Effect of a Telephone Reminiscence Intervention on Mental Health

The goal of this study is to learn whether a telephone-based program that helps people share life memories can reduce loneliness and improve mental well-being, life satisfaction, and social support in older adults and their caregivers living in rural areas.

This study has two parts. In the first part, researchers will gather feedback from a small group of older adults and informal caregivers to see if the updated telephone reminiscence program works well and is easy to use.

In the second part, researchers will test the telephone reminiscence program in a clinical trial study to see whether the updated telephone reminiscence program reduces loneliness and improves social support, life satisfaction, and mental well-being in older adults and their caregivers. The researchers will also examine how the program impacts how often and for what reason you reminisce.

The main questions this study aims to answer are:

* Does the telephone reminiscence program improve social support, life satisfaction, and mental well-being and reduce loneliness in rural older adults and their caregivers? How does the telephone reminiscence impact how often and for what reason participants reminisce? * How often and how long do participants use the program? * How satisfied are older adults and informal caregivers with the program? In this study researchers will compare participants who begin the telephone reminiscence program right away with participants who start the program after a 12-week waiting period to see whether starting the program earlier leads to better outcomes.

Participants will:

* Take part in telephone calls 3 times a week that invite older adults to talk about their life experiences. * Answer brief survey questions about social support, loneliness, and mental well-being, and life satisfaction over time. * Include both older adults and their informal caregivers, who may also participate by recording questions in their own voice.