Phone calls that heal: new study aims to cure loneliness in rural seniors
NCT ID NCT07576855
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 18, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests a telephone program where older adults in rural areas share life memories three times a week. Researchers want to see if it reduces loneliness and improves mental well-being, social support, and life satisfaction for both older adults and their informal caregivers. The study involves 170 participants and compares those who start the program right away with those who wait 12 weeks.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 170 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Aug 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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60 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Older adults aged 60 years or older living in a rural area and their caregivers aged 18 or older.. * Able to read and speak English. * Living in a rural area as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. * Has an informal caregiver (family member, partner, friend, or neighbor) willing to participate, or is an informal caregiver of an eligible older adult. * Able to participate in telephone-based activities. Exclusion Criteria: * Significant hearing impairment that would interfere with telephone participation. * Cognitive impairment as indicated by three or more errors on a brief cognitive screening assessment. * Participation in the program development phase of this study.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Connecticut
Storrs, Connecticut, 06269, United States
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