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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Elderly population

Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities: Federal Programs Provide Support for Preventing Falls, but Program Reach is Limited
Provides an overview of nine federal programs designed to provide evidence-based falls prevention, home assessments, or home modifications for older adults and adults with disabilities. Explores what federal agencies know about how these programs affect participants' health and to what extent agencies coordinate their efforts and provide consumer information. Includes data on the estimated percentage of falls among adults with disabilities by demographic characteristics and identifies programs serving rural communities.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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The Association Between Primary Care Use and Potentially-Preventable Hospitalization Among Dual Eligibles Age 65 and Over
Examines the relationship between primary care and ambulatory care sensitive condition (ACSC) hospitalization among people age 65 and older who are dually-enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid. Features statistics with breakdowns by urban or rural location.
Author(s): N. Loren Oh, Andrew J. Potter, Lindsay M. Sabik, et al.
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 22(927)
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
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Rural Health Disparities in Health Care Utilization for Dementia in Minnesota
Examines emergency department (ED) and inpatient hospitalization rates for older adults with dementia in rural and urban areas of Minnesota. Utilizes 2016-2018 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention disease-specific mortality data to compare to chronologically related H-CUP's State Inpatient Database (SID) and State Emergency Department Database (SEDD) hospital and ED visit data. Includes rural versus urban breakdowns of hospitalizations and ED visits by demographics such as age, sex, income, education, minority status, health behaviors, and access to healthcare providers.
Author(s): Sung Han Rhew, Kristen Jacklin, Patrick Bright, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 39(3), 656-665
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
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Nursing Homes in Rural America: A Chartbook
Explores county-level nursing home availability and evaluates the supply of nursing home beds per 1,000 population aged 65 and older. Identifies nursing home availability for counties with and without hospitals with swing beds, and describes the resident and nursing home characteristics including occupancy levels, payer mix, demographics, and healthcare needs. Features statistics with breakdowns by noncore, micropolitan, and metropolitan counties.
Author(s): Hari Sharma, Lili Xu, Fred Ullrich, Clint MacKinney, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Characteristics of Suicide Among Farmers and Ranchers: Using the CDC NVDRS 2003–2018
Explores the demographics, methods, and mental health statuses and histories associated with suicide mortality among farmers and ranchers. Breaks down data by age, gender, and rural versus urban location, among other factors, as well as suicide method, life stressors, mental health history, and others.
Author(s): Cristina D. M. Miller, Josie M. Rudolphi
Citation: American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 65(8), 675-689
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
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The Town-Level Prevalence of Chronic Lung Conditions and Death From COVID-19 Among Older Adults in Connecticut and Rhode Island
Examines the association between town-level rates of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and deaths from COVID-19 in 208 towns in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Features county-level maps with shadings showing prevalence of asthma and COPD, and statistics with breakdown by rural location.
Author(s): Taylor Jansen, Chae Man Lee, Shu Xu, Nina M. Silverstein, Elizabeth Dugan
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 19
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
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Prescribing Alzheimer's Disease Treatments by Provider Type and Geographic Region: A Comparison among Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, and Physician Assistants
Study examining prescriptions for Alzheimer's Disease (AD) medications by provider type and geographic regions, including non-metro and a range of metro settings. Analysis is based on commercial and Medicare supplemental claims data.
Author(s): Jenny Y. Park, David L. Veenstra, Christopher J. Wallick, Zachary A. Marcum
Citation: BMC Geriatrics, 22, 522
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
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Transportation Equity for Older Adults
Explores equity concerns regarding transportation for older adults. Presents a framework for communities to assess how the transportation needs of older adults are being met. Discusses potential solutions to improve transportation equity in communities. Highlights challenges to accessible transportation in rural areas.
Author(s): Laura Fraade-Blanar, Ryan Best, Regina A. Shih
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Association Between Rural Hospital Service Changes and Community Demographics
Investigates possible differences in service availability by local demographics and examines the association between proportion of a rural community belonging to an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality-identified priority population and local hospital service changes. Features statistics on changes in healthcare service availability in nonmetro hospitals from 2011-2017, with breakdowns by areas with greater or smaller percentage of the population that is Hispanic/Latino, Black, aged 65 or greater, or in poverty. Also includes statistics on changes in availability of 8 types of services in nonmetro hospitals from 2011-2017.
Author(s): Tyler L. Malone, Kathleen Knocke, George H. Pink, et al.
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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North Dakota Supports Caregivers to Serve Rural Populations
Highlights a program for supporting caregivers in rural North Dakota. Details the efforts to expand support services to rural areas and discusses some of the challenges rural caretakers face.
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Academy for State Health Policy
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