Community Supports for Rural Aging in Place and Independent Living – Resources

Disability in America: People with Disabilities (2017)
Displays general disability rates on the county level using data from the 2013-2017 American Community Survey (ACS).
Date: 01/2019
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Research and Training Center on Disability in Rural Communities
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2018 Home and Community Preferences Survey: A National Survey of Adults Age 18-Plus a Look at Rural Communities
Reports on survey data investigating preferences for homes and communities in adults with focus on housing, transportation, outdoor spaces, and social engagement. Discusses specific preferences and needs for older adults and people with disabilities. Includes comparisons between rural, urban, and suburban respondents.
Date: 2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: AARP
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Aging in Appalachia
Episodes of the radio program "Inside Appalachia," exploring challenges faced by elderly people in Appalachia, and the resources available to them. Topics include caregiver shortages, Alzheimer's disease, dying with dignity, and isolation and loneliness.
Date: 2019
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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Resources for Caregiving in Rural Communities
Policy brief describing national and state-level resources being used to support unpaid caregivers in rural areas. Information was gleaned from journal articles, websites, and interviews with 41 informants representing providers, academics, advocacy groups, and others.
Author(s): Megan Lahr, Carrie Henning-Smith
Date: 08/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Perspectives on Rural Caregiving Challenges and Interventions
Policy brief describing challenges and opportunities to support unpaid caregivers in rural areas, based on 34 interviews with 41 key informants, from October 2017 through February 2018. Highlights work that informal caregivers are doing and identifies policy levers that have been used to support them.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Megan Lahr
Date: 08/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Gender Differences in Social Isolation and Social Support among Rural Residents
Examines gender differences in social isolation and supports among aging rural residents. Includes statistics on perceived loneliness, social support, and social participation by gender. Offers suggestions to reduce social isolation and improve associated health outcomes in rural communities.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Alexandra Ecklund, Ira Moscovice, Katy Kozhimannil
Date: 08/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Rural Aging: Health and Community Policy Implications for Reversing Social Isolation
Summarizes discussions from a stakeholder meeting regarding reversing social isolation among rural seniors. Highlights three objectives: a common understanding, actionable solutions, and awareness. Discusses the economic and health impacts of isolation for aging rural residents. Covers policy recommendations.
Date: 07/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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Engaging People with Disabilities: Strategies for Rural Health Departments
Discusses various methods for rural health departments to engage with people with disabilities. Highlights disparities for rural disabled people. Presents county-level map of rural disabled populations.
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Improving Chronic Disease Self-Management by Older Home Health Patients through Community Health Coaching
Describes a pilot study using community volunteers trained as health coaches to assist rural older adults with chronic diseases discharged from home health services in effectively managing their chronic condition, with the intent to reduce their hospital readmission and emergency department use.
Author(s): Cheryl Dye, Deborah Willoughby, Begum Aybar-Damali, Carmelita Grady, Rebecca Oran, Alana Knudson
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(4), 660
Date: 04/2018
Type: Document
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The Future of Rural Transportation and Mobility for Older Adults: Current Trends and Future Directions in Technology-Enabled Solutions
Focuses on transformation of mobility for older adults in rural areas through innovation in transportation solutions. Describes how mobility restrictions are a social determinant of health, and the ways in which this can adversely impact health and independence for older rural people.
Author(s): Andrew Broderick
Date: 04/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Grantmakers In Aging
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