The Educational Potential of Technologies for Older People - Reflections on the Well-being

Abstract

Worldwide life expectancy has increased over the last century. In Brazil the population over 60 years was approximately 10% in 2009, and it is expected to increase to 29% in 2050. This increase in life expectancy leads us to consider strategies that can assist in maintaining the quality of life during the ageing process. One strategy that must be considered is the health education to the elderly, so we construct a web application-Active Ageing TV-that is based on the reports of World Health Organization, and on the use of gerontology education to facilitate the learning process, and on the use of techniques to design according to specific characteristics of older audience. To validate our application, a survey was conducted with seniors who participated in a course of digital inclusion in Brazil, during 2009 to 2013. We used "Profile of Individual Life Style" instrument to evaluate the lifestyle perceived by the participants. Our findings indicate that seniors are looking for a preventive behavior, but information is necessary to assist them to make right decisions for a healthy lifestyle.