UTILIZATION OF A TIME-LIMITED HOLIDAY HOTLINE BY OLDER ADULTS

Lonely older adults are frequently hesitant to reach out for help beca use they fear forced institutionalization or other loss of control ove r their lives. The utilization of a time-limited holiday hotline for o utreach to lonely older persons is examined. There were 306 calls from aged persons. Grief and bereavement were the primary themes of these calls. Trained professionals and supervised students staffed the telep hone bank and provided such services as responsive listening and commu nity referrals.