Older adults’ perspectives regarding peer-to-peer support programs and maintaining independence

ABSTRACT

Peer to peer (P2P) support has been suggested as one community program that may promote aging in place. We sought to understand challenges older adults have maintaining their independence and to identify how P2P support facilitates independence. We completed 17 semi-structured interviews with older adults receiving P2P support in 3 cities in the United States. Study team members coded data using deductive and inductive conventional content analysis. Participants identified declining abilities, difficulties with mobility, and increasing cost of living as challenges to independence. P2P support facilitated independence and provided them with a new friend. The qualitative findings indicate that maintaining independence as an older adult in the United States has many challenges. P2P programs have an important role in helping older adults stay in their home by supporting mobility and promoting social engagement.

KEYWORDS:

• Independence
• peer-to-peer support
• aging in place
• isolation
• transportation
• cost of living

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to all of the participants who agreed to be interviewed for this study as well as the support of the entire study team and our four partner organizations: The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities, Alpert Jewish Family Service of West Palm Beach, Community Place, and Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed on the publisher’s website.

Additional information

Funding

This project was supported by the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) contract number [CER-1310-07844].