Abstract :
The purpose of this study was to describe the social support networks, level of social support, and perceived physical health of older rural adults. Eighty-two randomly selected subjects over 65 years of age participated. Data were collected using the Personal Resource Questionnaire (PRQ85) and a single-item measure to assess health. Findings suggest that older rural adults have few people in their social support networks, decreased levels of support, and poor health. Because social support has a positive influence on health, nurses need to find ways to increase the level of support in the rural aged.
