Centre for Policy on Ageing



Myths and realities of ageing in rural Britain
Author(s)	G Clare Wenger
Journal title	Ageing and Society, vol 21, part 1, January 2001
Pages	pp 117-130
Keywords	Services ; Rural areas ; Living in the community ; Life satisfaction ; Literature reviews.
Annotation	Ageing in rural areas has received less attention in the literature than the proportions of older people living in rural areas might suggest. This paper looks at rural ageing in the United Kingdom based on the existing literature and on research in country areas in which the author has been involved. It examines some of the common myths about ageing in rural communities, and explores these in terms of their accuracy when compared with the reality of the situation of older people in these areas. The realities of rural lifestyles, family and community networks, life satisfaction, health and access to services are briefly discussed. It is concluded that ageing in rural Britain has advantages and disadvantages, but that it is conclusively neither better nor worse than ageing in urban areas. However, it is suggested that rural service provision demands a different approach from that which is appropriate in urban areas. (KJ/RH).
Accession Number	CPA-010405207 A
Classmark	I: RL: K4: F:5HH: 64A
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.