Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Efficacy Of Visual Telephony As A Means Of Social Support In Socially Isolated Nuring Home Residents, Tamera L. Elkins

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Nursing home residents often experience loneliness and social isolation. Research indicates that visitation via the telephone can decrease feelings of social isolation and loneliness. The purpose of this study was to introduce visual images to the telephone conversations of this population. It was hypothesized that the residents receiving this intervention would evidence decreased levels of loneliness and a greater sense of social support. This hypothesis was not supported by the data; however, emotional and social loneliness scores did show positive trends that may have been due to the intervention.