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. 2021 Dec 17:7:23337214211063102.
doi: 10.1177/23337214211063102. eCollection 2021 Jan-Dec.

Connection Through Calls: The Impact of a Seniors Center Without Walls on Older Adults' Social Isolation and Loneliness

Heather Roland  1 , Yana Ilin Shpilkerman  2 , Jessica Schaub  1 , Ann-Carol Comeau  1
Affiliations

Connection Through Calls: The Impact of a Seniors Center Without Walls on Older Adults' Social Isolation and Loneliness

Heather Roland et al. Gerontol Geriatr Med. .

Abstract

The Edmonton Seniors Centre Without Walls program provides free health, psychosocial, and educational telephone programming for older adults who experience multiple barriers to traditional in-person programming. The aim of this program evaluation was to assess outcomes of participation using validated scales of loneliness and psychosocial and health quality of life. Telephone interviews were conducted pre (n = 160) and post (n = 99) with participants. Given the variation in average attendance, results were assessed by level of participation: Low, Moderate, and High Users. There was statistically significant improvement in all participants' attitudes towards their self-realization and towards energy levels, and EQ-5D-5L anxiety/depression scale after participation, along with a significant reduction in feelings of social isolation. The highest rates of improvement were seen within High Users. These findings suggest that telephone-based programs could be a useful intervention to improve the wellbeing and socially connectedness of older adults.

Keywords: loneliness; older adults; psychosocial; social support; telephone programming.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Participant retention flowchart
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Overall UCLA loneliness score by User Level (lower score—least lonely)
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
CASP-12 Baseline vs. Follow-up Participant Responses
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
EQ-5D-5L score change by Dimensions.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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