Study: Very rural senior citizens receive fewest services

Staff Report

PULLMAN — Older adults living in very rural settings are less likely than those living closer to urban centers to receive available services in health, nutrition and transportation, according to a new study by a Washington State University scientist.

Raven Weaver, assistant professor in WSU’s Department of Human Development, and co-author Karen Roberto at Virginia Tech, found that older adults living in a completely rural environment, far from a city center, are two and a half times less likely to receive any type of service compared to those living in a mostly rural setting, according to a press release from WSU.

The findings were published Aug. 24 in The International Journal of Aging and Human Development.

Services, in the paper, included meal delivery programs, farmers market voucher assistance, various types of in-home care, health management programs, transportation services and many others. Older adults were defined as anyone over 60 years old.

While service disparities between rural and urban older adults are well known, these findings distinguish between different levels of rural.

“Our paper highlights the most vulnerable groups within that rural classification,” Weaver said in the press release.

For the study, Weaver used data from more than 1,600 adults, collected from Area Agencies on Aging in Virginia. Those agencies often provide or refer people to services and are designed to support older adults proactively, Weaver said.

When looking through all the data, geography was the most significant disparity.

It is important for family members caring for older adults to realize they can contact agencies about services for their relatives, Weaver said.

“Get connected to services early,” she said in the press release. “Some support is better than no support. Having access to food or meal assistance can re-direct energy to other challenges. Being proactive is key for helping people remain in their homes as they get older.”