Older adults' satisfaction with the Neighbors Helping Neighbors program
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the satisfaction of older adults in the services they receive from the Neighbors Helping Neighbors (NHN) program – a program designed to assist older adults to remain independent in their homes and communities.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire examining various domains of service was developed and administered to 49 older adults who had been receiving assistance from NHN for at least six months.
Findings
Findings revealed that 87 percent (41) of the participants were satisfied with services and believed that NHN helped them remain independent in the community.
Research limitations/implications
The study was a cross‐sectional design and did not look at change over time based on a pre/post test research design. Therefore, no causation can be implied. Another limitation is that the study was conducted internally by NHN; program participants may have responded in a socially desirable way in order not to reflect negatively on the program.
Practical implications
Findings from this study may have implications for developing sustainable home‐ and community‐based support programs for older adults.
Social implications
With the aging of societies and cutbacks in government social services, it is important to examine how the needs of aging citizens can be met.
Originality/value
The paper shows that the NHN model is innovative in its use of students, community‐building approaches, and volunteers in meeting the needs of older adults. The NHN program provides an innovative model that can be replicated by other universities or other community‐based organizations around the country.
Keywords
Citation
Kelley‐Gillespie, N., Wilby, F. and Farley, O.W. (2012), "Older adults' satisfaction with the Neighbors Helping Neighbors program", Working with Older People, Vol. 16 No. 4, pp. 154-169. https://doi.org/10.1108/13663661211286684
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2012, Emerald Group Publishing Limited