Abstract:

A collection of reviews & original research, addressing the effects of the physical & social context of the rural setting on the lives of the elderly, & based on the work of the Midwest Council for Social Research on Aging, published as a Sage Focus Edition, & presented in IV PARTS of 16 Chpts with a Foreword by Helena Z. Lopata, an Introduction by the editor, & an Epilogue. PART I - CHARACTERISTICS OF RURAL ELDERLY - opens the volume with (1) William B. Clifford & Stephen C. Lilley - Rural Elderly: Their Demographic Characteristics - defines rural elderly, outlines their proportions by age, gender, race, marital & family status, education, income & poverty levels, & notes the effects of mortality & migration on these patterns; (2) Charles F. Longino, Jr., & William H. Haas, III - Migration and the Rural Elderly - looks more closely at migration & return migration, together a complex flux that can confound attempts to project needed services; & (3) Lucy Rose Fischer - The Oldest-Old in Rural Minnesota - profiles those age 85+, the fastest growing segment of the population, & also the poorest, unhealthiest, & least educated, even though many still live useful & productive lives. PART II - RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT - continues with (4) Marvin A. Kaiser & Henry J. Camp - The Rural Aged: Beneficiaries and Contributors to Rural Community and Economic Development - stresses that the rural elderly are a significant portion of their communities, often participating in the delivery of services as well as in their utilization, & contends that such activity should be further encouraged; (5) John W. McClain, Jr., J. Michael Leibowitz, Stephen B. Plumer, & Karin S. Lunt - The Senior Center as a Community Focal Point: A Strategy for Rural Community Development - presents case studies of 4 senior centers in NE, & examines their role as community focal points & stimuli in community development; (6) Joseph N. Belden - Housing for America's Rural Elderly - examines the housing characteristics of the rural elderly & the limited public programs available to help; & (7) Mary R. Kihl - The Need for Transportation Alternatives for the Rural Elderly - outlines a study of transportation needs, patterns, & preferences in a 9-county area that crosses the IA-MO border, concluding that the personal automobile remains the mode of choice. PART III - PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH - offers (8) Suzanne T. Ortega, Martha J. Metroka, & David R. Johnson - In Sickness and in Health: Age, Social Support, and Psychological Consequences of Physical Health among Rural and Urban Residents - inconclusively explores possible reasons for the relatively low rate of depression among rural elderly despite the fact that their physical health is generally poor; (9) Margaret J. Penning & Neena L. Chappell - Health Promotion and Disadvantaged Elderly: Rural-Urban Differences - uses longitudinal data (N = 532 interviewees ages 55-74) to explore whether there are urban-rural differences in the effectiveness of a health promotion program in Manitoba & Saskatchewan, & concludes that rural, vs urban, elderly respond to & benefit more from such programs; (10) James A. Thorson & F. C. Powell - The Rural Aged, Social Value, and Health Care - examines the paradox of high levels of satisfaction among the rural elderly presumed to receive inadequate health care, concluding that conventional stereotypes might lack objective support; (11) Eloise Rathbone-McCuan - Rural Geriatric Mental Health Care: A Continuing Service Dilemma - itemizes the obstacles to providing adequate mental health care to the elderly, documents the shortages, & outlines some necessary steps to take; & (12) Novella Perrin - Elder Abuse: A Rural Perspective - examines rural-urban differences in the incidence of elder abuse, & reviews theories & assessments of such behavior. PART IV - SOCIAL SUPPORTS - concludes the vol with (13) Betty Havens & Beverly Kyle - Formal Long-Term Care: Case Examples - argues, using case studies, that "aging in place" requires a central locus of control & coordination of the entire services system; (14) Gary M. Nelson & Mary Anne P. Salmon - The Rural Factor in Developing State and Local Systems of Home and Community Care - examines the continuum of long-term care services, explores the factors affecting a community's capacity to deliver them, & makes recommendations on the operation of such networks; (15) Vira R. Kivett - Informal Supports among Older Rural Minorities - examines kin & informal support structures among elderly rural minorities including African, Hispanic, Native, & Asian Americans; & (16) Raymond T. Coward, Gary R. Lee, & Jeffrey W. Dwyer - The Family Relations of Rural Elders - examines kin & informal support structures among the elderly in general, analyzing residential effects, & patterns of interaction & caregiving.