Assessment of mental health and social problems during multiple friendly visits: the development and evaluation of a...

The Friendly Visitor Program was designed to reduce social isolation. Visits were made by a pair of trained visitors to twenty-three isolated, elderly New York City residents. Pre- and post-testing visits to experimental and control Ss collected data on measures of isolation, adjustment, cognitive impairment and mental state. The major procedure was an hour long structured visit every two weeks for six months and a six month follow-up. For the experimental group only apartment upkeep and mental state improved and isolation diminished at the time of follow-up, indicating friendly visiting probably was therapeutic.