The Health Status, Health Services Utilization, and Support Networks of the Rural Elderly: A Decade Review*

Abstract

Research from the 1980s on several dimensions of health and health care among the rural elderly is reviewed. Following a brief discussion of the demographic patterns and life conditions of the rural elderly, the current state of knowledge regarding health status, health services utilization, and the potential for informal and familial care of the elderly is examined. The review concentrates on studies that include comparisons between rural and urban populations and/or control for additional variables that are known to covary with residence. Such analyses permit the documentation of the effects of residential location on health indicators net of other factors. The review concludes that the rural elderly are relatively disadvantaged in terms of both health status and access to health care services, and have little if any advantage over the urban elderly in their access to informal sources of care. Following the review, an agenda for future research is identified.

Conséquences des inondations de juillet 1996 sur la santé psychologique et physique d'individus sinistrés âgés de 55 ans et plus vivant en milieu rural /

“…Selon Eggebeen et Lichter (1993) En ce qui a trait à l'état de santé de la population, les recherches comparatives entre les régions rurales et urbaines ont démontré que la santé physique des résidents ruraux est généralement plus mauvaise et plus fragile que celle des résidents urbains (Eggebeen & Lichter, 1993). C'est ainsi qu 'Eggebeen et Litcher (1993) (Bachrach, 1981;Dwyer, Lee, & Coward, 1990;Paykel et al, 2000;Rosenblatt & Moscovice, 1982). Il a également été trouvé des taux plus élevés de malnutrition, d'abus d'alcool et de dépendance ainsi que plus de violence familiale et de suicides chez les jeunes hommes des communautés rurales (Paykel et al, 2000).…”

“…Ainsi, la nature complexe et multidimensionnelle de la santé, les différences dans la conceptualisation de la résidence et la variété des échantillons étudiés sont des facteurs qui rendraient, selon ces auteurs, difficilement généralisables les données existantes. (Bachrach, 1981;Baumheir et al, 1973;Dwyer et al, 1990;Eggebeen & Lichter, 1993;Paykel et al, 2000;Flax et al, 1979). Les régions rurales contiendraient également, selon les recherches d 'Eggebeen et Lichter (1993), une quantité élevée de personnes âgées et de malades chroniques risquant de développer des troubles de santé mentale.…”

“…Dans leur étude comparative portant sur la prévalence de troubles anxieux dans des régions rurales et urbaines, George et al (1986) (Parikh et al, 1996;Paykel et al, 2000;Robins & Regier, 1991) (Coward & Jackson, 1983;Dwyer et al, 1990;Eggebeen & Litcher, 1993;Judd et al 2002;Linn & Husaini, 1985;McCoy & Brown, 1978;Paykel et al, 2000). Au Canada, le gouvernement fédéral (1997) soutient que les services sociaux et médicaux y sont souvent absents ou inférieurs aux normes.…”

Ageing research along the urban–rural distinction: old questions and new potential

“…The urbanrural divide may be perceived as being too broad an umbrella for investigating concrete empirical research questions. It appears that urban-rural research is primarily acknowledged as representing a valuable contribution within the sphere of applied gerontology-for example, when differences between older people in urban and rural settings in relation to service and health provision or nursing home admissions are the focus of analysis (Dwyer et al 1990). The question of what the consideration of broad categories such as 'urban' and 'rural' adds to the fundamental understanding of ageing processes has, however, yet to generate an unequivocal response.…”

The Availability of Health Care Resources for Elders Living in Nonmetropolitan Persistent Low-Income Counties in the South

“…In general, small towns and rural communities tend to offer their seniors a smaller number, and narrower range of formal health services (Coward & Cutler, 1989;Dwyer, Lee, & Coward, 1990). In this context, persistently poor communities may find it particularly difficult, relative to more affluent Office of Rural Health Policy, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Grant #CSR000001).…”