A cash transfer temporarily alleviates functional impairments for older adults

Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M22-2496 

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A randomized controlled trial of more than 1,100 people aged 55 years and older found that among older people living alone, a small cash transfer was effective in alleviating short-term functional impairment, but the effects were not sustained after 3 months. The findings are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

As many as 16 percent of older adults worldwide live alone, and the proportion is expected to grow over time. The resulting isolation is of significant policy concern, as loneliness is associated with depression, cognitive decline, and reduced well-being. Given the low number of trained therapists in developing countries and the financial constraints their governments face, delivery of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) over the phone could be a promising intervention to improve the well-being of older persons living alone. Similarly, cash transfers could have a direct impact on food security and could also affect mental health or day-to-day functioning.

Researchers from Dartmouth College, MIT, Sangath, and IIT Madras studied 1,120 adults living alone in Tamil Nadu, India aged 55 and older to determine whether phone-based CBT or a cash transfer reduce functional impairment, depression, or food insecurity in this population. Participants received phone-based CBT, a one-time cash transfer of 1,000 rupees ($12 USD), or both. The outcomes were measured at baseline and at 2 rounds of follow-up phone surveys, 3 weeks and 3 months after the end of CBT. Overall, the small cash transfer reduced short-term (3 weeks) functional impairment and resulted in a small but not clinically or statistically significant reduction in depression in the short term. Cash had no effect on short-term food security. There were no short-term effects from CBT or the 2 interventions together. None of the interventions showed any effect at 3 months.

 

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