The use of telephone befriending in low level support for socially isolated older people - an evaluation: Telephone befriending for socially isolated older people
Open accessAbstract
There is increasing policy recognition that the alleviation of social isolation and loneliness in older people should be prioritised. Recently, technology, such as telephone networks and the Internet, has received attention in supporting isolated and lonely older people. Despite lack of evidence, telephone befriending has been considered an effective low-level method to decrease loneliness among older people. This study evaluated the impact of a national befriending scheme for isolated and/or lonely older people, involving eight project sites across the UK 2007-2008. The purpose was to assess the impact of different models of telephone-based befriending services on older people's health and well-being. A mixed methods approach was used. This paper reports on the findings from 40 in-depth interviews with older service recipients. The most important finding was that the service helped older people to gain confidence, re-engage with the community and become socially active again. Three topics were identified: why older people valued the service, what impact it had made on their health and well-being and what they wanted from the service. In addition, nine subthemes emerged: life is worth living, gaining a sense of belonging, knowing they had a friend, a healthy mind is a healthy body, the alleviation of loneliness and anxiety, increased self-confidence, ordinary conversation, a trusted and reliable service, the future--giving something back. In conclusion, the findings present in-depth qualitative evidence of the impact of telephone befriending on older people's well-being. Befriending schemes provide low-cost means for socially isolated older people to become more confident and independent and develop a sense of self-respect potentially leading to increased participation and meaningful relationships.
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Our findings are consistent with previous qualitative research on the accessibility and feasibility of telephone programs for socially isolated older adults.
“Our findings are consistent with previous qualitative research on the accessibility and feasibility of telephone programs for socially isolated older adults.”
From Telephone-based group mental health support for older adults in central Canada: pilot acceptability and effectiveness findings of The CONNECT Program (2025) · cites this paper as [46]
The Study section describes qualitative interviews with older recipients of telephone befriending. In “Life is worth living” (page unavailable), housebound participants describe how calls brought them into contact with others, supporting accessibility for those participants. The paper does not establish broader accessibility or feasibility: “Reaching lonely older people” says it could not tell how many people were unable to access the service, and “Limitations of study” notes low enrollment. (LLM, conf=0.82)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn one study of a not-for-profit telephone service where volunteers engaged in casual telephone conversations with isolated older adults, participants reported increased confidence, community engagement, and social activity.
“In one study, researchers evaluated a not-for-profit telephone service where volunteers engaged in casual telephone conversations with isolated older adults. Participants reported increased confidence, community engagement, and social activity (46).”
From Telephone-based group mental health support for older adults in central Canada: pilot acceptability and effectiveness findings of The CONNECT Program (2025) · cites this paper as [46]
The theme of connectedness in our study aligns with sense of belonging and feeling more connected.
“the theme of connectedness in our study aligns with sense of belonging (46) and feeling more connected (47).”
From Telephone-based group mental health support for older adults in central Canada: pilot acceptability and effectiveness findings of The CONNECT Program (2025) · cites this paper as [46]
Perceived program benefits in our research correspond to themes such as impact on mental well-being and alleviates loneliness and anxiety.
“perceived program benefits in our research correspond to themes such as impact on mental well-being (47) and alleviates loneliness and anxiety (46).”
From Telephone-based group mental health support for older adults in central Canada: pilot acceptability and effectiveness findings of The CONNECT Program (2025) · cites this paper as [46]
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- Authors
- Cattan, M., Kime, N., & Bagnall, A.-M.
- Affiliations
- Northumbria University (GB)
- Leeds Beckett University (GB)
- ORCID
- Bagnall, Anne-Marie
- Venue
- Health & Social Care in the Community
- Publisher
- Hindawi Limited
- Published
- 2010-11
- Volume
- 19
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- no-no
- ISSN
- 0966-0410 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2097982290
- Cited by
- 129
- References
- 38
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 5.70
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- Licence
- Locations
- Health & Social Care in the Community (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Leeds Beckett Repository (Leeds Beckett University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Northumbria Research Link (Northumbria University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Economic and Social Research Council (ES/G007470/1)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Aging, Elder Care, and Social Issues
- Social Sciences › Demography › Technology Use by Older Adults
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Aging, Health, and Disability
- Keywords
- social isolation, loneliness, older adults, well-being, self-confidence, sense of belonging, service evaluation
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Female, United Kingdom, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Social Isolation, Social Support, Social Work, Telephone, Time Factors
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
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