| Abstract: | Reviews the book, The elderly in rural society: Every fourth elder edited by Raymond T. Coward and Gary R. Lee (1985). Until recently, the gerontological literature has had a decidedly urban bias. This book is an important effort to fill the knowledge gap concerning the rural elderly and is a useful reference for students, academicians, service providers, and policy makers who share a concern for America's rural elderly. For many of the more than 59.5 million rural residents of this country, the romanticized vision of a tranquil and prosperous rural lifestyle has been replaced by the realities of economic deprivation, inadequate housing, and unaddressed physical and mental health problems. This book brings together a wealth of current information to understand these realities better. In addition to the editors, 16 distinguished contributors, primarily from the fields of sociology and social work, examine rural-urban differences and the implication of those differences for the rural elderly population. Chapters cover demographics, socioeconomic considerations, physical and mental health status, housing characteristics, family and community relationships, and the development and delivery of health and human services to the elderly in rural society. This book helps service providers to understand and be sensitive to the value system and social ecology of rural areas so that they can address real rather than assumed needs more effectively. Overall, the book is comprehensive and well-written and can serve as a resource for students and professionals from a variety of disciplines, including rehabilitation psychology, who may work with, live with, help, or study the rural elderly. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
