Internet and the elderly: Enhancing active ageing

Abstract

El progresivo envejecimiento de las sociedades ha llevado a los organismos internacionales y europeos a desarrollar programas de envejecimiento activo, capaces de construir una nueva cultura sobre el papel de las personas mayores en la sociedad. Estos incluyen aspectos sociales de carácter comunicacional que, sin embargo, han tenido menos desarrollo investigador que otros más apremiantes, vinculados a aspectos físicos y económicos. Esta investigación atiende precisamente a estas variables comunicacionales, abordando la vinculación de los mayores con Internet y planteándose dos objetivos principales: Conocer las utilidades que tiene Internet para este colectivo y explicar los motivos que convertirían a este medio en una fuente de oportunidades para un envejecimiento activo. Para satisfacerlos, se utiliza una metodología cualitativa que se apoya en el desarrollo de tres grupos de discusión constituidos por cinco y seis personas de 56 a 81 años y moderados por un experto. Los resultados obtenidos del análisis cualitativo del contenido en cada discusión indican que Internet es una fuente de oportunidades para los mayores, que pueden aglutinarse en cuatro categorías: Informativas, comunicativas, transaccionales y administrativas, y de ocio y entretenimiento. Estas oportunidades optimizan la calidad de vida de los mayores y contribuyen a su envejecimiento activo, si bien, su máximo aprovechamiento precisa de programas de «e-inclusión» y metodologías que aproximen Internet a los mayores, facilitándoles una formación en competencias digitalesGlobal ageing has led European and international organizations to develop programs for active ageing, in order to reconstruct the role of the elderly in society. Active ageing includes social communication aspects which have been the subject of less research than other more pressing ones linked to physical and economic characteristics. This research is centered on these communication variables; it addresses the link between the elderly and Internet, and has two main objectives: To discover how useful Internet is for this age group, and to explain the potential this medium has for active ageing. To do so, a qualitative methodology is used based on three discussion groups, each made up of five or six people between the ages of 56 and 81, led by an expert moderator. The results of the qualitative content analysis of each discussion indicate that the Internet is a source of opportunities for the elderly, and this potential may be divided into four categories: Information, communication, transactions and administration, together with leisure and entertainment. This potential improves the quality of life for the elderly and contributes to their active ageing. However, to maximize this, e-inclusion programs and methodologies are needed to make the Internet user-friendlier for the elderly and provide them with training in digital skill

Use of the cellular and internet of elderly persons participating in the program of sport and health in the municipality of Dois Irmãos, Brazil

“…In the study by Llorente-Barroso, Viñarás and Sánchez [6] several members of the groups consider that the Smartphone facilitates the communications; favoring the immediacy of the connection with electronic or social networks. In addition, the proliferation of mobile devices promoted, among this group, the opportunity to communicate through social networks like WhatsApp and Facebook.…”

“…To identify the data about the experiences of the elderly with the use of cell phones and Internet, the categories of opportunities were used to optimize life habits and contribute to active aging. These data are the result of the study of Llorente-Barroso, Viñarás, Sánchez [6], constituted in communicative, informative, leisure and entertainment and utilitarian opportunities. For the analysis and presentation of the results, the descriptive statistics was used through the distributions of absolute (n) and relative (%) frequencies.…”

The Underlying Motivations for Mobile Device Use by Seniors

“…This study demonstrates that seniors' interest in mobile applications is linked to their level of autonomy. This is an important finding given that 90% of seniors, estimated to reach 800 million by 2025, live independently and want to remain in their homes [4] and ICT offers perhaps some of the largest economic and social opportunities to this segment of consumers [33].…”

TIC e sociedades cada vez mais envelhecidas: uma contextualização de estudos no Brasil, em Portugal e em outros países

“…Portanto, o uso das TIC pode proporcionar ao idoso autonomia, bem-estar e maior interação social. Possuir literacia mediática, ou seja, ser capaz de entender e usar as tecnologias de informação e comunicação (Gilster, 1998), pode ser um fator determinante para diferentes gerações e grupos de pessoas lidarem com suas vidas diárias (Roberto et al, 2014;Horrigan, 2014;Dias, 2012;Páscoa e Gil, 2015;Llorente-Barros et al, 2015).…”

“…Um estudo sobre adoção de tablets verificou que a percepção de utilidade, prazer no uso e a influência social afetam a intenção de usar essa tecnologia (Hur et al, 2014) e Lehtinen et al (2009) observaram que os idosos não usam as redes sociais digitais por medo relacionado à privacidade e por não verem vantagem. Outras dificuldades mais "técnicas" também enumeram na lista das barreiras que dificultam as pessoas mais velhas de usarem as TIC (Kachar, 2010;Pew Research Center, 2014;Bolin e Skogerbø, 2013;Horrigan, 2014;Tavares e Souza, 2012): como a falta de conexão à internet em casa ou em lugares públicos, o custo das tecnologias e a falta de literacia mediática (Sales et al, 2014a).…”