The plight of rural people has been highlighted by numerous policy studies and considerable public awareness has been created via the media. Whereas 50% of the population of South Africa is rural, the rural areas contain 72% of those members of the total population who are poor. Compared to their urban counterparts, rural people also have vastly inferior access to basic social services and the ...

The debate concerning sustainability and growth in rural areas of the UK is attracting the attention of policymakers at both national and local levels. Little surprise, as the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) indicates that the net migration from urban to rural areas in England in 2009 was 92,000 people (CRC, 2010). This figure reveals a renewed interest shown by people to move to the cou...

The relationship between new media networking (NMN) and political participation continues to develop in complex ways. In light of evidence pointing to increased political participation through NMN, the structures of the networks people engage continue to exhibit both empowering and disempowering aspects. While some gaps associated with the Digital Divide are closing, others are opening. This es...

Seniors Housing & Care Journal 109 Empowering Direct Care Workers: Lessons Learned from THE GREEN HOUSE Model The nursing home culture change movement continues to gain support from government, industry, and consumer groups. Many believe it holds promise for improving both the quality of care and the quality of life for people residing in long-term care settings. One of the challenges currently...

Rural people are more uninsured (especially in remote rural areas), have higher rates of insurance on the individual market, have lower rates of employer-sponsored insurance, and, on average, have lower incomes. Allowing current health insurance and cost-shifting trends to continue—that is, allowing the status quo to go unchecked by health reform legislation—will have significant consequences f...

A WIDE RANGE OF PEOPLE are just beginning to equate information service in their communities with the institution they once believed served a primarily recreational and educational function-the public library. At present, many rural libraries have inadequate numbers of staff, and many others have staff which are seriously undereducated to meet the expanded information needs of the people in the...