Comments on Heller, Thompson, Trueba, Hogg, and Vlachos‐Weber, “peer support telephone dyads for elderly women”

Comments on the support intervention study with elderly women by Heller et al. (1991). The study highlights the need to determine what aspects of social support are most effective for particular populations. I discuss what basic research on supportive functions suggests for this population, and what kinds of knowledge are needed to best translate epidemiologic findings into intervention research designs. Related research on the effects of family vs. peer support is discussed, and processes that may help or hinder family support are proposed. Finally, I note some implications for further research on social networks of elderly persons, and approaches to increasing social companionship and social integration.