Rural-urban comparisons of age and health at the time of nursing home admission.
This study re-examines the contention that rural elders admitted to nursing homes are younger and healthier than their counterparts who enter urban facilities. The analysis uses interview data gathered in both urban and rural nursing homes. Residents were interviewed at or near the time of admission regarding their health and circumstances immediately prior to entering the nursing home. The findings indicate few and modest differences between urban and rural residents. In those instances where differences are observed, there is ambiguity--some measures indicate lower health status in the case of rural residents, while others suggest that urban residents are more likely to report health impairments. The divergence of these findings from earlier research may be due to differences in the study populations, measurement differences, or, more likely, that policies and processes have changed over time.
Duncan
R P
RP
University of Florida Health Sciences Center, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
Coward
R T
RT
Gilbert
G H
GH
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida / Q000453:epidemiology; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012423:Rural Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*