AREA OF RESIDENCE AND THE RISK OF INSTITUTIONALIZATION

Many of the sociodemographic, health status, and social support charac teristics that predict the use of health services by elders vary by ar ea of residence. Yet, little is known about how these factors affect t he risk of institutionalization in rural, small city, and urban areas. The purpose of this research was to: (a) determine the rate of instit utionalization over a two-year period for impaired community-dwelling elders in rural, small city, and urban areas; (b) test for residence d ifferences in sociodemographic, health status, and social support char acteristics likely to influence the risk of institutionalization; and (c) examine their effect on the probability of being institutionalized in each area of residence. Although rural elders are less likely to b e placed in a nursing home than their small city or urban counterparts , race and level of impairment affect the risk of institutionalization more in rural than in urban areas.