Clinical Trials Logo

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Recruiting

Administrative data

NCT number NCT05998343
Other study ID # 21-0074-E
Secondary ID
Status Recruiting
Phase N/A
First received
Last updated
Start date November 1, 2021
Est. completion date February 1, 2024

Study information

Verified date July 2023
Source Mount Sinai Hospital, Canada
Contact Jacques Lee, MD
Phone 4168771447
Email Jacques.lee@sinaihealth.ca
Is FDA regulated No
Health authority
Study type Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

Social isolation and loneliness worsens older adults' risk of dementia, quality of life, and death as much as smoking. Older adults are more likely to use emergency services and are also more likely to experience social isolation and loneliness than younger people. The emergency department is a new setting to screen for social isolation and loneliness in older adults and help accordingly. Social isolation and loneliness are experienced differently by different older adults. Different interventions combatting social isolation and loneliness may work better for different people, and little is known about older adult's preferences for specific types of interventions. HOW R U? is an effective and feasible intervention using same-generation peer support offered by trained hospital volunteers to reduce social isolation and loneliness in older adults. In partnership with the Australian developer of HOW R U?, this study will compare an intergenerational HOW R U? intervention using younger volunteers with the same-generation peer support intervention and a waitlist control arm. The investigators partnered with the staff of emergency departments and family medicine clinics to identify people who will benefit from an intervention combatting, and Volunteer Services to recruit volunteers. The investigators hypothesize that the older adults who receive the intergenerational HOW R U? intervention will have a greater improvement in social isolation and loneliness.


Description:

Introduction: Social isolation and loneliness (SIL) worsens mortality and other outcomes among older adults as much as smoking. The investigators previously tested the impact of the HOW R U? intervention using peer support from similar aged volunteers and demonstrated reduced SIL among older adults discharged from the Emergency Department (ED). Generativity, defined as "the interest in establishing and guiding the next generation" can provide an alternative theoretical basis for reducing SIL via intergenerational programs between members of younger and older generations. The current study will examine the impact of younger intergenerational volunteers providing the HOW R U? intervention. As part of a program of research following the Obesity-Related Behavioral Intervention Trials (ORBIT ) model, findings of this RCT will be used to define which intervention characteristics are most effective in reducing SIL. This trial builds on feasibility work conducted in the investigators' previous trial (NCT 05228782). Methods and Analysis: The investigators will compare the use of the same-generation peer support HOW RU? intervention to support by intergenerational volunteers. The investigators will use a common wait list control group in this three-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT). Trained volunteers will deliver 12 weekly telephone support calls. The investigators will recruit 141 participants ≥70 years of age with baseline loneliness (six-item De Jong loneliness score of 2 or greater) from two EDs. Research staff will assess change in loneliness (De Jong Loneliness Scale), social isolation (Lubben's Social Network Scale), depression (Geriatric Depression Score), quality of life (EQ-5D-5L), functional status (Older Americans Resource Scale), generativity (Loyola Generativity Scale), and perceived benefit at baseline (subjective Likert scale), at 12-14 weeks, and 24-26 weeks post-intervention. The study will follow the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) guidelines. Ethics and Dissemination: The participating research ethics boards have granted ethics approval, and the participants randomized to the waitlist control group will be offered their choice of intergenerational or same-generation HOW R U? interventions after 12 weeks. Results will be shared through journal publications, conference presentations, social media, and through the International Federation of Emergency Medicine.


Recruitment information / eligibility

Status Recruiting
Enrollment 141
Est. completion date February 1, 2024
Est. primary completion date November 1, 2023
Accepts healthy volunteers Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Gender All
Age group 70 Years and older
Eligibility Inclusion Criteria: - Any community-dwelling person 70 years of age and older receiving care from the ED, Family Medicine, or Geriatric clinics at the two participating sites (MSH and NYGH) will be eligible. - Baseline de Jong loneliness scores of 2.0 will be required for participation in the trial. Exclusion Criteria: - Age less than 70 years; - Patients with communication problems (critically ill, unconscious, language barrier, speech impairment or otherwise unable to provide consent), or admission to a hospital for > 72 hours. - Patients with severe cognitive impairment or those living in nursing homes who are dependent on others for their activity of daily living will be excluded. - Patients without any mobile phone or landline. Volunteers: - Volunteers will be 60 years of age or older to qualify as peer-support volunteers. - Volunteers will be 19-39 years of age to qualify as intergenerational volunteers.

Study Design


Related Conditions & MeSH terms


Intervention

Behavioral:
Intergenerational HOW R U?
1-on-1 discussion over telephone with a trained volunteer aged 19-39 years old who has received training to provide strength-based support sessions weekly for 12 weeks.
Same-Generation Peer Support HOW R U?
1-on-1 discussion over telephone with a trained volunteer aged 60 years or older who has received training to provide strength-based support sessions weekly for 12 weeks.

Locations

Country Name City State
Canada Mount Sinai Hospital Toronto Ontario

Sponsors (6)

Lead Sponsor Collaborator
Mount Sinai Hospital, Canada Bolton Clarke Research Institute, King's College London, North York General Hospital, Sunnybrook Research Institute, University of Toronto

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Canada, 

Outcome

Type Measure Description Time frame Safety issue
Other Feasibility and Process Outcome 1 - Participant preference To assess for participant preference for same-generation peer support versus intergenerational HOW R U? intervention, we will use a 5-point Likert scale with the following options: "I strongly prefer peer support", "I prefer peer support", "neutral", "I prefer intergenerational" and "I strongly prefer intergenerational". Measure at 12 weeks
Primary Change in loneliness using De Jong Gierveld 6-item Loneliness Scale from Baseline to 12 Weeks The minimum value is 0 and the maximum value is 6, with the higher value corresponding with a greater degree of loneliness. It is divided into 4 clinically relevant categories: 0-1 = no loneliness, 2-3 = low levels of loneliness, 4-5 = moderate to severe loneliness, and 6 = severe loneliness. Measure at baseline, at 12 weeks (primary outcome) and 24 weeks (sustainability)
Secondary Change in perceived social support using Lubben Social Network Scale The Lubben Social Network Scale is a measure of perceived social support received from the family and friends and consists of 6 items each of which is scored from 0 to 5: none = 0, one = 1, two = 2, three or four = 3, five through eight = 4, nine or more = 5. The total score ranges from 0 to 30, and a score of 12 and lower indicates a status of "at-risk" for social isolation Measure at baseline, at 12 weeks and 24 weeks (sustainability)
Secondary Change in mood using Geriatric Depression Scale The Geriatric Depression Scale is a 15-item scale of mood that is extensively validated in older populations to screen for depression. Scores range from 0 to 15. A score of 0-4 is considered normal, and a score of 5 or higher is considered indicative of depression with higher scores indicating higher severity of depression. Measure at baseline, at 12 weeks and 24 weeks (sustainability)
Secondary Change in Quality of Life using Euro-Qual 5 Dimensions 5 Levels EQ-5D-5Lin 5 dimensions. In each dimension, quality of life can be measured from 1 (best quality of life) to 5 (worst quality of life), giving a possible score of 5-25. A higher score indicates worse quality of life. (Euro-Qual 5 Dimensions 5 Levels) scale assesses quality of life Measure at baseline, at 12 weeks and 24 weeks (sustainability)
Secondary Change in Functional Status using Older Americans Resource Scale The Older Americans Resource Scale (OARS) consists of 7 activities of daily living (ADL) questions and 7 instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) all rated as "without any help" (2 points), "with some help" (1 point), or "completely unable" (0 points). The ADL and IADL scores can be used separately or combined to produce an overall OARS score from 0-28. Measure at baseline, at 12 weeks and 24 weeks (sustainability)
Secondary Change in self-perceptions of generativity using Loyola Generativity Scale The Loyola Generativity Scale is a 20-item scale with each question answered 0 = statement never applies to you, 1 = statement only occasionally or seldom applies to you, 2 = statement applies to you fairly often, or 3 = statement applies to you very often or nearly always.
The higher the score, the greater the sense of generativity.
Measure at baseline, at 12 weeks and 24 weeks (sustainability)
Secondary Perceived benefit to participant at 12 weeks Perceived benefit by the participant pre- and post-intervention will be assessed using the question "Compared to working with a volunteer around the same age as you, you think that working with a younger volunteer is:" followed by a 5-point Likert scale with the following options: A lot less helpful for me, a little less helpful for me, about the same for me, a little more helpful for me, or a lot more helpful for me. Measure at baseline, at 12 weeks and 24 weeks (sustainability)
Secondary Perceived benefit to volunteer at 12 weeks Perceived benefit by the participant for the volunteer pre- and post-intervention will be assessed using the question "Compared to working with a volunteer around the same age as you, you think that working with a younger volunteer is:" followed by a 5-point Likert scale with the following options: A lot less helpful for the volunteer, a little less helpful for the volunteer, about the same for the volunteer, a little more helpful for the volunteer, or a lot more helpful for volunteer. Measure at baseline, at 12 weeks and 24 weeks (sustainability)
See also
  Status Clinical Trial Phase
Completed NCT04164654 - A Mobile App to Address Student Loneliness N/A
Recruiting NCT05831475 - LEAPTogether: An Intergenerational Intervention to Address Loneliness and Social Isolation N/A
Completed NCT05490979 - The Impact of Dyad Exercises on Well-being and Connection in Young Adults N/A
Not yet recruiting NCT05054660 - Applying a Chatbot to Geriatric Patients in Psychiatric Clinics: A Pilot Study N/A
Enrolling by invitation NCT04137432 - Oxytocin-augmented Cognitive-behavioral Group-based Short-term Intervention for Loneliness Phase 1
Not yet recruiting NCT05423899 - Humanoid Robot vs Treatment as Usual for Loneliness N/A
Active, not recruiting NCT05678985 - Evaluating Impact and Implementation of Choose to Move (Phase 4) N/A
Withdrawn NCT04797026 - Penpal Loneliness Project N/A
Completed NCT06018974 - Digital Gaming Intervention for Older People in Long-term Care N/A
Not yet recruiting NCT06424483 - Love Group for Geriatric Psychiatry Outpatients N/A
Enrolling by invitation NCT06434298 - Provincial Scale-up of Choose to Move (CTM) Phase 4 N/A
Recruiting NCT05520450 - Telematic Support Group in Patients With Feelings of Loneliness and Social Isolation
Not yet recruiting NCT05450445 - myHealthHub for Older Adult Inpatients N/A
Active, not recruiting NCT05646329 - The Effect of Motivational Interviewing on Problematic Internet Use and Loneliness N/A
Completed NCT04682535 - Daily Study of Caregiving Relationships and Health
Recruiting NCT04301167 - Loneliness and Health: The Moderating Role of Befriending Services N/A
Completed NCT03124446 - Mindfulness-Based College: Stage 1 N/A
Recruiting NCT04733300 - Online Mindfulness-Based College for Young Adults N/A
Completed NCT04907942 - Feasibility and Acceptability of Click's EMA and Text Message Intervention for STRESS Management Phase 1/Phase 2
Recruiting NCT05812989 - Modifiers and Mechanisms of Loneliness Interventions N/A