Along with national data, this book uses two detailed questionnaires which were administered to older Americans in Allegany County, New York in 1983 and 1987 as the basis for exploring the public lives of rural older Americans. The authors discuss the factors that shape the political views and behavior of the rural elderly, consulting social, economic, health and nutritional variables. Curious as to older Americans' awareness of the nutrition, social, housing, and mental health programs designed to help them, Peterson and Maiden address the unique set of factors that face the elderly's access to these services while they stress the importance of aggressive community outreach. Their examination of such issues leads to several policy suggestions.