Understanding and Measuring the Value of Peer-to-Peer Community Support Programs for Older Adults

Understanding and Measuring the Value of Peer-to-Peer Community Support Programs for Older Adults Invited Commentary | Geriatrics Understanding and Measuring the Value of Peer-to-Peer Community Support Programs for Older Adults Gabrielle Kelly, PhD; Leon Neville Geffen, MBChB The article by Jacobs et al1 focuses on the important, but understudied, topic of peer-to-peer support + Related article fo. [...] Aside from the higher level of frailty in the intervention group compared with the control group, the main outcome of the study—hospitalization—is not necessarily the best measure of program efficacy. [...] Older persons experience higher levels of multimorbidity than the general population, and the care of older persons is complex and multifaceted; thus, it may be preferable to focus on other variables such as access to and use of primary care services, social engagement, loneliness, mood, levels of physical activity and fitness, and falls. [...] A study9 of the program’s effectiveness in the context of the pandemic found a 25% reduction in overall mortality in the LLE population over this period compared with age-specific mortality rates of the general population. [...] Although these programs have obvious benefits in low-income and middle-income countries, they are also valuable within high-income settings at the macro level, in terms of health cost savings, and at the individual level, in terms of improving health and social service delivery to older persons.