You can drive out of Charlottesville, Virginia, in any direction and within ten minutes find yourself in third-world rural poverty. In 1988, University of Virginia academics began pondering how the institution's vast resources could be used to improve the lives of these rural poor. The result was the Rural Elder Outreach Project, an innovative experiment that for five years evaluated and provided in-home nursing care for rural elder poor in five Virginia counties.

As volunteer and observer, Susan Garrett traveled with the project's nurses, doctors, and social workers. Based on her research and experiences, Miles to Go deftly weaves larger issues of aging in rural America into a series of up-close encounters with individuals and families. Gracefully written, the book takes a practical look at the problems inherent in any community-based effort, yet manages to maintain a very personal touch.