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Abstract:
A growing concern with ecological issues has led gerontologist to analyze the life-situation of aged people in cities and in the country more precisely. While it is generally assumed that aging in the country has advantages to aging in the city, statistical figures (e.g. income, living conditions, health status, educational opportunities, institutions for the aged) show that country dweller's "cumulative disadvantages" have to be taken into consideration, disadvantages caused by interacting societal and individual factors in rural life. Psychological investigations--as e.g. the Bonn Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA)--show positive correlations between a central location of the home and increased general activity, broader scope of interests, more frequent use of communication media (newspapers, newscasts), better mood, greater readiness for involvement. While city-dwellers are more frequently engaged in social contacts outside of the family, country dwellers are more involved in interactions with the immediate family. The following practical considerations for the improvement of the situation of the aged in the country are presented: beginning in childhood and youth, conditions should be granted which allow the individual to live in ways which prevent too early aging; this ought to be supplemented by providing activating and stimulating environments for aging people and help for the aged, be it in special institutions or through activities in their familiar environment. It is shown that a differential ecogerontology is required, since (1) a simple distinction between city and country is by far too global, (2) similar ecological conditions are known to have different effects, depending on inter-individual differences, and (3) intraindividual patterns, and (4) it becomes evident that objective ecological conditions do not as clearly determine behavior in age as do cognitive representations of these ecological variables. This last statement is in accordance with the cognitive theory of aging. There can be no doubt that ecological variables influence the process of aging, but there is nothing like the aging in the country.