Health of Rural America’s Older Residents

There has been added attention on the financial strain on many rural farmers, questions about whether diminished incomes will eventually weigh down increases in land values, and whether the Trump administration will eventually find trade deals that make finances better – not worse – for America’s farmers and ranchers.

All those issues are critical, no doubt. But as many rural towns shrink in population, they don’t just lose growth potential. They also lose the potential workforce and resources to care for aging residents, a population that is getting older on average than people in urban areas.

Aging Rural Population

USDA research shows that the number of counties where at least one in five residents is over the age of 65 is now three times higher than it was in 2010. Many rural communities are losing residents overall. But the remaining residents are aging without the necessary support system.

Lynda Hoerauf, 88, from the farming community of Hebron, North Dakota, loves the rural life. She told CBS News that she would prefer no other place to live. “It's so opposite, these little rural towns, from cities and things," she said. But she wouldn't have it any other way.  "No, I wouldn't. I absolutely wouldn't.

But health care and transportation can both be limited in rural communities, which can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness that are already prevalent in older people. And if those situations don’t improve, then how will these towns convince other people to move or remain in small town America?

RELATED: This is how advocates hope to make sure the mental health needs of rural farm families gets better supported.