Connect ME: Improving Social Connectedness

Improving Social Connectedness in Homebound Older Adults by Integrating a Brief Evidence-Based Telehealth Intervention Into Area Agency on Aging Services

To assess the reach and effectiveness of a behavioral activation intervention for older adults experiencing low social connectedness by Area Agency on Aging Staff.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Older adults (age>60) will be enrolled because they are the target population served by the home-delivered meals program and the target sample for this study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Clinically significant depression (Patient Health Questionnaire; PHQ-9 ≥ 10) or active suicide risk (Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale; C-SSRS), or Cognitive Impairment (Blessed Orientation-Memory-Concentration Test>9)
• Clients who score 1 or greater on question 9 of the PHQ-9 will be further assessed for suicide risk using the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)
• Clients will meet exclusion criteria for a positive response to any item
• We will exclude older adults with uncorrectable hearing or vision impairment rendering them unable to use the tele-conferencing equipment.
• Those who cannot speak English and have impaired decision-making capacity
• Adults unable to consent will be excluded
• Individuals who are not yet adults (infants, children, teenagers) will be excluded
• Pregnant women will be excluded
• Prisoners will be excluded