For Seniors in Rural Areas, Volunteers Step In

Volunteers are often the primary caregivers for seniors in rural areas of the United States, according to the Wall Street Journal . One out of four Americans 65 and older — some 10 million people — live in rural and non-metropolitan areas. According to September figures from the Health Resources and Services Administration, nearly 65 percent of areas short of health professionals are rural or partially rural. Meanwhile, the percentage of family caregivers — unpaid relatives or friends — living in rural areas decreased from 31 percent in 2009 to 16 percent in 2015, according to studies by the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP Public Policy Institute. Throughout the United States, communities, organizations, nonprofits, and foundations are working on ways to meet rural caregiving needs by delivering meals, arranging transportation, and providing companionship. In rural Vermont, for instance, seniors can offer services such as tutoring, sewing, and baking in return for someone shoveling their driveway via the Onion River Exchange. Telemedicine, a two-way, real-time interactive communication between seniors and caregivers and a health professional at a distant site, is increasing in use and offers perhaps the most potential to rural residents in their senior years.