Ageing in Appalachia: A Theoretical Essay on Challenges and Opportunities

The Appalachian region is a long, mountainous area in the eastern part of the United States of America (U.S.). Historically, Appalachia’s boundaries have varied depending on the cultural and political moment, with communities in central and southern Appalachia typically being the subject of stereotypes associated with the area’s rural location, strength of family and faith, and relative poverty and geographic isolation. Older adults have long been positioned as icons and culture bearers within Appalachia. As the second half of 20th century brought modernization to the region, ethnographers began to interview and study older people as a way of preserving and recording cultural folkways that were in threat of being lost. In recent decades, older people in Appalachia have been challenged by interlocking transitions including the opioid epidemic, high rates of disability, and the out-migration of working-age adults from rural locations to small, but growing cities within the region. Nevertheless, older Appalachians remain well-positioned as stewards of the folk traditions and community cohesion which are key to community resiliency in the 21st century.