Background
Establishing cost-effective informal care services for lonely older adults living at home in developing countries can be an innovative approach for improving their well-being. This study investigated the effectiveness of an informal home care support intervention program (HoSIP) reducing the loneliness and improving quality of life of lonely community-dwelling older adults.
Methods
This quasi-experimental pre-post study employed a non-randomized control group design with a 12-week intervention period and three follow-up points at the end of the HoSIP. Questionnaires were used to measure feelings of loneliness (20-item UCLA Loneliness Scale), quality of life (Control, Autonomy, Self‐Realization and Pleasure Scale), general health (12-item General Health Questionnaire), social network (six-item Lubben Social Network Scale), social support (12-item Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support), and self-care ability (17-item Self-care Ability Scale for the Elderly). Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to gauge the effect of the intervention program over time and in comparison to the control group. Data analyses were performed using the IBM SPSS Statistics software (IBM Corp.).
Results
We found a significant relationship between the outcome variables, including feelings of loneliness (P<0.001) and quality of life (P<0.001), at different stages of measurement. Despite the positive feasibility results, the implementation of the HoSIP faced challenges due to a lack of facilities (e.g., place restriction for holding educational classes, educational facilities like computers, video projector, and whiteboard at daycare center) and the absence of supporting organizations.
Conclusion
Utilizing the existing capabilities of older adults to provide online and face-to-face care services can be a cost-effective way to improve their quality of life and reduce loneliness. The process of facilitating such informal care services for lonely older adults should be managed by either governmental or non-governmental organizations to reduce the rate of social isolation among this vulnerable population.

Citations

• Evaluating the sustainability and long-term outcomes of the Home Care Support Intervention Program (HoSIP) to reduce loneliness among community-dwelling older adults: A two-year follow-up study
  Elham Lotfalinezhad, Shannon Freeman, Ahmad Kousha, Karen Andersen-Ranberg, Jeffrey E. Stokes, Sama Amirkhani-Ardeh, Ahmad Sohrabi, Farzaneh Barati, Mina Hashemiparast, Mohammad Asghari-Jafarabadi, Mohammad Reza Honarvar, Haidar Nadrian, Mehdi Rezaei
  PLOS One.2025; 20(10): e0331987.     CrossRef
• Reconsidering peer-based interventions for loneliness: reflections on the feasibility and future directions of the Home Support Intervention Program
  Schawanya Kaewpitoon Rattanapitoon, Nav La, Nathkapach Kaewpitoon Rattanapitoon
  Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2025; 46(6): 461.     CrossRef
• Supportive environments moderate the relationship between frailty and life satisfaction in older adults: evidence from the China health and retirement longitudinal study (CHARLS)
  Ka Kei Chao, Sok Leng Che, Ka Kit Wong
  BMC Geriatrics.2025;[Epub]     CrossRef

Potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP) is a major public health concern with several undesirable health consequences for older adults. In this overview, we aimed to map and gather information from existing literature to provide a better insight into the prevalence of PIP among community dwellers. Electronic databases were searched from their inception to April 2022. The quality of the included systematic reviews (SRs) was assessed using the assessment of multiple systematic reviews checklist. The degree of overlap within the SRs was also evaluated (2% overlap). All SRs on the prevalence of PIP in older individuals in community settings were included, and a narrative approach was used to synthesize data. Nineteen SRs comprising 548 primary studies met the inclusion criteria, and the average quality of the included SRs was moderate. More than half (50.5%) of the primary studies were conducted in Europe, followed by the United States (22.8%), and Asia (18.9%). Thirty different criteria were used in the primary studies to estimate the prevalence of PIP. The most widely used criteria were those presented in Beers (41.8%) and STOPP (Screening Tool of Older Persons’ Prescriptions)/START (Screening Tool to Alert to Right Treatment) (21.8%) criteria. Benzodiazepines, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and antidepressants were the most frequently reported PIPs. A considerable variation in the prevalence of PIP ranging from 0% to 98% was reported by SRs. However, there is a high degree of uncertainty regarding the extent of PIP in community settings. To identify knowledge-to-action gaps, SR authors should consider the differences in prevalence of PIP according to settings, applied tools, data sources, geographical areas, and specific pathologies. There is also a need for primary and SR studies from low- and middle-income countries regarding the prevalence of PIP.

Citations

• A Prospective Study on Potentially Inappropriate Drug Use and All‐Cause Mortality in Community‐Dwelling Older Adults
  Liat Orenstein, Angela Chetrit, Keren Laufer, Rachel Dankner
  Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.2025; 73(9): 2828.     CrossRef