From the Christian Science Monitor:
The story of old age in rural areas is often portrayed as a sad one: shrinking populations, a lack of public transport, poor health, and social isolation. Here in Maine – one of the most sparsely populated states in America – its aging population is staying put and getting help from friends, neighbors, and community groups. This pattern is repeating itself all over the United States, say experts in rural aging. Many older people want to keep living in the places where they were raised, worked, and brought up their own families – even if they are far from stores, hospitals, and sometimes, their neighbors.
“These are real people living real lives,” says Alana Knudson, director of the NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis. “They walk to the mailbox in the snow. There are some very hardy people aging. And keeping active and busy is really, really important to them.”
Older people aren’t “left behind” when younger people move to cities to find work, she says. They choose to stay.
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