Supporting Older Adults Remotely

The Supporting Older Adults Remotely (SOAR) study is a randomized controlled trial evaluating a 12-week, telephone-delivered peer support intervention for adults age 50 and older with serious mental illness who live in supportive housing. SOAR is designed to support aging in place and improve independent living skills through structured peer support focused on medication adherence, medical and psychiatric self-management, coping, goal setting, healthcare navigation, social relationships, self-advocacy, and connection to community resources. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either SOAR or Peer Support as Usual. Participants will complete assessments at baseline and 3, 6, and 12 months. The study will also examine factors that may help or hinder implementation and sustainability of SOAR in supportive housing.

Inclusion Criteria: Participants will be eligible for Peer study participation if they: 1. are trained and accredited as Medicaid Certified Peer Specialist in the state of New York 2. be aged 50+ 3. ability to speak, read, and write in English; and 4. have the ability to provide voluntary informed consent. Participants will be eligible for resident participation if they: 1. are residing in the Bridge; 2. are aged 50 years or older; 3. can provide voluntary informed consent; 4. in need of independent living skills training as determined by a score of \< 40 on the Independent Living Skills Survey Exclusion Criteria: Peer Specialists will be excluded for: 1. chart diagnosis of dementia or documented cognitive impairment as indicated by the Mini Mental State Examination score \