Evaluating Social Connection Programs: Friendly Calling and Visiting Quantitative Pilot Study

Of the 80 million¹ people across the country who are age 60 or older, 1 in 4 live alone² and 56% report feeling lonely,³ increasing their risk of harmful health issues that could impede their ability to stay in their homes and out of institutional settings. That’s why promoting meaningful social connections and reducing social isolation and loneliness are key priorities for the Meals on Wheels network. To this end, 92% of local Meals on Wheels providers offer social connection programming beyond the provision of a meal,⁴ and for many homebound Meals on Wheels clients, the person delivering their meal may be the only person they see that day or even that week.

Two of the social engagement programs most commonly implemented by Meals on Wheels providers are friendly calling and visiting. Meals on Wheels America launched a pilot program aimed at reducing operational barriers to providing social engagement programs, improving the depth and quality of social interactions, and demonstrating the impact of these programs through a robust program evaluation. This pilot begins to quantitatively measure the impact of social connection programming for older adults and understand operational considerations for reach and scale.

Key Findings

Before participating in the pilot, over 82% of participants were deemed at risk for social disconnectedness. When looking at the baseline risk for individual assessment items, the highest risk was with respect to “I miss having people around me,” “I feel isolated from others,” “I lack companionship” and “Had not attended a social group in the past two weeks.”

Differences in social connectedness were assessed following three months of visits and/or calls. Overall, on average, participants reported statistically significant reductions in social disconnectedness from baseline to three-month follow-up. About 53% of participants reported lower disconnectedness scores at follow-up than baseline. In terms of individual assessment items, significant improvements were observed in two items from baseline to three-month follow-up. Specifically, participants reduced their risk associated with “I can find companionship when I want it” and “I am content with my friendships and relationships.”

This pilot validates existing findings that Meals on Wheels providers offer impactful social connection programming and uncovers meaningful lessons for scaling these valuable, time-intensive offerings. Despite administrative challenges, Meals on Wheels social connection programs are increasing social connectedness, with a measurable increase in participants being able to find companionship when they want it and feeling content with their friendships and relationships.

In reproducing any excerpts of this report, please provide a credit that recognizes Meals on Wheels America, such as: Meals on Wheels America. (2024). Evaluating Social Connection Programs: Friendly Calling and Visiting Quantitative Pilot Study.https://www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/research/evaluating-social-connection-programs-friendly-calling-and-visiting-quantitative-pilot-study/

External Publications

Effectiveness of Friendly Calling To Improve Social Engagement Among Meals on Wheels Clients, Smith, M., Belazis, L., & Florence, L. C., Innovation in Aging, 2024.