RESUMO
Professionals concerned with rural health issues sometimes overlook the possibilities that the Cooperative Extension Services (CES) hold for addressing rural health problems. Joint venturing between health care and CES professionals can help address the growing rural health care concerns associated with cost containment strategies and the federal deficit, as well as the traditional problems associated with the scarcity of health care resources in rural areas. Cooperative extension, a 75-year-old national, community-based system can provide the structural and program delivery capacity to help shape health care delivery in rural areas through community organization and education. The structure and functions of the CES, brief examples of successful CES programs, and some helpful hints provide insights into the potential for successful cooperation and collaboration. This collaboration can represent a cost-effective strategy to address problems in the changing health care climate.
Assuntos
Serviços de Saúde Comunitária/organização & administração , Saúde da População Rural , Educação em Saúde/organização & administração , Necessidades e Demandas de Serviços de Saúde , Relações Interinstitucionais , Missouri , Técnicas de Planejamento , Planos Governamentais de Saúde , Estados UnidosRESUMO
A local program can be successfully transplanted beyond state lines if it contains the seeds for its own dissemination and replication. One such program, the Volunteer Information Provider Program (VIPP), was first piloted in Missouri and then disseminated to 20 states. The strategy, steps taken, and key elements of this successful model are delineated. The VIPP, a rural family caregiver program, was utilized, in just the dissemination phase, by 657 professionals and volunteers to aid 7,213 rural family caregivers across the United States.
Assuntos
Cuidadores/psicologia , População Rural , Apoio Social , Voluntários/educação , Idoso , Cuidadores/educação , Difusão de Inovações , Assistência Domiciliar/educação , Humanos , Missouri , Projetos Piloto , Estados UnidosRESUMO
The spectrum of health care for the rural elderly has been negatively affected by recent changes in Medicare reimbursement policies and by the farm crisis. This case study examined the effects of these changes on the ability of rural hospitals, the aging network, and care-givers to provide adequate and continuous care to the elderly. In this case study, three gaps in services were found: a lack of programs designed to meet the needs of terminally ill patients and their families; a lack of education during the crucial transitional period between hospital discharge and home; and a lack of services and programs for the chronically-ill older adult. More studies are needed to determine if similar service gaps will be found in other rural communities. If so, public attention should be focused on possible solutions.
Assuntos
Agricultura/economia , Serviços de Saúde para Idosos/economia , Medicare , Sistema de Pagamento Prospectivo , Saúde da População Rural/tendências , Idoso , Continuidade da Assistência ao Paciente , Demografia , Assistência Domiciliar/economia , Hospitais Rurais/economia , Humanos , Entrevistas como Assunto , Missouri , Administração em Saúde Pública/economiaRESUMO
This paper questions the universal applicability and utility of age groupings among the elderly and the predictions which result concerning health status and costs as more people live beyond age 75. Comprehensive health data from an elderly population in rural Minnesota show the 'old-old' to be comparable to and in some respects better off than the 'young-old'. Drawing on the notions of "compression of morbidity' and survivorship, this study suggests looking beyond simple age distinctions in order to identify groups with increased risk.
