Telephone Reassurance Calls for Older Adults
Author Information
Author(s): Minyo Morgan, Bass David, Judge Katherine, McCarthy Kate, Terry Christine, Willis Crysta, Beach Douglas, Perkins Fatima
Primary Institution: Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging
Hypothesis
Do different approaches to telephone reassurance calls lead to different outcomes for older adults?
Conclusion
The semi-structured telephone reassurance calls resulted in more identified unmet needs and service referrals compared to usual care.
Supporting Evidence
- Participants receiving semi-structured calls identified 1.75 more unmet service needs than those receiving usual care.
- Participants receiving semi-structured calls received 1.23 more service referrals than those receiving usual care.
- Participants receiving semi-structured calls started or continued using 1.39 more services than those receiving usual care.
Takeaway
This study shows that structured phone calls can help older people get the services they need better than just friendly check-ins.
Methodology
A 24-month randomized controlled pilot study comparing usual care and a semi-structured protocol for telephone reassurance calls.
Potential Biases
Potential bias in self-reported outcomes from participants.
Limitations
The study was limited to a small sample size and a specific geographic area.
Participant Demographics
Older adults recruited from an Area Agency on Aging.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p=.01, p<.01, p=.05
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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