Social Support for Elderly People - Effectiveness of Informal Social Support

 

A Social Support for Elderly Persons (SSO) program is a collaboration of seven independent organizations that have come together to offer senior citizens integrated care. These seven organizations represent the most successful and highly qualified providers of integrated care in the country. They work together through the SSO to deliver a comprehensive social service to their communities, neighborhoods and villages. This article provides an integrated review of these organizations with a mission statement, mission statements and brief information on each of their seven programs.

The mission of this organization is "to enhance the lives of elderly persons through comprehensive medical, social, educational, spiritual and behavioral services." SSO offers home health care, skilled nursing and direct patient care and accepts Medicare and Medicaid. They offer both inpatient and non-inpatient services in a clinical setting. They work to promote self-sufficiency in health and safety conditions, offering integrated care in clinical, home and community settings.

SSO offers two primary models: the scientific evidence based model and the prior approved Model of Care. The scientific evidence based model provides a framework for identifying and evaluating the needs of the elderly community. It is used in providing customized health management services to their clients. The Model of Care is also used as a standard of care for evaluation in clinical trial settings.

Nior is a network of people living in Miami-Dade County who want to make the world a better place and provide the elderly with opportunities for self-care. Nior consists of five core components which are a community of resources, a core team of professionals committed to serving the elderly and a network of providers and consultants working on issues that affect the elderly. The team of professionals includes a legal representative; a licensed practitioner who treats people living with HIV/AIDS, diabetes, osteoporosis and other diseases; a licensed therapist who treats cognitive and behavioral problems; a social worker who focuses on the unique needs of people living with AIDS or diabetes; a certified nursing assistant and a physical therapist. These professionals work with the team of social support in Moorebank to provide the individuals with the opportunities for self-care that they need.

The social support group at Nior has been found to be effective in reducing the caregiver's stress and the level of frustration they experience in managing their duties. During the integrated review the scientists found that when the elderly people in the community had a high level of social support, there was an increased ability to handle stress and to improve overall health and quality of life. There was a decrease in the caregiver's frustration level and an increase in the caregiver's satisfaction level. The results of this study were published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Social Service Research. This study is part of a larger integrated research project funded by the National Institute of Mental Health examining the relationships among social support, health, cognitive and behavioral outcomes, health, aging, family, community, and environment.

In this integrative review, seven articles were reviewed based on scientific studies that involved elderly persons with HIV/AIDS, Crohn's disease, diabetes, depression, leukemia, and Parkinson's disease. These studies provided evidence that social support and mental health are related to many positive life outcomes for HIV-exposed and HIV-infected individuals. The articles also showed that a greater focus on social support may be associated with less use of hospitals and fewer negative side effects from medications for HIV patients. Social support has also been shown to help HIV-exposed and HIV-infected individuals survive longer, better accept their illness, and maintain quality of life longer after a diagnosis of AIDS or other major health problems. The article concluded that more studies are needed to fully evaluate the relationship between social support and HIV care and the use of medications in conjunction with social support.

In the second section of the article titled "Social Support for Elderly Persons: A Review Based on Recent Research Studies," seven articles were reviewed based on literature that was published between 2021. An integrated review of the literature revealed that a combination of psychosocial interventions, support for the elderly, treatment for depression, quality of life improvements, receipt of social assistance, and use of medications for people living with HIV or AIDS was most effective when supported by community-based care. Three of these seven articles specifically named HIV, depression, and diabetes as contributors to the increased health risks for people living with HIV. Two articles specifically named obesity and non-disclosure.

According to the integrated review, a positive social support system can reduce health-related harms among HIV-infected elderly persons. The integrated review was conducted after a year and a half of research, using a cross-sectional design. This means that researchers interviewed a sample of randomly selected living adults who were living with HIV or AIDS. Interviewees were asked questions about their daily life, experiences with friends and family, thoughts about death, suicidal thoughts, and behaviors that could lead to contact with unsafe sex. Based on the results of the interviews and studies, the integrated review identifies three main types of informal social support for the elderly: social support for HIV/AIDS identified people; people living with HIV who receive care from social services; and social support for HIV-infected and HIV-free people.