Quick hits: dying at home in rural Texas; learn about MAT; how to talk to political opposites; origin of the word 'redneck'

Here's a roundup of stories with rural resonance; if you do or see similar work that should be shared on The Rural Blog, email us at heather.chapman@uky.edu.

Shawn Jordan, 43, is dying, and he wants to spend the time he has left with his family in rural Texas. But getting home hospice care when you live in a rural area can be difficult because "the long distances and often empty miles mean long hours for nurses, arduous trips to the hospital, and extra work for caregivers who have to learn basic medical care," Megha Satyanarayana reports for Stat, the national health and science website of The Boston Globe.

Medication-assisted therapy is the gold standard for treating opioid addiction, but what is it? The Rural Health Information Hub has an article with plenty of resources to help you better understand the science behind MAT.

With Easter dinner coming up, Donna Kallner with The Daily Yonder has some suggestions for how to foster polite discussion among family members across the political spectrum. Read more here.

West Virginia Public Radio has a fascinating discussion about the history of the state's labor movement--including where the word "redneck" comes from. Read more here.