Building Healthy Rural Communities
for Older Adults by Enhancing Mobility
Funding Agency:
Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention, Research Interest Group Grant
Project Period:
2010-2011
“Mobility is critical for the health and well being of older adults .”
Principal Investigators:
Kathy Rush, Elizabeth Antifeau
Co-Investigators:
Nial Helgason, Barb Pesut, Mary Ann Murphy
PROJECT ABSTRACT
Mobility is critical for the health and well being of older adults and for them aging-in-place (at home). Little is known about the relationships between mobility, health and aging in rural communities. Older adults living in rural communities are often faced with barriers to their mobility that have negative health consequences. The purpose of this project is to develop an interdisciplinary team to promote research and knowledge translation related to older adult mobility and health within rural communities. The goal is to address the barriers to mobility that impact on the health of rural dwelling older adults and to develop infrastructure to support health-enhancing mobility in rural communities.
Reports, Presentations & Publications
Rush, K.L., Antifeau, E., Pesut, B., Murphy, M.A., & Helgason, N. (2011 October). Rural mobility for older adults: It takes a community. Post presentation at 40th Annual Scientific and Educational Meeting of the CAG and 4th Pan American Congress of the IAGG, Ottawa, ON.
Rush, K.L., Antifeau, E., Helgason, N., Pesut, B., & Murphy, M.A. (2010, September). Conceptual models of mobility: Applicability to older adults in Canadian rural communities. Paper presentation at Canadian Rural Health Research Society Conference: Rural Health: Connecting Research and Policy, Fredericton, NB.