Developing and Testing Training Resources to Improve Social Connectedness With Homebound Older Adults Who Receive Home-Delivered Meals

Abstract

Social isolation is disproportionately experienced by homebound older adults, including those who receive home-delivered meals. We used a three-phase, human-centered design approach to create and evaluate training resources focused on social isolation for meal-delivery drivers. We hypothesized that these training resources would increase meal-delivery drivers' behavioral intentions to have meaningful interactions with their clients. Working with subject matter experts and meal-delivery drivers, our team developed and produced a training video and website and evaluated the resources with a sample of meal-delivery drivers in Rhode Island, Texas, and Mississippi via an online survey. Respondents (n = 94) were 64% female, 65% age 55+, and 79% white. Respondents reported improved (p < .001) agreement with the main outcome, “I intend to regularly have meaningful social conversations with the clients I see.” Through these scalable training resources, drivers may increase their intention to have meaningful conversations with older adults at risk for social isolation.

Keywords

home-delivered meals human-centered design social isolation

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