Last fall, AARP New York convened a conference to present papers detailing the disparities in rural New York—and what we learned was startling. Older rural New Yorkers are sicker, more disabled and had less access to healthcare than those living in urban and suburban areas.

Organized by AARP New York, the New York State Office for the Aging and the Health Foundation of Western & Central New York, Disrupt Disparities: Addressing the Crisis for Rural New Yorkers 50+ was the latest in AARP New York’s initiative, which began in January 2018.

The pandemic only exacerbated the disparities for rural New Yorkers, underscoring the greater social and geographic isolation. Not only is there less access to healthcare, there are disparities in finding nutritious food and support for caregivers. To make matters even worse, accessing high-speed internet service was challenging. That made using telehealth, a vital service during the height of the pandemic, not an option for rural New Yorkers.

The report’s chief findings:

• Rural residents are more likely than urban residents to die prematurely from the five leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, unintentional injury, chronic lower respiratory disease, and stroke;
• Rural New York lost 3.1 physicians per 100,000 population from 2010 to 2017;
• There are half as many critical access hospitals for every rural New Yorker than there are for every New York City resident;
• Rural residents 65+ are 1.6 times more likely to lack home high-speed internet than their non-rural counterparts.

To view the entire report, go here: https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/bd/70/52a9e903490f9f422d43d4d5f404/aarpny-dd-2021-report-11-07-21-revised.pdf

You are invited to participate in this year’s virtual conference on December 6, Disrupt Disparities: Addressing the Crisis for Rural New Yorkers 50+ 2.0 – a dialogue on the challenges facing older rural New Yorkers in housing and transportation. Registration is available now at: https://events.aarp.org/DisruptDisparities12622