Date of Award

Spring 2025

Document Type

DNP Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Department

Nursing

Committee Chairperson

Jacquelyn Owens

Abstract

Loneliness among older adults is a significant public health concern associated with adverse physical, emotional, and cognitive outcomes. Despite widespread recognition of the issue, effective interventions remain limited in clinical practice. This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project implemented and evaluated a Health Promotion Home Visit (HPHV) intervention designed to reduce loneliness in community-dwelling adults aged 65 and older. A quality improvement initiative using a pre-post design was conducted at a community outreach division of a home health agency. Patients received HPHV every other week over an eight-week period. The UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3) was used to assess loneliness before and after the intervention. Descriptive statistics and paired t-tests were used to analyze the data. Post-intervention findings showed a statistically significant reduction in loneliness scores (p < .05), indicating a positive impact of the HPHV intervention. Qualitative feedback further supported increased feelings of connection, emotional support, and well-being among participants. The HPHV intervention demonstrated effectiveness in reducing perceived loneliness in older adults and highlights the value of intentional human presence as a therapeutic tool in nursing care. This intervention offers a scalable, patient-centered strategy that can be integrated into community health models to address the growing issue of loneliness in aging populations.

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