The growing population of seniors with disabilities experiences unmet support needs and loneliness. Although support deficiencies can be overcome by peers in support groups, most support groups are inaccessible to older adults with limited physical functioning. Accordingly, this project aimed to develop and test the impact of an accessible telephone support group intervention for seniors with disabilities. Six research questions guided the study. Four telephone support groups with five to six participants (n = 23) were created, each with a professional and a peer (senior) leader. The groups met once a week for 12 weeks. Qualitative analyses of the telephone transcripts and post-intervention interviews of participants and leaders revealed decreased support needs, diminished loneliness, and enhanced coping. Selection, training, and support of peer and professional leaders and member control of discussions were important ingredients of successful support groups.

Accessible support programs can improve health outcomes for family caregivers of older relatives with a chronic condition. Over the course of 6 months, 27 experienced family caregivers provided weekly support via the telephone to 66 individuals, either new family caregivers of seniors recently diagnosed with stroke or newly vulnerable family caregivers (i.e., facing increasing demands from the deterioration of their senior relative's condition) of seniors with Alzheimer's disease. Qualitative data documented the perceived impact of the intervention, including increased satisfaction with support, coping skills, caregiving competence and confidence, and decreased caregiver burden and loneliness. Caregivers identified varied support processes that overcame support deficits in their social networks. These processes can facilitate replication in future research and inform practice, programs, and policies.

This study evaluated a cessation of smoking program for older (≥ 65 years) smokers. We recruited 215 community-dwelling smokers who selected either an intervention (n = 165) (brief intervention, telephone support, access to nicotine replacement therapy [NRT]) or ongoing smoking (continuing smokers) (n = 50). Primary outcomes at 12 and 24 months were (a) total abstinence and (b) cessation for the previous 30+ days, all validated via expired carbon monoxide (ECO). We interviewed 183 (85%) participants at 12 months and 165 (77%) at 24 months. Total abstinence was reported by 29 (18%) and 21 (13%) of the intervention group and none of the continuing smokers at 12 and 24 months. At 12 months, a greater prevalence of 30+ day cessation was observed for the intervention (24.2%) than the continuing smokers (4.0%): by 24 months this difference was 23.6% versus 12.0%. Those totally abstinent for 24 months predominantly used NRT (81%). Of the 30+ day quitters at 24 months, 74% of the intervention group used NRT and 100% of the continuing smokers used ‘cold turkey’. Cessation programs can be successfully delivered to older smokers, with outcomes comparable to the general population. NRT is commonly used by successful quitters, but ‘cold turkey’ can also be successful.