Recent situation in rural areas and changes in family dynamics dictate special forms of work and assistance to the elderly living in the countryside. Looking for a better life and economic status, more and more young people leave the rural areas, and with that, they change the structure of the population. Currently, most of the rural areas are dominated by older people, living in households with one or two family members. According to a post by Elly Kleinman, Americare Companies founder and president, such misbalance can reflect negatively on the above mentioned group of older population.

With the departure of young people, all of the household obligations fall on the back of the older members. Burdened by work, age and illness, they become less able to take care of themselves. Recent statistics reveal that the number of single-person households is constantly increasing. However, despite the preoccupation with the everyday daily chores, and the family disintegration, Kleinman concludes that the psychological problems and stress levels are still much lower in the rural areas.

Distance and poor traffic connections of rural settlements with city centers, make harder for the elderly to purchase food and medicine, and even more difficult to go to a health or other type of institution. Although they are living in much less favorable conditions than those in urban city environments, rural population doesn’t want to go to nursing homes, requires less help of various relevant institutions, and are more autonomous and independent with other things as well, says Elly Kleinman. In rural areas it is often possible and quite common to count on the help of the neighbors, because working hours of rural people is not strictly timed, and communication and socializing in the rural areas differ from one season to another.

However, Kleinman stresses that older man with impede movement, who live alone, equally need assistance as those living in the cities. Helping people in the third age must be viewed as a whole, taking into consideration the general social situation of the person of that age. Therefore, Kleinman says that it is our primary concern as a society to help those people with their living conditions, accommodation and food, medicine, ability to exercise, social activities and other rights and obligations of each individual in society.