Barriers to providing case management to older rural persons

This article analyzes data from a national sample of 356 agencies on barriers to providing case management to rural older persons. Although considerable variation is found regarding the degree of difficulty attributed to various barriers, several areas are reported by respondents as problematic, such as a lack of resources to pay for case management and services, a lack of services, and a lack of transportation. On the other hand, a lack of rural case management standards, qualified persons to conduct case management, and opportunities for staff training, as well as staff turnover and professional isolation, are generally not seen as particularly troublesome. More support from families and personal knowledge of clients and service providers are most likely to be seen as advantages in providing case management to rural elders. These findings both support and contradict the current gerontological literature on the types of barriers that impede the development and provision of services to rural older persons. Additional research is needed on the barriers to providing case management to rural older persons before policies directing scarce resources are put into place.