A proactive phone intervention for older adults to address loneliness identified by a health plan
Open accessAbstract
Social isolation and loneliness are associated with poor health and higher health care costs among older adults. Our objective was to determine if older adults identified as at risk for loneliness by a Medicare Advantage health plan could benefit from a proactive telephone support program. We conducted a mixed-methods pilot efficacy study of outbound calls from an established community-based telephone program to support older adults identified as at risk for loneliness. One hundred and twenty-one older adults were enrolled and completed surveys at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. Outcomes included loneliness (3-item UCLA loneliness scale), depression (PHQ-2 screen), anxiety (GAD-2 screen), and unhealthy physical and mental health days (CDC Healthy Days Measure). Quantitative data were analyzed using multivariable mixed-effects logistic regression, and open-ended responses were analyzed thematically. Over 6 months, participants had reductions in loneliness (46% to 28%, p<0.001), depression (36% to 25%, p = 0.07), anxiety (63% to 43%, p = 0.004), unhealthy mental days (14 to 8, p<0.001), and unhealthy physical days (15 to 11, p<0.001). Participants reported high satisfaction with calls, and many felt the calls improved overall mood or health. Findings can inform trials to address loneliness through telephone support and partnerships between community-based organizations and payors.
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Other interventions delivered through phone calls or videoconferencing often focus on peer support or empathy-based approaches without consistently employing structured, evidence-based frameworks.
“Others emphasize interventions delivered through phone calls or videoconferencing, often focusing on peer support or empathy-based approaches without consistently employing structured, evidence-based frameworks [e.g., (69–71)].”
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 [69]
The Methods (Intervention; page unavailable) describe scheduled support calls, and the Results (page unavailable) identify active listening as a valued part of the Friendship Line. The paper does not describe videoconferencing or establish that these interventions lack structured, evidence-based frameworks; the Discussion (Potential Benefits; page unavailable) instead notes that its counselors receive specialized training. (LLM, conf=0.84)
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Cited by
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Reynolds, K. A. A., Kudar, K., Joshi, J., Christianson, I., Davidson, D., Gopinath, G., Koven, L., Mackenzie, C., Miller, S., & Newall, N. (2025) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2025.1541583 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“Others emphasize interventions delivered through phone calls or videoconferencing, often focusing on peer support or empathy-based approaches without consistently employing structured, evidence-based frameworks [e.g., (69–71)].”
- Authors
- Hough, K. A., Tha, S. H., Perissinotto, C. M., Burnes, P., & Kotwal, A. A.
- Affiliations
- University of California, San Francisco (US)
- Institute on Aging (US)
- San Francisco VA Medical Center (US)
- Corresponding author
- Kotwal, Ashwin A.
- Venue
- Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2024-09-24
- Volume
- 1540
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 191-199
- ISSN
- 0077-8923 (ISSN-L)
- 1749-6632
- PMC
- PMC13050024
- OpenAlex
- W4402762960
- Cited by
- 4
- References
- 20
- Citations by year
- 2025: 4
- FWCI
- 1.81
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Aging (K23AG065438)
- Humana
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
- Social Sciences › Demography › Technology Use by Older Adults
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Aging, Health, and Disability
- Keywords
- loneliness, older adults, telephone-delivered intervention, proactive outreach, Medicare Advantage, social isolation, depression, anxiety, mental health, physical health, community organizations
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Anxiety, Depression, Female, Humans, Loneliness, Male, Mental Health, Pilot Projects, Social Isolation, Telephone, United States, Medicare Part C
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