Mental health care provision for rural elders

Rural mental health service resources and intervention approaches to meet t he needs of rural elders are in a state of flux. Even within this fluctuati on some relatively stable and beneficial resources are available to rural a lders and their families. This article identifies those resources within th e context of the growing influence of managed behavioral health care. Syste ms of managed care are directing the types of mental health services availa ble and their patterns of coordination with other health and social service resources used by rural elders.