In this book, the editors review the status of today's fragmented rural long-term care system and trace the trends in its philosophy, policies, and programs. The chapters progress from an analysis of the constraints and shortcomings of access to focus on remedies and strategies for improving care and delivery of services. The book includes a set of seven guiding principles and a series of specific programmatic recommendations for enhancing rural long-term care as we move into the 21st century.

The contributors, whose research was supported by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR), represent collective expertise in health policy research, sociology, nursing, rural medicine, and management.