The Dell Medical School at UT Austin and Meals on Wheels of Central Texas have been testing out a program that could help combat the health effects of loneliness and isolation, particularly among older people.
who are homebound and often isolated in their daily lives just to get them to talk about themselves. How often someone gets one of these "sunshine calls" depends on the person.
Volunteer Dee Dee Diaz recently checked in on Earl, a man in his late 70s. They hadn鈥檛 talked in a bit, so there was a lot to catch up on.
One of Earl鈥檚 granddaughters recently got married, he tells her. Another granddaughter had a baby who was born a little early. Earl also talks about a small medical procedure he recently had; it went well.
The conversation then turns to weather. It鈥檚 getting colder, so the leaves from the trees around his yard are starting to fall. Earl tells Dee Dee about that, too.
鈥淚鈥檝e got an ash tree, so I鈥檝e been dealing with it,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hen the backyard neighbor鈥檚 trees, they go in my yard.鈥�
The phone call is like any conversation you鈥檇 hear between friends 鈥� except it鈥檚 a little more one-sided.
Mini Kahlon, executive director of Factor Health at Dell Medical School, says the calls are designed to be centered on people like Earl. They're focused on what's happening in his life, what he鈥檚 thinking about, what his days are like.
鈥淭he focus is really about making the person on the other end feel that it is a time of their own,鈥� she says, 鈥渢hat it is a time of their priorities, their choices, their interests.鈥�
Kahlon says the program uses empathy as a sort of medical intervention for people facing loneliness and isolation. She says these simple conversations can eventually 鈥� hopefully 鈥� have a big effect on how people feel about their own lives.
鈥淎nd in that way make them feel 鈥� for that moment and hopefully it carries forward 鈥� that their past matters, their present matters, and what they feel about the future matters,鈥� she says.
Adam Hauser, the president and CEO of Meals on Wheels Central Texas, says isolation has been an issue among the people they serve for a long time.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not uncommon for many of our clients, if they didn鈥檛 have a daily visit from a Meals on Wheels volunteer, they wouldn鈥檛 see anyone else,鈥� he says.
The pandemic has just been an X-ray on the depression and anxiety isolation causes, he says; everyone can see it a little clearer now.
鈥淚 guess you can say this is one of the good things to come out of the pandemic is that people are starting to realize that older adults have very complex and significant needs,鈥� he says.
And Kahlon says those needs have become greater and more urgent during the pandemic. So far, the program served more than a 100 people in its first round of calls this year.
鈥淭here is absolutely no question that with COVID and the increased isolation of folks, the interest in loneliness has ratcheted up,鈥� she says. 鈥淣o question about it.鈥�
That's why Dell Med has begun studying the program.
Researchers gathered data from people who received these sunshine calls between July and September. They asked questions aimed at measuring whether they felt less isolated, less left out and like they had companionship in their lives after getting the calls.
Kahlon says if researchers can prove the calls make measurable differences, they could be a useful weapon in the fight against loneliness.
鈥淚t鈥檚 one of several potential solutions that will then be available to folks as they think about how to intervene,鈥� she says. 鈥淣ot just screen for and recognize that the issue exists.鈥�
Researchers are working to get the results of the study published as soon as possible, so other organizations can replicate the program elsewhere.
Hauser says it鈥檚 more important than ever for people to look at loneliness as a major public health issue. He says isolation can affect someone鈥檚 physical health, as well as their emotional health.
鈥淟oneliness and depression and feelings of isolation, in our view, are viruses just like COVID," he says, "and can have just as devastating health impacts, particularly on seniors and older adults."
Got a tip? Email Ashley Lopez at alopez@kut.org. Follow her on Twitter .
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