Evaluation of a Student-Older Adult Telephone Befriending Program to Reduce Social Isolation During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Social isolation and loneliness are associated with many adverse health outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic increased its prevalence and disproportionately affected older adults. Since telephone befriending was a potentially feasible and safe intervention during the pandemic, the McMaster Phone-a-Friend Program (PFP) was developed using this strategy to try to reduce social isolation and loneliness among older adults. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and long-term feasibility of PFP. Community-dwelling older adults in Ontario, Canada were matched to trained university student volunteers, who provided social engagement and pandemic-related education through weekly telephone calls. Two main referral sources were used: 1) older adults identified by their primary care provider as at risk for social isolation; and 2) older adults referred for multi-modal frailty rehabilitation, where telephone befriending was a desired component intervention. Older adults completing ≥4 calls were contacted to participate in a telephone survey to provide program feedback. Of the 220 active participants in August 2021, 60 participated in our survey. At the time of survey completion, the mean number of calls completed was 8.3. The mean age of participants was 75.6 years and 71.7% (n=43) identified as female. Furthermore, 58.3% (n=35) of the participants agreed or strongly agreed that they felt less lonely after participating in the program and 68.3% (n=41) stated they would participate in the program after the pandemic resolves. The intergenerational PFP telephone befriending program is a safe and effective method of reducing or possibly preventing social isolation and loneliness among at-risk community-dwelling older adults.