Utilizing ICT to prevent loneliness and social isolation of the elderly. A literature review

Abstract

Ageing of the population is a worldwide phenomenon. Numerous ICT-based solutions have been developed for elderly care but mainly connected to the physiological and nursing aspects in services for the elderly. Social work is a profession that should pay attention to the comprehensive wellbeing and social needs of the elderly. Many people experience loneliness and depression in their old age, either as a result of living alone or due to a lack of close family ties and reduced connections with their culture of origin, which results in an inability to participate actively in community activities (Singh & Misra, 2009). Participation in society would enhance the quality of life. With the development of information technology, the use of technology in social work practice has risen dramatically. The aim of this literature review is to map out the state of the art of knowledge about the usage of ICT in elderly care and to figure out research-based knowledge about the usability of ICT for the prevention of loneliness and social isolation of elderly people. The data for the current research comes from the core collection of the Web of Science and the data searching was performed using Boolean? The searching resulted in 216 published English articles. After going through the topics and abstracts, 34 articles were selected for the data analysis that is based on a multi approach framework. The analysis of the research approach is categorized according to some aspects of using ICT by older adults from the adoption of ICT to the impact of usage, and the social services for them. This literature review focused on the function of communication by excluding the applications that mainly relate to physical nursing. The results show that the so-called 'digital divide' still exists, but the older adults have the willingness to learn and utilise ICT in daily life, especially for communication. The data shows that the usage of ICT can prevent the loneliness and social isolation of older adults, and they are eager for technical support in using ICT. The results of data analysis on theoretical frames and concepts show that this research field applies different theoretical frames from various scientific fields, while a social work approach is lacking. However, a synergic frame of applied theories will be suggested from the perspective of social work. Keywords: ICT, older adults, loneliness, social isolation. ResumenEl envejecimiento de la población es un fenómeno mundial. Se han desarrollado numerosas soluciones basadas en las Tecnologías de la información y la comunicación (TIC) para el cuidado de ancianos, pero concentradas principalmente en los servicios relacionados con aspectos fisiológicos y de enfermería. El Trabajo Social es una profesión que tiene que prestar atención al bienestar integral y a las necesidades sociales de las personas mayores. Muchas personas sufren soledad y depresión en la vejez, ya sea como resultado de vivir solas o debido a la falta de lazos familiares y a la reducción de las conexiones con su cultura...

Internet Use and Loneliness Among Older Adults: The Moderating Role of Self-perceptions of Ageing

“…In this respect, Internet use has become crucial to access important digital public services, concerning the vision of making Internet relevant to our daily life (including older people) [35,36]. Unlike the prevalent stereotypical and negative depictions of older adults as technophobic, unwilling or incapable of learning and using new digital technologies [37,38], various studies have demonstrated that older individuals are indeed willing and capable of learning and using digital technologies, especially for communication purposes [17]. Evidence shows that older people in an adult education center in Barcelona (Spain) extensively use computer-mediated applications [39].…”

“…Various attempts have been made to prevent or tackle loneliness, including older people-targeted interventions [10,16]. Increasing attention has been paid to the effects of older people's technology use on reducing the feeling of loneliness and supporting daily activities [17]. Meaningful social interactions of older adults play a significant role in decreasing the level of loneliness [18].…”

Funcionalidades TIC Dirigidas a Personas Mayores, ¿Cómo son Valoradas en el Medio Rural?

“…No obstante, hay que llamar la atención sobre el hecho de que la predisposición de los asistentes también ha sido de querer aprender más: estas sesiones se les han hecho cortas, les han despertado la curiosidad y estarían encantados de que se organizaran talleres que les mostraran mejor su uso. Esta voluntad de aprender y utilizar las TIC en su vida cotidiana es acorde con las conclusiones obtenidas en otros estudios (Fan, 2016).…”

Utilización, formación y valoración de las TIC entre los profesionales de la educación social en España: una reflexión sobre la práctica

“…Varios autores han analizado los usos y posibilidades que ofrecen las TIC en la educación social (Castillo et al, 2001;Forés et al, 2001;López Meneses y Esteban Ibañez, 2008;Laurent, 2008;Planella y Martínez, 2010;Marquès, 2010;Koskinen, 2014;Sampedro, 2015;Martínez-Rivera y Forés, 2015;Martínez Pérez, 2015;Fan, 2016;Hansen et al, 2016;Hipólito Ruiz et al, 2017;Taylor, 2017;Cabezas González y Casillas Marín, 2017Manzoor y Vimarlund;Madama et al, 2019; ) y las implicaciones que tienen estas en la actual Sociedad del Conocimiento (Foray, 2002, Krüger, 2006, Punie, 2007Cabero 2018).…”

“…Este uso se ha visto incrementado ampliamente, según los resultados cualitativos, en los últimos meses debido a la situación de la pandemia y se han añadido nuevas herramientas para videoconferencia a las ya utilizadas, como Microsoft Skype y Teams, Google Meet y Hangout o Zoom. Hemos podido encontrar experiencias que utilizan las TIC como herramientas de comunicación dentro de los servicios en el trabajo con personas mayores (Fan, 2016), en el campo de las personas con discapacidad (Manzoor y Vimarlund, 2018) o dentro de los servicios de bienestar en general (Hansen et al, 2016;Madama et al, 2019).…”