discusses the differences in barriers to care and preventive care utilization for older adults enrolled in traditional Medicare versus Medicare Advantage and makes a rural-urban comparison. Explores barriers to care, such as quality of care and out-of-pocket costs, as well as care utilization, such as regular vaccinations, cancer screenings, and cholesterol tests, among others.
Author(s): Gawain J. Williams, Dan M. Shane, Whitney E. Zahnd, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Paying Family Caregivers: Self-direction in Medicaid Personal Care
Compares characteristics of dually eligible older adults receiving caregiving through either self-direction and non-self-direction, including personal demographics, health conditions, healthcare utilization, and rurality. Discusses rural findings in light of workforce shortages in rural communities. Includes analysis of Medicaid data from 6 states with reliable self-direction data as well as analysis of characteristics for 41 states and Washington, D.C.
Author(s): Yiqing Kuang, Katherine E.M. Miller
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 3(11)
Date: 11/2025
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Compares characteristics of dually eligible older adults receiving caregiving through either self-direction and non-self-direction, including personal demographics, health conditions, healthcare utilization, and rurality. Discusses rural findings in light of workforce shortages in rural communities. Includes analysis of Medicaid data from 6 states with reliable self-direction data as well as analysis of characteristics for 41 states and Washington, D.C.
Author(s): Yiqing Kuang, Katherine E.M. Miller
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 3(11)
Date: 11/2025
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Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation for Rural Providers, with Kevin Biese and Natalie Elder
An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Kevin Biese, MD, Chair of the Board of the American College of Emergency Physicians Geriatric Emergency Accreditation program, and Natalie Elder, MD, Director of Geriatric Emergency Medicine for the University of Vermont Health Network. Focuses on the Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation and the standards of rural geriatric care that it ensures.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Kevin Biese, MD, Chair of the Board of the American College of Emergency Physicians Geriatric Emergency Accreditation program, and Natalie Elder, MD, Director of Geriatric Emergency Medicine for the University of Vermont Health Network. Focuses on the Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation and the standards of rural geriatric care that it ensures.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Older Americans Act: Greatest Economic and Social Needs of Rural Older Adults
Policy brief discussing the economic and social needs for rural older adults. Offers policy and action recommendations for the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, discussing rural aging programs, affordable housing, access to nutrition, social isolation, healthcare workforce shortages, and caregiver support.
Author(s): Kathy Greenlee, Abby Cox, L. Carter Florence, Josh Protas, and Rebecca Yeboah
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Policy brief discussing the economic and social needs for rural older adults. Offers policy and action recommendations for the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, discussing rural aging programs, affordable housing, access to nutrition, social isolation, healthcare workforce shortages, and caregiver support.
Author(s): Kathy Greenlee, Abby Cox, L. Carter Florence, Josh Protas, and Rebecca Yeboah
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Healthcare Access and Health Related Quality of Life of New Mexican Adults: Results from the 2023 New Mexico Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
Reports on healthcare access and health-related quality of life in New Mexico using New Mexico Behavioral Risk Factor Survey (NM BRFSS) data. Covers topics including self-reported quality of mental and physical health, health insurance coverage, routine healthcare check-ups, flu vaccination among older adults, and likelihood of having a personal healthcare provider. Provides data breakdowns for each topic by level of rurality and other demographics.
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: New Mexico Department of Health
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Reports on healthcare access and health-related quality of life in New Mexico using New Mexico Behavioral Risk Factor Survey (NM BRFSS) data. Covers topics including self-reported quality of mental and physical health, health insurance coverage, routine healthcare check-ups, flu vaccination among older adults, and likelihood of having a personal healthcare provider. Provides data breakdowns for each topic by level of rurality and other demographics.
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: New Mexico Department of Health
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More Than 5 Million Older Adults Are Eligible for Both the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and a Medicare Savings Program (MSP)
Examines characteristics of older adults who are eligible for both Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Provides data on eligibility, with data broken down by state, demographics, household size, income, and urban versus rural location.
Author(s): Olivia Dean, Tobey Oliver
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: AARP Public Policy Institute
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Examines characteristics of older adults who are eligible for both Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Provides data on eligibility, with data broken down by state, demographics, household size, income, and urban versus rural location.
Author(s): Olivia Dean, Tobey Oliver
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: AARP Public Policy Institute
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