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Social isolation arising from COVID-19 has sparked significant mental health issues, resulting in a jump from 1 in 10 adults reporting anxiety or depressive disorder symptoms before the pandemic to 1 in 3 adults more recently. But new research published today in JAMA Psychiatry shows that loneliness, depression, anxiety and overall mental health among older people can be improved through an empathy-focused telephone program.
Known as “Sunshine Calls,” the four-week program was conducted as a randomized controlled trial of 240 mostly homebound, older adults. Lay callers engaged in telephone conversations with program participants; about half lived alone, and all reported having at least one chronic health condition. Compared with those who didn’t receive calls, recipients reported an average improvement of more than 1 point out of a 7-point standard scale in their feelings of loneliness, equaling a 16% difference. The number of adults who were at least mildly anxious at
it was about should he have been treated as he was during the nine months he was at quantico which is a marine base in virginia. we heard this extraordinary narrative from him and his lawyer about the things that happened to him in his 8 by 6 cell and they drew the cell. it was a theatrical moment. what was the treatment like? i was reading through some of it and reading through the testimony. it s pretty hair would heing stuff. i mean, it s really hard to think about the justification for it if i might say so. yeah. hair would heing. so many harrowing details. i can think for the coming hour which we won t. i ll give you two. he talked about how for several weeks even into months he was given 20 minutes of sunshine call. now sunshine calls are fantastic. there are so many euphemisms and paradoxes. sunshine call is when you re taken out of your cell. for him that meant he was in