By Jennifer Wilson, Staff Writer
In order to meet the ever-growing health and
social needs of rural America, healthcare not only
needs to be accessible, but it also needs to be more
affordable. However, the unfortunate truth exists
that the government is just now beginning to do
studies and take a serious look at what rural
caregivers and their loved ones need.
Rural Long-Term Care Issues
- The integration of long-term care along with
other needed non-medical social services in
rural areas.
- Strengthening the collaboration among
government, private corporations and local
community organizations in order to meet the
healthcare needs of rural seniors and their
caregivers.
- Department of Veterans’ Affairs should begin
to seriously consider offering more long-term
care options with so many combat veterans living
in rural areas.
- Rural advocates must begin to research and
evaluate where future financing will come from
for long-term care services, and how these
services will be implemented.
- Include the term “rural” in the distribution
of federal dollars for long-term care services
and integrate any implications of policy
decisions or changes on rural elders in all
policy debates.
- Create a rural, long-term care task force
that will address the existing and future
problems of the increasing number of elderly in
rural America.
- Evaluate Medicaid and Medicare reform
options to include the expansion of
affordable, accessible, and available long-term
care into rural America.
Printable Version
