Index

Abstract

This book addresses a growing international interest in ‘age-friendly’ communities. It examines the conflicting stereotypes of rural communities as either idyllic and supportive or isolated and bereft of services. Providing detailed information on the characteristics of rural communities, chapters ask the question, ‘good places for whom’? The book extends an understanding of the intersections of rural people and places across the adult lifecourse. Taking a critical human ecology perspective, the chapters trace lifecourse changes in community and voluntary engagement and in the availability of social support. They illustrate diversity among older adults in social inclusion and in the types of services that are essential to their well-being. Detailed information is provided on the characteristics of rural communities that make them supportive to different groups of older adults. Comparisons between the UK and North America highlight similarities in how landscapes create rural identities, and fundamental differences in how climate, distance and rural culture shape the everyday lives of older adults. Rich in national profiles and grounded in the narratives of older adults, this book provides theoretical, empirical and practical examples of growing old in rural communities.