Why mutual aid?
One of Clio’s core programs involves matching older adults with each other for mutual aid. This is a program that our participants greatly enjoy, and it is backed by research.
Peer support has been broadly defined in the literature. Peer support can include self-help groups, peer delivered services as an adjunct to existing clinical services, and autonomous peer run services (Lawn et Al., 2008). In a 2010 article, Travis et al. positioned peer support as dyadic, mutual relationship between two participants struggling with symptoms of depression at the same time. The mutual peer relationship aimed to provide social contact, as well as improvement in symptoms and quality of life. In that study, small improvements were noted in depressive symptoms, overall psychological health and quality of life, using self-report measures administered before, during and after the intervention. 94% of participants reported they would be more satisfied with healthcare if a peer support program such as the intervention were available, and qualitative feedback indicated participants felt they could be open and honest over the phone, enjoyed companionship and felt their partner could relate to their struggle. In addition, telephonic, dyadic support was associated with low rates of attrition. The effectiveness of dyadic support over the phone is consistent with other research which shows that loneliness was negatively associated with telephone use in older adults (Peterson et. Al, 2016).
So what does this mean for our program? We recognize that many older adults use the phone to feel connected, and that feeling connected to other older adults can be powerful in lifting mood and forming common ground.
References:
Johanna Petersen, Stephen Thielke, Daniel Austin & Jeffrey Kaye (2016) Phone behaviour and its relationship to loneliness in older adults, Aging & Mental Health, 20:10, 1084-1091, DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2015.1060947
Travis, J., Roeder, K., Walters, H., Piette, J., Heisler, M., Ganoczy, D., Valenstein, M., Pfeiffer, P. (2010). Telephone based mutual peer support for depression: a pilot study. Chronic Illness, 6, 183-191. DOI: 10.1177/1742395310369570