This systematic review emphasizes the need for technology use in older adults to reduce social isolation. With the advancement of technology over the years, the effectiveness of interventions based on its use can be examined to see how these can address the problem of social isolation and enhance social wellbeing. We focus on identifying how older adults can most benefit from affordable and accessible technology use and how the training and implementation of such interventions can be tailored to maximize their beneficial effect. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to select relevant studies. We analyzed 25 articles, performed a narrative analysis to identify themes, and quality of life indicators connected to technology use and wellbeing. Engagement of older adults at the community-level, following best practices from the Community-Based Participatory Research can facilitate effective practices to deliver technology based social isolation interventions and increase digital use self-efficacy in older adults. Mobile technology-based applications not only help families to stay connected, but also link older adults to resources in healthcare and encourage physical and mental well-being. Use of technology devices address cognitive, visual, and hearing needs, and increase digital use self-efficacy in older adults, particularly helpful during necessary social distancing or self-quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Service-learning is an effective intervention to solve social issues. The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of intergenerational virtual service-learning on loneliness and ageism. Method: This study used a pre-post design. A group of undergraduate students were randomly assigned to a “service-learning” project (n = 18). They were paired with seniors (n = 22) to have at least a 30-min weekly virtual interaction for six weeks. The following scales were used: the Aging Semantic Differential (ASD) Scale, the UCLA Loneliness Scale, a one-item researcher generated Likert-rating of loneliness, and two-item researcher generated Likert-rating of student competence. Results: Among college students, the service-learning group showed lower ASD and ageism scores at the post-test compared to the non-service-learning group, t (1, 40) = −2.027, p = 0.049; t (1, 40) = −2.102, p = 0.042, respectively. Among seniors, loneliness scores on the UCLA Scale and the one-item scale of loneliness dropped significantly from pre- to post-interactions with students, t (1, 19) = 2.301, p = 0.033, and t (1, 22) = 2.412, p = 0.009, respectively. Conclusion: Virtual service-learning is an effective way to solve social issues such as loneliness and ageism.

Background: Intergenerational friendship, a mechanism of social support, is an effective intervention to reduce the increasing risk of social isolation (SI) and develop companionship in the older adult population. The COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique opportunity to examine the psychosocial intervention of befriending via technology use as a primary form of contactless socialization. Objective: The study aims to explore the effectiveness of the befriending intervention through a contactless, intergenerational service-learning project on older adult emotions, especially boredom and loneliness as the key attributes of SI, and on students’ attitude toward companionship. Methods: During the months of January to April 2022 , undergraduate students enrolled in a health administration course with a special focus on culture were asked to be involved in a contactless, intergenerational service-learning project (n=46). In this study, contactless intervention meant communication using the telephone and apps such as FaceTime and Zoom. Students were paired with older adults to have at least a 30-minute weekly conversation, for 8 weeks, via telephone or an internet-based app such as FaceTime. Students were asked to write a half-page diary after each interaction and a 1-page reflection at the end of the fourth week and at the end of the service-learning project. At the completion of the project, the researchers also surveyed the older adults to assess the impact of the project using a 5-item open-ended questionnaire. Following a heuristic approach and content analysis, student artifacts (110,970 words; 118-page, single-spaced Microsoft Word document) and the older adult surveys were analyzed using MAXQDA, (VERBI GmbH). Qualitative data were extracted to assess the impact of service learning on SI by measuring the attributes of boredom and loneliness among 46 older adults. Students’ attitudes toward companionship were also assessed using data from their diaries and reflections. Results: Overall, three major constructs were identified: (1) meaningful engagement, defined as feeling safe, having increased confidence, and having reduced boredom; (2) internal motivation to participate in the weekly interaction, defined as discussion about daily life experience, level of happiness, and ability to exert personal control over the situation; and (3) intergenerational befriending, defined as perceived benefits from the friendly nature of the interaction, ability to comfortably connect with students, and positive feeling and attitude toward the student. Conclusions: The contactless, intergenerational befriending intervention reduced boredom and loneliness among older adults and enhanced positive attitude and confidence among university students. Students helped older adults to develop digital skills for the use of apps and social media. Older adults showed interest in the intervention and shared their daily life experiences with the students, which helped to reduce the gap between generations. Findings indicate the effectiveness of an intergenerational service-learning intervention on SI reduction and increased positive attitude among college students.

Background: Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a global problem affecting 58 million people, expected to reach a prevalence of 88 million people by 2050. The disease affects the brain, memory, cognition, language, and motor movement. Many interventions have sought to improve memory and cognition. mHealth and virtual reality (VR) are two such interventions. Objectives: To analyze studies from the last 10 years with older adults with AD to ascertain the effectiveness of telehealth techniques such as mHealth and VR for memory care. Methods: In accordance with the Kruse Protocol and reported in accordance with PRISMA 2020, five reviewers searched four research databases (PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect) on 3 August 2022 for studies with strong methodologies that fit the objective statement. Results: Twenty-two studies from 13 countries were analyzed for trends. Four interventions (mHealth/eHealth, VR, mHealth + VR, game console, and telephone) used RCT, quasi-experimental, pre-post, observational, and mixed methods. These interventions improved cognition, memory, brain activity, language, depression, attention, vitality, quality of life, cortical atrophy, cerebral blood flow, neuro plasticity, and mental health. Only three interventions reported either no improvements or no statistically significant improvements. Cost, time, training, and low reimbursement were barriers to the adoption of these interventions. Conclusion: mHealth and VR offer interventions with positive effectiveness for memory care for AD. The long-term effect of this improvement is unclear. Additional research is needed in this area to establish clinical practice guidelines.

Socially engaged older adults are less likely to decline in health and happiness and have a higher quality of life. Building upon this premise, examination was conducted on the domains of social determinants of health, specifically the social and community context per Healthy People 2030 objectives. These mechanisms of social interaction, in the form of group activities, community engagement, and virtual interactions via email or text message, were assessed using hierarchical regression analysis to find out their association with wellbeing, depression symptoms, and cognition of older adults. The data included a total of 4623 sample of older adults from the National Health and Aging Trend Study (NHATS) Round 8. The results showed that social support explained a 40.3% unique variance on wellbeing. The use of text message and email had a moderating effect on community engagement and self-reported depression level in older adults. Findings suggest that community programs, shared group activities, or technology training workshops can improve social interaction and support cognition and reduce depression in older adults. Directions for future research include examining human behaviors and perceptions and increasing technology training sessions to promote independence of older adults and increase their social connections. In addition, participant involvement in interventions would enhance the possibility of success of such endeavors.

Introduction: Food insecurity (FI) and social isolation (SI) are interconnected social determinants of health that disproportionately affect older adults. While FI and SI have been studied independently, their combined effects on malnutrition and quality of life (QoL) have not been adequately synthesized. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the efficacy of combined FI and SI interventions over the past decade, identify reported facilitators and barriers, and explore technology-based approaches to inform future research.Methods: This study follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines and the Kruse Protocol. Peer-reviewed empirical studies were identified through systematic searches of PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, and ScienceDirect. Inclusion criteria targeted non-randomized controlled trials and community-based interventions focused on adults ≥ 65 years in the past 10 years. Six studies were examined using a narrative approach, supported by data matrices.Results: The studies suggested a relationship between FI and SI, among individuals with physical impairment, low income, and reduced access to community resources. Women were most affected. Although the studies were observational and varied in quality, findings indicated that FI and SI are associated with adverse health outcomes, such as depression, diabetes, cognitive decline, and reduced QoL. Promising interventions included commensality programs, food service apps, and technology supported community engagement, though barriers such as limited digital literacy, high costs, and infrastructure gaps persist.Conclusion: The review underscores the need for integrated interventions as the global older adult population grows. Due to limited methodological rigor, definitive conclusions cannot be drawn. Future research should use robust designs-randomized controlled trials, mixed methods, and longitudinal studies, and address structural barriers, including digital exclusion, to improve health outcomes.Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420250418740.