Multi-Component Intervention to Improve Health Outcomes and Quality of Life Among Rural Older Adults Living With HIV

This intervention involves weekly support group calls facilitated by a licensed counselor or therapist for 8 consecutive weeks. The calls will last approximately 90 minutes and will include 5-8 individuals per group. Groups will follow pre-determined topic areas, with participants encouraged to explore their feelings about the difficulties associated with normal aging, being HIV-positive, and living with HIV/AIDS as an older adult. Therapists will facilitate mutual support among group members, encourage greater openness and emotional expressiveness, and help participants to improve their social and family support and enhance their quality of life. This intervention is an adaptation of Telephone Supportive-Expressive Group Therapy (Heckman et al., 2013).

"This intervention involves weekly support group calls facilitated by a licensed counselor or therapist for 6 consecutive weeks. The calls will last approximately 60-90 minutes and will include 5-8 individuals per group. This intervention is grounded in minority stress theory and will use cognitive-behavioral strategies to help empower participants to cope with stressful and stigmatizing experiences. Intervention components may include minimizing self-stigmatizing attitudes, reducing engulfment, developing a sense of future and hope, and developing and pursuing meaningful life goals. This intervention is an adaptation of Ending Self Stigma (Lucksted et al., 2011)."

The investigators have adapted an individually-tailored strengths-based case management (SBCM) intervention to help address the multiple structural barriers faced by rural older PLH. The adapted intervention, delivered by trained research staff, will include two 60-minute telephone-based SBCM counseling sessions with shorter follow-up phone calls to check-in on progress and help patients navigate identified barriers. The case manager will provide tailored sessions based on individually-identified needs and proximal life stressors. Capitalizing on participants' personal strengths, case managers will help empower participants to navigate issues related to employment, insurance, mental health, housing, or transportation. This may include assistance understanding, applying for, and accessing benefits or programs.

Participants will be called by a technology-fluent study staff member, who will assess the current state of their technology literacy, access, and use. Detailing will focus on advancing the participant along the technology use cascade (using the internet, possessing a device and service to access internet at home, using the internet to access their electronic health record and pharmacy services, seeking HIV-related information, and finding social support). Each participant will be provided with personalized assistance based on their local and personal circumstances. Because of the individualized advice provided, there will be a range of contacts between 1 and 5, at customized intervals. Detailing protocols include the option of providing the participant with a tablet including cellular service (for 3 months) when in-home internet service is not available or is cost prohibitive.