New Evidence That Online Therapy Works for Older Adults

The retirement years are uneventful—that’s the message we get from cultural representations of older adults. In the media retirees are seen golfing, playing cards, giggling with grandchildren, or going for power walks with silver-haired peers. It all looks peaceful, and maybe a little boring. Younger people probably like to think that after decades of work, raising families, and navigating the uncertainties of life they’ll be rewarded with a retirement era that’s totally free of drama.

A more accurate look at seniors’ state of mind

At Talkspace we know those representations have little to do with reality. Since we became an in-network provider with Medicare in 2024 our therapists have treated thousands of 65+ members and they share that these years are far from smooth sailing. Many older adults are grappling with evolving identities, relationships and family conflicts, health challenges, grief, and overall uncertainty about what the years ahead hold. While these may be “golden” years for some, one in four people 65 and older reported symptoms of anxiety or depression.

This population clearly needs mental health support, but traditionally it’s been hard for them to access. A Health and Human Services report from last year found that there were fewer than five active mental health providers per 1000 Medicare and Medicaid enrollees. Barriers like transportation challenges and cost can also get in the way of seniors receiving mental health care. Because we know that therapy provided through video sessions and messaging provides a vital way to close access gaps, the Talkspace research team studied whether older adults benefit from virtual care to the degree younger populations do.

Older Adults Can Use Tech to Access Needed Care

To understand how effective online therapy is for older adults, Talkspace examined a group of 1546 clients aged 65 and older and a matched group of 25-36 year olds, all of whom self-reported their mood and anxiety every 3 weeks for 15 weeks. We used widely-accepted clinical questionnaires, including the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7. Both groups had the option to schedule live virtual therapy sessions, message with their therapists, or combine both types of therapy.

What we found: Older adults were quite comfortable with virtual therapy. 61% of them combined live virtual sessions and asynchronous communication (aka messaging) with their therapists, and 35% used asynchronous messaging only. More importantly, online therapy was highly effective for this age group. 

• At 15 weeks, 62% with depression showed significantly reduced symptoms and 48% had their depression resolve entirely. 
• 67% of the older adults with anxiety achieved significant reduction in symptoms, with 40% seeing their anxiety resolved. 

Notably, when compared to the 25-36 age group, online therapy was significantly more effective at treating depression and anxiety in the older adults. What’s more, the older adults spent less time engaged in Talkspace therapy than the younger adults did to achieve these positive outcomes.  

Online therapy is a valuable mental health solution for seniors

“We know that Talkspace online therapy is as effective as face-to-face therapy for treating depression and anxiety in the general population, but weren’t sure if older adults would be able to access the full benefits, or if factors like lack of comfort with or trust in technology might be a barrier. But this study demonstrates that virtual modalities, including both video sessions and messaging, are at least as effective for older adults and maybe even more so.” — Aarthi Padmanabhan, Senior Director of Research at Talkspace

Not only is it effective, online therapy is affordable too. Now that Talkspace online therapy is in-network with Medicare and many Medicare Advantage plans, older adults can get paired with a licensed therapist within days and receive therapy for only the cost of a copay. If you’re 65+ and navigating the challenges and opportunities of this life stage (or if you love someone who is), know that Talkspace therapy is a convenient, covered option backed up by evidence—and our therapists are standing by and ready to support. To learn more about this study, get the details in our downloadable research summary below.