Developing, implementing, and evaluating the visiting Neighbors’ program in rural Appalachia: A quality improvement protocol

Developing, implementing, and evaluating the visiting Neighbors’ program in rural Appalachia: A quality improvement protocol
PLoS One; by Ubolrat Piamjariyakul, Susan R. McKenrick, Angel Smothers, Angelo Giolzetti, Helen Melnick, Molly Beaver, Saima Shafique, Kesheng Wang, Kerri J. Carte, Brad Grimes, Marc W. Haut, R. Osvaldo Navia, Julie Hicks Patrick, Kirk Wilhelmsen; 1/24
Older adults living alone in rural areas frequently experience health declines, social isolation, and limited access to services. To address these challenges, our medical academic university supported a quality improvement project for developing and evaluating the Visiting Neighbors program in two rural Appalachian counties. Our Visiting Neighbors program trained local volunteers to visit and guide rural older adults in healthy activities. These age-appropriate activities (Mingle, Manage, and Move- 3M's) were designed to improve the functional health of older adults. The program includes four in-home visits and four follow-up telephone calls across three months.