2020 Transformative Learning Conference

An introduction to the roots of TL learning theory and contemporary conceptualizations of TL

Rural communities contend with several issues related to maintaining their citizens’ health. Sparsely populated rural communities continue to face reductions in the healthcare services readily available to them. These same rural communities are more apt to live in poverty (Rural Health Information Hub, 2019). Ironically, food deserts, areas lacking in adequate and healthful food choices, are particularly common in the Great Plains where agricultural production dominates the landscape (Imhoff & Badaracoo, 2019). Although food desserts impact all age groups, they affect the elderly who lack a vehicle most severely (Fitzpatrick, Geenhalgh-Stanley, & Ver Ploeg, 2015). In addition to food availability, the elderly population needs the support of an available medical structure when battling frailty. How can rural communities overcome obstacles to reclaim overall health vibrancy? Medical care and wellness must be transformed to accommodate the needs of the elderly in rural areas. Alternative access, including opportunities like telemedicine and extension-based healthcare, provide sustainable options for communities with unsuccessful traditional medical systems. Through engagement with individuals who have been impacted by rural healthcare access, researchers can learn how to disrupt the degradation of rural medicine. Researchers will explore the usefulness and practicality of app-based medical care in rural environments. Conversations cultivated through this research intends to broaden the opportunities for health care previously inaccessible to rural populations.