Home > Promising Practices > Program to Encourage Active, Rewarding Lives for Seniors (PEARLS)

Program to Encourage Active, Rewarding Lives for Seniors (PEARLS)

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

The Program to Encourage Active, Rewarding Lives for Seniors (PEARLS) is a counseling program for seniors that teaches participants how to manage depression. PEARLS uses an in-home counseling model, which consists of counseling sessions followed by a series of follow-up phone calls. The counseling covers three behavioral approaches to depression management: (1) teaches participants to recognize symptoms of depression and understand the link between unsolved problems and depression; (2) helps participants meet recommended levels of social and physical activity; and (3) helps participants identify and participate in personally pleasurable activities. In addition to the in-home counseling and follow-up phone calls, the PEARLS program assesses other factors in the participants’ lives to ensure that other potential factors contributing to depression, such as chronic medical conditions, are adequately treated.

Goal / Mission

The goal of the PEARLS program is to provide home-based counseling in order to manage and treat depression among older adults.

Results / Accomplishments

The PEARLS counseling program has been evaluated and shown to be effective at managing depression in older adults. A randomized controlled trial was conducted by the University of Washington’s Health Promotion Research Center and the City of Seattle’s Aging and Disability Services. At 12 months, compared with the usual care group, patients receiving the PEARLS intervention were significantly more likely to have at least a 50% reduction in depressive symptoms (43% vs 15%), to achieve complete remission from depression (36% vs 12%), and to have greater health-related quality-of-life improvements in functional well-being and emotional well-being.

Ciechanowski P, Wagner E, Schmaling K, et al. Community-Integrated Home-Based Depression Treatment in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial. JAMA. 2004;291(13):1569-1577.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
University of Washington
Primary Contact
4311 11th Ave NE, Suite 500
Seattle, WA 98105
206-543-3970
uwpearls@u.washington.edu
http://www.pearlsprogram.org/
Topics
Health / Older Adults
Health / Mental Health & Mental Disorders
Health / Wellness & Lifestyle
Organization(s)
University of Washington
Date of publication
2004
Location
Washington
For more details
http://www.pearlsprogram.org/
Target Audience
Older Adults

Related Promising Practices

  1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Late-Life Depression
  2. Mental Health and Mental Illness: Interventions to Reduce Depression Among Older Adults Clinic-Based Depression Care Management
  3. CDC COMMUNITY GUIDE: Interventions to Reduce Depression Among Older Adults: Home-Based Depression Care Management

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An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.
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