Researchers from UConn, Johns Hopkins University, and Brown University have developed a training program aimed at reducing social isolation among homebound older adults. This initiative addresses a growing health concern that significantly impacts the well-being of seniors, linking a lack of social interaction to increased risks of conditions such as heart disease, depression, and cognitive decline. According to experts, the negative health effects of social isolation are comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
Training Focuses on Meal Delivery Drivers
The program, led by Kim Gans, a professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, and Kali Thomas, a gerontologist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, evaluates a cost-effective training intervention designed for drivers of federally funded meal delivery programs, such as Meals on Wheels. The study, published in the Journal of Applied Gerontology, highlights how these drivers can be trained to recognize signs of social isolation and engage more meaningfully with their clients.
As the U.S. population ages, home-delivered meal programs funded through Title III of the Older Americans Act are critical for addressing food insecurity and promoting social interaction. Data from the U.S. Administration for Community Living indicates that in 2021, approximately 1.5 million homebound seniors received meals through such programs.
“We developed a simple, inexpensive intervention that has the potential to be widely disseminated to meal delivery programs across the country to help their drivers reduce social isolation among their homebound clients,” Gans said, who is also a principal investigator at UConn’s Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP).
Focus Groups Reveal Critical Insights
The research team conducted focus groups with meal delivery drivers across several states, including Mississippi, Rhode Island, Georgia, Texas, and California. These discussions aimed to understand how drivers currently recognize social isolation and to gather feedback on the training materials. Many drivers noted that social isolation is widespread among their clients.
“We go to the client’s house and they’re there by themselves… You are the only folks they do see during the week,” one focus group participant remarked, highlighting the critical role drivers play in their clients’ lives.
Despite the importance of their interactions, many drivers reported receiving little to no training on how to address social isolation. One participant described their training experience succinctly: “This is how we were trained; we went in and said, ‘We’re interested in being drivers,’ and she said, ‘Great, let’s get your fingerprints… Come in and get your list Friday.’”
After incorporating feedback from these sessions, the research team partnered with meal delivery programs in Texas, Rhode Island, and Mississippi to recruit participants for testing the training intervention. The results indicated that the video and website significantly enhanced drivers’ intent to identify social isolation and engage socially with clients.
“The video helps alert viewers to the isolation experienced by those who live alone. Those who watch it can become better at recognizing the signs and doing something, even something small, to help alleviate that isolation,” a participant from Rhode Island noted.
Future Plans and Broader Implications
The next phase of the project involves securing additional funding to expand the intervention’s reach. “I hope that we can get future funding to widely disseminate this intervention and study its implementation and effectiveness with Meals on Wheels program drivers across the country,” Gans stated.
Beyond meal delivery, the project’s implications could extend to other professions serving homebound older adults, such as oxygen delivery services and home health aides. Gans, who specializes in creating interventions for real-world settings, is also collaborating with Caitlin Caspi, associate director of InCHIP and Director of Food Security Initiatives at the UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health, to evaluate other innovative solutions aimed at enhancing programming for Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island (MOWRI).
Gans, Thomas, and their colleagues recently published a study protocol in BMC Public Health for a randomized controlled trial. This trial will assess the impact of including community health worker coaching calls and healthy grocery bag deliveries to MOWRI’s home-delivered meal program, aiming to improve diet quality, nutrition, and overall quality of life for homebound older adults.
For further reading, see: Jennifer N. Bunker et al, “Developing and Testing Training Resources to Improve Social Connectedness With Homebound Older Adults Who Receive Home-Delivered Meals,” Journal of Applied Gerontology (2024). DOI: 10.1177/07334648241306176. Also, Isabelli L. Costa da Silva et al, “A study protocol for a randomized controlled trial evaluating the impact of adding community health worker coaching calls and healthy grocery bag deliveries to a Meals on Wheels home-delivered meal program for homebound older adults in Rhode Island,” BMC Public Health (2025). DOI: 10.1186/s12889-025-24080-6.