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Cohen, Adrienne L.

MPA Program

2006

M.P.A.

Older adults are the fastest growing segment of the population in the United States. By the year 2020, twenty percent of the population will be over the age of 65. Communities need to learn how to respond to the growing needs of the older adult population. Older adults in rural communities face unique challenges in receiving formal support services. This phenomenological qualitative research study uses in-depth interviews to looks at the support networks of rural older adults from their perspectives. It seeks to understand the formal and inform supports older adults receive and the value of these supports to their lives. Eight older adults in Addison County Vermont were interviewed as part of the study. The researcher hopes to use the information gathered to inform formal service delivery systems serving older adults in rural communities on ways to improve service delivery.