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The Gerontologist 42:334-341 (2002)
© 2002 The Gerontological Society of America

Effects of a Community-Based Early Intervention Program on the Subjective Well-Being, Institutionalization, and Mortality of Low-Income Elders

Adam Shapiro, PhDa and Miles Taylor, BAb

a Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice, University of North Florida, Jacksonville
b Department of Sociology, Duke University, Durham, NC

Correspondence: Adam Shapiro, PhD, Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224. E-mail: ashapiro{at}unf.edu.

Decision Editor: Laurence G. Branch, PhD

Purpose: This study examined the effects of an early interventive social service program on the subjective well-being, permanent institutionalization, and mortality risk of low-income community-dwelling elders. Design and Methods: From a waiting list for community-based services, 105 "moderately at-risk" community-dwelling elders were recruited. Forty of these persons were randomly assigned to receive the intervention, and the remainder did not receive the intervention. Participants were interviewed every 3 months for 18 months. Primary outcome measures were depression, satisfaction with social relationships, environmental mastery, life satisfaction, permanent institutionalization, and mortality. Results: No significant differences in sociodemographic or health characteristics were found between the intervention and control groups at baseline. Those elders who received the intervention had significantly higher subjective well-being and were less likely to be institutionalized or die than those in the comparison group across the 18-month period. Implications: The results make a strong case for the importance of community-based programs to the well-being of elders. Practitioners and policy makers should continue the search for community-based programs that are cost-effective and improve the quality of life for elders.

Key Words: Social services • Quality of life • Poverty




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