The U.S. population is aging, especially in rural areas, and most older adults would prefer to age at home rather than move to a new home, community, or institutional setting. However, age is sometimes accompanied by changes in mobility and physical and mental functioning, which can make it challenging for older adults to leave their homes and engage in their communities. In some cases, such functional limitations cause an older adult to be classified as "homebound"; that is, not able to leave their home without help, or at all. Without access to adequate institutional or home and community-based care, older adults may become homebound, a state that is associated with poorer health outcomes, higher rates of hospitalization and emergency department use, and greater risk of social isolation, functional decline, and mortality. Despite the growing population of homebound older adults and the associated costs and health inequities, little is known about how geographic and social context contributes to one's risk of being homebound.

The purpose of this project is to address the current gap in understanding of how social and geographic context contributes to older adults' risk of being homebound in rural and urban areas.