Introduction: Worldwide increase in life expectancy and decrease in birth rate has turned population aging into a global phenomenon. Aging changes the person’s need for social support and their general self-efficacy. This study measured the effect of collaborative care model on social support and general self-efficacy of the elderly in the city of Ilam.

Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2016 with control and intervention groups consisting of the elderly residing in Ilam. For this purpose, 80 subjects selected by simple random sampling, were assigned to one control group (n = 40) and one intervention group (n = 40). For the intervention group, five 60- to 90-minute education sessions based on collaborative care model were held over the course of 3 months. Collaborative care model consists of the stages of motivation, preparation, engagement, and evaluation. Measurements were made before the intervention, and one, two and three months after the intervention, using the Duke Social Support Scale and the General Self-Efficacy Scale. Data analysis was performed using the SPSS 20 software.

Results: Before the intervention, there was no significant difference between social support and general self-efficacy scores of control and intervention groups (P > 0.5); however, after the intervention, the intervention group showed an increased social support score during months 2 and 3 and an increased general self-efficacy score during months 1, 2, and 3 post intervention (P < 0.5). Also, none of the measurements made before and after the intervention showed a statically significant difference between social support and general self-efficacy in the control group (P > 0.5).

Conclusions: Given the positive effect of collaborative care model on social support and general self-efficacy of elderly, the use of such nursing interventions in the clinical care of the elderly is recommended.