This website is being reviewed for updates. Some information is offline. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Elderly population

Aging in Rural Communities: Older Persons' Narratives of Relocating in Place to Maintain Rural Identity
Uses data from 16 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with older adults living in a rural area to examine their assessment of their current living situation. Seeks to understand the perspective of older persons who move from a rural area to a more populous, but still rural community. Also discusses the influence of overall health status and access to healthcare services when making relocation decisions.
Author(s): Joyce Weil
Citation: Online Journal of Rural Research & Policy, 12(1)
Date: 2017
view details
Tribal Nursing Home Best Practices: Traditional Foods
Presents a guide for tribal nursing homes to develop a traditional food menu for elderly American Indians and Alaska Natives. Discusses the health benefits of traditional foods and the methods for involving elders and the community in the planning and implementing of traditional food menus. Features organizations, case studies, and webinars, among other resources.
Date: 12/2016
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
view details
Older Adult Social Participation and Its Relationship with Health: Rural-Urban Differences
Analyzes social participation among older adults and if the relationships between social participation and health differ between rural and urban settings in Wisconsin. Includes study population statistics on current and past self-reported health status, marital status, employment, age, income, social participation, and rurality.
Author(s): Eric M. Vogelsang
Citation: Health & Place, 42, 111-119
Date: 11/2016
view details
Utility of the Living (Well Through) Intergenerational Fitness and Exercise Program as a County-Delivered Extension Program
Evaluates the suitability of the county Extension to deliver the Living (well through) Intergenerational Fitness and Exercise (LIFE) program, a group-based exercise program for rural residing older adults providing low-cost, effective physical activities to address chronic health conditions and improve health-related quality of life.
Author(s): Ashleigh J. Sowle, Sarah L. Francis, Jennifer A. Margrett, Warren D. Franke
Citation: Journal of Extension, 54(4), rb5
Date: 08/2016
view details
Aging Gracefully: The PACE Approach to Caring for Frail Elders in the Community
Provides an overview of the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) model, which offer participants comprehensive medical and long-term services and supports. Highlights Mountain Empire's PACE, which serves older adults in rural Virginia.
Author(s): Martha Hostetter, Sarah Klein, Douglas McCarthy
Date: 08/2016
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
view details
Health Status and Social Networks as Predictors of Resilience in Older Adults Residing in Rural and Remote Environments
Examines the relationship of health status and social networks with the resilience of older adults living in a very rural (frontier) Wyoming county. Discusses how family and friend networks, and physical and mental health status may predict resiliency and impact the ability of older adults to remain in their homes.
Author(s): Christine McKibbin, Aaron Lee, Bernard A. Steinman, Catherine Carrico, Katelynn Bourassa, et al.
Citation: Journal of Aging Research, 2016
Date: 07/2016
view details
Adoption of a Tai Chi Intervention, Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance, for Fall Prevention by Rural Faith-Based Organizations, 2013-2014
Results of a study of fall-prevention exercises geared toward adults ages 65 or above, conducted by 19 trained instructors through faith-based organizations in 7 rural West Virginia counties.
Author(s): Dina L. Jones, Rachael W. Starcher, Jennifer L. Eicher, Sara Wilcox
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 13
Date: 07/2016
view details
Rural-Urban Differences in Chronic Disease and Drug Utilization in Older Oregonians
Provides secondary analysis of 3 longitudinal brain-aging studies of adults 85 years of age or older in Oregon. Compares the results of a study with a rural cohort and 2 studies with urban cohorts to identify the disease burden and medication usage of each elderly population. Analysis uses Modified Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (MCIRS) to measure chronic illness, and medication usage is estimated based on the mean number of total self-reported prescription and non-prescription medications per cohort.
Author(s): Leah M. Goeres, Allison Gille, Jon P. Furuno, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 32(3), 269-279
Date: 06/2016
view details
Are Rural Older Adults Benefiting from Increased State Spending on Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services?
Discusses the availability and use of home and community-based services (HCBS) by rural and urban elderly receiving Medicaid funding for long-term services and supports (LTSS) using national Medicaid Analytical Extract claims data.
Author(s): Andrew F. Coburn, Eileen Griffin, Deborah Thayer, Zachariah T. Croll, Erika C. Ziller
Date: 06/2016
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
view details
Challenges and Barriers to Health Care and Overall Health in Older Residents of Alaska: Evidence from a National Survey
Analyzes healthcare access and preventative health behaviors of the growing Alaskan senior population. Compares health status, healthcare coverage, and length of time between check-ups to seniors in the continental U.S. Describes the barriers of geographic isolation, climate, and poverty impacting Alaskan older adults.
Author(s): Julia D. Foutz, Steven A. Cohen, Sarah K. Cook
Citation: International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 75(1)
Date: 04/2016
view details