Abstract:

Examines the major points of contact between the restructuring of long-term care & the evolving geography of the elderly in the agricultural heartland of Waikato, 1981-1991, a decade in which New Zealand embarked on a sweeping program of service restructuring & privatization. Comparative analysis of statistical & survey data on the evolving distribution of the elderly & on the shifting supply of long-term care beds reveals that restructuring has sharpened contrasts between urban & rural contexts for aging. Almost all the urban centers in the Waikato area benefited from an expansion of long-term care driven by private-sector initiatives, while rural communities suffered a broad-based depletion of services. However, contrary to the trend in long-term care, more older elderly (ages 80+) are staying in rural communities. It is speculated that through the aggregate outcomes of such decisions the personal troubles of elderly residents of service-depleted communities may yet become an important policy issue.