Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-18-2022
Abstract
While preventive and management measures are important to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, strategies like social distancing can have devastating effects on older adults who are already at risk for social isolation and loneliness. In response, two Colleges of Health Professions (Social Work and Nursing) at a large public University leveraged a partnership with a national health and wellbeing company to address social isolation and loneliness in Houston area older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. This intergenerational linkage initiative involved 707 older adults and 177 graduate social work and nursing students. This study describes the process of developing a virtual educational opportunity for students while also meeting the needs of vulnerable older adults in Houston, the third largest, and one of the most diverse cities in the U.S. Findings include student/learner outcomes, as well as self-reported improvements in loneliness scores, and unhealthy physical and mental health days among enrolled older adults.
Recommended Citation
Adepoju, O. E., Jennings, S., Schrader, P., Reeve, K., McManaman-Bridges, T., Gilbert, L., King, B., Dobbins, J., Rollins, A., Cockerell, T., Woodard, L., & Torres-Hostos, L. (2022). Leveraging Public-Private Partnerships During COVID-19: Providing Virtual Field Opportunities for Student Learners and Addressing Social Isolation in Older Adults. Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society, 7334648221087120. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/07334648221087120
DOI
10.1177/07334648221087120
Comments
Copyright © The Author(s) 2022 This article is made available via the PMC Open Access Subset for unrestricted re-use and analyses in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic or until permissions are revoked in writing. Upon expiration of these permissions, PMC is granted a perpetual license to make this article available via PMC and Europe PMC, consistent with existing copyright protections.