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2024

Caring for Pennsylvanians with Dementia and Related Disorders: An Analysis of Needs and Capacity in Rural Areas, 2024 to 2034

December 09, 2024  | Health Care and Human Services

This research project examines important questions regarding the potential demand for care for individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder (ADRD) in rural Pennsylvania. By 2040, this study projects there will be approximately 133,000 more Pennsylvanians diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, as the size of the population age 65 and older increases by over 23%. In most rural counties, the proportion of the population with Alzheimer’s will exceed the overall state rate. Based on trends in data, the Commonwealth’s capacity to care for individuals with dementia-related disorders in facilities is limited. A significant amount of care is provided to persons in their homes, and that need will grow. Interviews and surveys with professionals and care workers confirm ongoing challenges in providing adequate levels of staffing and training to deliver the home care for which patients are eligible. Policy considerations focus on additional supports to address the burdens facing family caregivers and the inadequate supply of paid caregivers.

Executive Summary

Tags:  rural communities , alzheimers disease , dementia

2022

Social Determinants of Health in the Age of COVID: Effects of Social Isolation Among Adults 62+ in Rural Pennsylvania

November 03, 2022  | Rural People and Communities

This study analyzed the extent of social isolation among rural Pennsylvanians aged 62 or older, evaluated the determinants of social isolation among older residents, identified evidence-based programs and services that minimize social isolation, and assessed potential replicability in Pennsylvania.

Executive Summary

Tags:  older adults , social isolation , me , rural communities , mental health

2013

Planning for the Future: A Handbook on Community Visioning, Fourth Edition

April 01, 2013  | Community and Economic Development

The purpose of this handbook is to help communities like yours begin thinking and planning for the future. It is not, however, a cookbook on community visioning. Every community in Pennsylvania is unique, so it must develop its own vision and plan for the future. On the other hand, many of the same principles and activities that are included in the process may be useful to many communities. To help communities find that common ground and allow them the freedom to decide what their plans might include, the Center for Rural Pennsylvania designed this handbook to focus on the process of visioning, not the outcome.

Tags:  rural communities , community development , economic development

2010

2008 Attitudinal Survey of Pennsylvania Rural Residents (2010)

November 15, 2010  | Rural People and Communities

To learn more about how rural Pennsylvanians view the issues facing the state and their local communities, how their perceptions differ from urban
residents, and how these views have changed across time, the researchers surveyed more than 1,200 rural Pennsylvanians in 2008. They also surveyed more than 1,000 urban residents. The researchers then combined the responses with information from previous rural surveys conducted in 1999, 2000, and 2003 to gauge changes over time.

Tags:  economy , health care , rural communities , affordable housing , attitudes , local government , quality of life , natural resources , state government

Introducing the Center's new journal, Rural Policy: The Research Bulletin of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania.