while not an issue exclusive to rural locations, older adults cite difficulty traveling and lack of transportation, as well as affordability of care, as the most common barriers to utilizing psychological services. transportation barriers to healthcare access may be most notable for those with lower incomes. telehealth (also known as telemedicine; with related specialties of telepsychiatry, telemental health, and telenursing, to name a few ) is one such way that health care providers, researchers, and policy makers are striving to offset the physical distance and related barriers in rural health care delivery. such provision of services using telecommunications can also be used to deliver care when patients are immobilized, have chronic conditions requiring monitoring, or are homebound. national identity/origins an increasing number of americans, both adults and older adults, can claim a foreign national identity. the pew research center projects that by 2050, nearly one in five americans will be foreign born. issues of national origin may dovetail with issues of citizenship for some older adults; the latter confers social and legal rights that interact with the experience of aging to include access to healthcare (including medicare in the u.s.) and other social and financial welfare programs (e.g., social security). in addition, cultural perspectives of aging can profoundly shape one's experience of growing old. regardless of citizenship, older adults with diverse national identities may experience the aging process differently in the u.s. compared to their country of origin. there is much variability with which cultures approach aging, frailty, and death. for some, a veneration of youth marks aging as a shameful process and likely contributes to ageism in the u.s. and other westernized countries. however, an increasingly globalized world requires a review of theoretical frameworks and research agendas to better understand cross-cultural differences in aging attitudes. courses of action a report of the apa committee on aging offered overarching recommendations for fostering multicultural competencies in working with older adults. clinicians, researchers, and others in organizations that interface with older adults are called upon to recognize and dispel ageism, both professionally and personally. key to this is recognizing age as an element of cultural diversity. there are multiple levels at which to conceptualize gerodiversity, beginning with individual factors, and expanding to organizational, institutional, political, and societal frameworks. the article herein emphasizes individual experiences of social inequality to consider with the acknowledgement that aging occurs in a diverse sociocultural and political milieu. gerodiversity and multicultural competence also posits that age will intersect with other elements of diversity, with incredible variation among individuals. above all, a gerodiversity approach emphasizes the strengths that come from cultural diversity. fostering such a multicultural approach to the issues of aging is a developmental process that begins with education and training and evolves over the course of one's professional and personal experiences. molinari recommended that opportunities for education and training with older adults be available as early as high school and college. there is a dearth of healthcare workers, including psychologists and physicians, adequately trained to address the needs of the aging population. therefore, some advocate for geriatric training as a core competency in graduate and internship programs in clinical psychology. notably, the us health resources and services administration (hrsa) has devoted funding to preparing health care providers, including nurses, social workers, and psychologists, to better meet the needs of older adults through the geriatric workforce enhancement program. notably, one's development and competency in gerodiversity extends past one's formal education. molinari urges clinicians and researchers to seek independent learning opportunities with a multicultural focus and inclusion of the geriatric population. providers and policy makers are encouraged to provide outreach for physical and mental health care for older adults, perhaps in the context of equally diverse settings, such as faith communities. the apa guidelines for psychological practice with older adults advises clinicians to promote evidence-based treatments shown to be effective with older populations, and seek supervision or consultation on such practice issues. finally, from a systems perspective, a gerodiverse approach to clinical practice, research, and policy will be fostered with research on evidence-based treatment approaches for diverse older adults, as well as dissemination of such work so that the public is educated about common mental disorders in the elderly, which may eliminate stigma. supporting federal initiatives to train health workers in gerontology, particularly with multicultural considerations, and advocating for increased funding for research in these areas, is a crucial ongoing step.