RURAL-URBAN COMPARISONS OF AGE AND HEALTH AT THE TIME OF NURSING-HOMEADMISSION

This study re-examines the contention that rural elders admitted to nu rsing homes are younger and healthier than their counterparts who ente r urban facilities. The analysis uses interview data gathered in both urban and rural nursing homes. Residents were interviewed at or near t he time of admission regarding their health and circumstances immediat ely prior to entering the nursing home. The findings indicate few and modest differences between urban and rural residents. In those instanc es where differences are observed, there is ambiguity-some measures in dicate lower health status in the case of rural residents, while other s suggest that urban residents are more likely to report health impair ments. The divergence of these findings from earlier research may be d ue to differences in the study populations, measurement differences, o r, more likely, that policies and processes have changed over time.