Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Jul-Oct;32(4-5):396-402.
doi: 10.1080/08959420.2020.1770036. Epub 2020 Jun 1.

The Unique Impact of COVID-19 on Older Adults in Rural Areas

Carrie Henning-Smith  1   2   3
Affiliations

The Unique Impact of COVID-19 on Older Adults in Rural Areas

Carrie Henning-Smith. J Aging Soc Policy. 2020 Jul-Oct.

Abstract

Older adults in rural areas of the U.S. face unique risks related to COVID-19. Rural areas are older, on average, than urban areas, and have more underlying health conditions and fewer economic resources. Rural health care is more limited, as is access to technology and online connectivity. Altogether, this puts rural older adults at risk of not only the virus, but of not being able to meet their health care, social, and basic needs. Rural/urban inequities, combined with within-rural inequities in health, health care, and financial resources cause particular challenges to health and well-being from COVID-19 for some older adults.

Keywords: COVID-19; Rural health; access to care; economic disparities; health disparities; social isolation and loneliness.

PubMed Disclaimer

LinkOut - more resources