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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Older adults

Transportation for People with Disabilities and Older Adults During COVID-19: Lessons for Emergency Response
Provides information on planning for transportation needs during emergencies and pandemics, with a focus on assisting older adults and people with disabilities. Discusses roles and responsibilities, personnel and resources, technology and tools, challenges and solutions, and strategies and sustainability, with reflections on issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Includes considerations for transit agencies in different locations, including rural and tribal.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Transit Cooperative Research Program
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organizations: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Transportation Research Board
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Addressing the Needs of Older & Disabled Adults in Rural Communities: Findings From the California Rural Master Plan for Aging Initiative
Webinar recording discussing the development of rural-specific master plans for aging in rural California. Offers an overview of the process, summary of findings, recommendations, and next steps. Transcript available in the description.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: California Collaborative for Long-Term Services and Supports
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Washington Long-Term Care Workforce Initiative Legislative Report
Provides an overview of long-term care (LTC) for older adults in Washington and the available LTC workforce. Focuses on workforce demand, initiatives and projects to improve the LTC workforce, and policy recommendations. Provides LTC data for rural Washington, including average facility patient count, staffing hours, number of nursing homes per rural county, and more.
Author(s): Donald J. Smith Jr., Christopher W. Dula, Claire M. Fite, et al.
Date: 12/2023
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Bridging a Care Gap: Policy Opportunities for Improving Access to Home-Based Primary Care
Recording of a panel discussion on home-based primary care for rural older adults and policies that could address challenges with offering and accessing home-based primary care. Discusses telehealth, broadband, community infrastructure, service models, community health workers, and more. Transcript available in the video description.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Duke Margolis Institute for Health Policy
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Resources on Rides for Employment for Older Adults and People with Disabilities
Describes differences in transportation accessibility for older adults and people with disabilities based on resources available in particular communities. Provides resources and example programs focused on improving transportation options in rural areas.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Aging and Disability Transportation Center
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Impacts of Transit on Health in Rural and Small Urban Areas
Overview of how public transportation affects health in rural and small urban areas. Summarizes findings from a literature review that looked at public transportation as it relates to the social determinants of health, healthcare access, physical activity, social isolation, and mental health. Also reports results from a survey of rural older adults supplemented by data analysis looking at travel for healthcare, challenges related to public transportation, and the impacts of missed or delayed healthcare trips.
Author(s): Jeremy Mattson, Bright Quayson
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute
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Mortality in Adults Age 65 and Older: United States, 2000–2019
Examines mortality trends in adults aged 65 or older from 2000-2019. Provides data breakdowns by various demographics, urban versus rural status, and top 10 leading causes of death.
Author(s): Ellen A. Kramarow, Betzaida Tejada-Vera
Citation: National Vital Statistics Reports, 72(14)
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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A Food Access Model in Michigan's Graying America
Presents a model for increasing food access for the aging populations in a rural county in Michigan. Discusses the barriers to food access in the county, highlights specific concerns for each population, and details approaches to overcome those barriers.
Author(s): Wajeeha Kamal, Lily Guiney, Miles Oates
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: American Communities Project
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Building an Age-Friendly Ecosystem in Mississippi
Podcast episode discussing statewide age-friendly public health work in Mississippi. Highlights the value of partnerships and offers advice for other public health departments wanting to begin age-friendly work. Discusses rural throughout.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Age-Friendly Public Health Systems, Trust for America's Health
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Housing America's Older Adults 2023
Provides an overview of demographics and housing needs of older adults in the U.S. Discusses affordable and accessible housing that allows for the appropriate level of care. Includes rural versus urban data comparisons of the aging population and housing issues specific to rural areas.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University
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