Social Connections and Healthy Aging (The Senior Connection) (TSC)

University of Rochester

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 2

Conditions: Suicidal Ideation; Depression

Treatments: Behavioral: Peer Companionship

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; Other U.S. Federal agency

Identifiers

NCT01408654

1U01CE001942-01

Details and patient eligibility

About

This randomized trial compares peer companionship to care-as-usual in primary care on the outcome of risk for suicidal behavior in late life. The investigators hypothesize that older adults assigned to receive peer companionship will report greater social connectedness and less death and suicidal ideation compared to older adults assigned to care as usual.

Full description

There is a pressing need for interventions that reduce risk for suicide in later life. Older adults in the U.S. have the highest rate of suicide and are the fastest growing segment of the population. The investigators can anticipate a large rise in the number of older adults who die by suicide in coming decades. This application is in response to RFA-CE-10-006. Consistent with the CDC's key strategy of reducing suicide by promoting connectedness, our long-term goal is to reduce late life suicide-related morbidity and mortality by leveraging the resources and expertise of the aging services provider network (ASPN) to address unmet social needs of community-dwelling older adults. Our objectives with this proposal are (1) to examine whether linking socially disconnected seniors with peer supports through the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) is effective in reducing risk for suicide, and (2) to test an hypothesized mechanism for the association of social disconnectedness and suicidal ideation and behavior informed by the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide.

The investigators will recruit 400 primary care patients (200 men and 200 women) over age 60 years who endorse feeling lonely and/or as if they are a burden on others. They will be randomly assigned to either of two conditions. Those assigned to The Senior Connection (TSC) will either be paired with a peer companion or, if they prefer and are eligible, be trained and placed as a peer companion for others by RSVP. The comparison group will receive no further intervention ("care-as-usual" [CAU]). Subjects will be followed for up to 24 months with repeated in-home (baseline, 12, and 24 months) and telephone assessments (3, 6, and 18 months).

Enrollment: 368 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 60+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Age 60 or older
• Primary Care Patient
• Endorses feeling lonely and/or like a burden in the the past two weeks

Exclusion criteria

• Positive dementia screen
• Current alcohol abuse
• Psychosis
• Suicidal ideation with intent to act (current or past month.)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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368 participants in 2 patient groups

Peer Companionship

Experimental group

Description:

Behavioral intervention: Receipt of peer companionship provided by trained, supervised volunteer companions.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Peer Companionship

Care-as-Usual

No Intervention group

Description:

Care-as-Usual in Primary Care