PERCEIVED COMMUNITY FUNCTIONS AND THE RURAL ELDERLY

Abstract

What contributions do the elderly in small towns and rural areas feel that community services and facilities can make to their well being? An analysis of perceived community functions is an approach being developed to answer this question. An illustrative study applies the approach to the images that the elderly and the general public hold of six services for the elderly in a rural Indiana county. The study demonstrates how a perceived community function perspective can suggest ways to tailor programs and services to suit the unique requirements of a rural community's elderly population. Implications are considered for the education of individuals concerned with the well‐being of the rural elderly.