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

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Community Health Interventions

Background:

• Rural older adults face significant challenges including health decline, social isolation, and limited service access.
• The Visiting Neighbors program was developed as a quality improvement project to address these issues in rural Appalachian communities.
• The program trained local volunteers to deliver the Mingle, Manage, and Move (3M's) activities to enhance older adults' functional health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To detail the protocol and quality improvement procedures for the development, implementation, and evaluation of the 3M's Visiting Neighbors program.
• To guide future quality improvement efforts for similar community-based health interventions.

Main Methods:

• A single-group exploratory quality improvement design was employed.
• Data collection included participant questionnaires and direct observation of home visits to ensure fidelity.
• The program involved four in-home visits and four follow-up calls over three months, delivered by trained volunteer pairs.

Main Results:

• The study included 30 older adult participants (mean age 82.96, 79% female) and 10 female volunteer visitors.
• Program fidelity was consistently maintained, and enrollment/retention data indicated feasibility.
• Both older adult participants and volunteer visitors reported high helpfulness ratings for the program.

Conclusions:

• The Visiting Neighbors program effectively engaged older Appalachian adults living alone in the 3M's activities.
• The feasibility and fidelity of the home-visit intervention were confirmed through quality improvement processes.
• Stakeholder engagement and an expert advisory committee ensured the program's quality throughout its lifecycle.