difficulty recruiting patients, staffing

The objective of this study is to administer a brief, phone(voice)-based training program in mindfulness (or control task of active listening to narrated articles) to older adults who receive primary care services at NM. Older adults represent a population that is at risk for depression and anxiety, especially during the current COVID-19 pandemic and the social isolation it entails. Many older adults also possess relatively low access to application-based mindfulness training opportunities. The monitoring aims are:

1. To determine whether the experimental intervention (mindfulness training) performs better than a control task (active listening) in improving mood assessed using the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and/or anxiety assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI).
2. To determine whether the experimental and/or control intervention is associated with quantified changes in language use (e.g., frequency of negative word use), which may or may not also be associated with changes in mood and anxiety.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Patients part of the Northwestern Medicine Geriatrics Practice, or Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine ECMH program.
2. English-speaking; and
3. Able to verbally consent

Exclusion Criteria:

patients with dementia or otherwise not meeting inclusion criteria