Grant: CIHR Fellowship

Mental health problems affect 10-15% of older adults, >1,000,000 Canadians, costing >$15 billion every year, which has worsened during and after COVID-19. Current solutions (e.g. psychiatric medications and psychotherapy) are often ineffective, have substantial side effects, require highly skilled personnel, often need to be given in-person, and digital literacy remains a barrier for older adults using telehealth. For this reason, we propose a scalable volunteer based telehealth program, Telehealth Intervention Program for Older Adults (TIP-OA), where trained volunteers provide friendly weekly phone calls to older adults. Currently, we have already served 300 older adults and aim to serve an additional 750-1000 isolated and vulnerable older adults every year. We will conduct a clinical trial randomizing 200 participants to TIP-OA vs. treatment-as-usual (TAU). We will evaluate whether TIP-OA improves stress, fear of COVID-19, depression, and anxiety over 8 weeks. Focus groups and interviews will also be conducted. If successful, this program could empower similar telehealth initiatives in Canada and internationally, and eventually pave the way for digital forms of telehealth in older adults. Through this program immediate, proactive, support could improve the mental health of older adults, save tax dollars from hospital visits, and save lives