Peer support via video-telephony among frail elderly people living at home.
We evaluated the effect of a video-phone network on peer support among frail elderly people living at home. We conducted a one-year trial of network formation among 14 people (five men and nine women, age range 78-85 years) through coordinator intervention and the use of ISDN video-phones. The purpose of the intervention was to support and improve the functional independence of frail elderly people at home and to widen their social network. During the study, the subjects made 1400 video-calls, lasting a total of 25,867 min. One subject made no calls. There was greater use of video-phones by those living outside the central city area. Calls between men and women were infrequent. The men generally had shorter call times and made fewer calls. The participants could be categorized into three groups: those using video-phones every day; those using them once per week; and those using them once per month. All subjects in the first group clearly expressed their satisfaction with the video-phone. A video-phone network appears to be helpful for elderly people in their peer support relationships.
Ezumi
Hiromichi
H
Shimane Nursing College, 151 Nishihayashigicho Izumo, Shimane 693-8550, Japan. ezumi@shimane-nc.ac.jp
Ochiai
Noriko
N
Oda
Mikiko
M
Saito
Shigeko
S
Ago
Minae
M
Fukuma
Noriko
N
Takenami
Setsuko
S
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D016330:Frail Elderly; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D012944:Social Support; D013689:Telephone; D014741:Video Recording