Download or read book Older Adults and Online Social Networking written by Elise Hernandez and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 43 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The social transition to older adulthood can be challenging for elderly individuals and their families when isolation poses a threat to well-being. Technology is currently providing younger generations with an opportunity to stay in contact with social partners through the use of online social networking tools; it is unclear whether older adults are also taking advantage of this communication method. This study explored how older adults are experiencing online social networking. Specifically, this research addressed how older adults' attitudes towards online social networking are related to their expertise in using computers and the internet for this purpose. A survey methodological approach was employed whereby older adults aged 65 and over were recruited from senior centers across the Central Florida area to fill out a series of questionnaires. The Computer Aversion, Attitudes, and Familiarity Index (CAAFI) was used to measure attitudes and expertise with computers. The Internet Technical Literacy and Social Awareness Scale was used to measure interest and expertise with the internet. The relationship between older adults' use of online social networking and their attitudes and expertise was also investigated. Finally, social connectedness, (measured using the Social Connectedness Scale) and subjective well-being (measured using the Satisfaction with Life Scale) were measured to explore whether older adults receive a psychosocial benefit from using online social networking. Findings showed expertise and attitudes scores were strongly correlated, and these scores were also predictive of online social networking use. The results of this study may help social service providers for elderly individuals begin to understand the many factors associated with using new forms of technology.

Download or read book The Social Networks of Older People written by Howard Litwin and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 1996-10-30 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edited volume examines the social networks of older people in nine countries from a range of perspectives in order to determine the potential of informal support structures to deliver the bulk of care in today's society. Researchers from the United States, Canada, England and Wales, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, and Israel present up-to-date analyses of support networks in each of their countries. The social policy implications of the comparative data are critically reviewed. The findings clearly suggest that social network availability is diminishing for a significant minority of elderly people. However, current practice in most countries reveals little purposive interweaving of formal services and informal networks, in order to strengthen the function of the latter and to prolong their presumed benefits.

Download or read book Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2020-05-14 with total page 317 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Social isolation and loneliness are serious yet underappreciated public health risks that affect a significant portion of the older adult population. Approximately one-quarter of community-dwelling Americans aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated, and a significant proportion of adults in the United States report feeling lonely. People who are 50 years of age or older are more likely to experience many of the risk factors that can cause or exacerbate social isolation or loneliness, such as living alone, the loss of family or friends, chronic illness, and sensory impairments. Over a life course, social isolation and loneliness may be episodic or chronic, depending upon an individual's circumstances and perceptions. A substantial body of evidence demonstrates that social isolation presents a major risk for premature mortality, comparable to other risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, or obesity. As older adults are particularly high-volume and high-frequency users of the health care system, there is an opportunity for health care professionals to identify, prevent, and mitigate the adverse health impacts of social isolation and loneliness in older adults. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults summarizes the evidence base and explores how social isolation and loneliness affect health and quality of life in adults aged 50 and older, particularly among low income, underserved, and vulnerable populations. This report makes recommendations specifically for clinical settings of health care to identify those who suffer the resultant negative health impacts of social isolation and loneliness and target interventions to improve their social conditions. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults considers clinical tools and methodologies, better education and training for the health care workforce, and dissemination and implementation that will be important for translating research into practice, especially as the evidence base for effective interventions continues to flourish.

Download or read book The Association Between Internet Use and Characteristics of Social Networking for Middle Aged and Older Adults written by David L. Hogeboom and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that strong social networks have a positive effect on physical and psychological well-being. Research suggests that Internet use may affect social networks. However it is not clear if Internet use has a positive or negative effect on social networks. One theory suggests that Internet use displaces face-to-face contacts and off line social participation. Another theory suggests Internet use replaces high quality face-to-face ties with weaker online ties. Other studies however suggest the Internet has a positive effect on social networks. Because older adults have shrinking social networks, but may have more discretionary time than other age groups, the Internet may be a tool that can be used to strengthen social networks for this age group. METHODS: This study uses a sample from the 2004 wave of the Health and Retirement Survey to assess the association between Internet use and social networks. Age is tested for moderation of the association between Internet use and social networks. Oversampling and design effects of the sample are accounted for using weights and special procedures in SAS version 9.1. Univariate, bivariate and linear regression analyses are employed for the examination of associations and moderation. RESULTS: In regression models (n=2,284) considering a number of control variables, frequency of contact with friends, frequency of contact with family, and attendance at organizational meetings (not including religious services), were found to have a significant positive association with Internet use, while in-person contact with family members (other than children) had a significant negative association with Internet use. Age was not found to moderate any of the significant associations between Internet use and measures of social networking. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest the Internet could be used as a tool in interventions designed to strengthen social networks for older adults and that policies to increase the availability of the Internet should be considered. Internet use is not associated with a decrease in social participation based on attendance of religious services or other organizations. The amount of time spent on Internet use is not considered in this study and is a limitation.

Download or read book Technology for Adaptive Aging written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2004-04-25 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Emerging and currently available technologies offer great promise for helping older adults, even those without serious disabilities, to live healthy, comfortable, and productive lives. What technologies offer the most potential benefit? What challenges must be overcome, what problems must be solved, for this promise to be fulfilled? How can federal agencies like the National Institute on Aging best use their resources to support the translation from laboratory findings to useful, marketable products and services? Technology for Adaptive Aging is the product of a workshop that brought together distinguished experts in aging research and in technology to discuss applications of technology to communication, education and learning, employment, health, living environments, and transportation for older adults. It includes all of the workshop papers and the report of the committee that organized the workshop. The committee report synthesizes and evaluates the points made in the workshop papers and recommends priorities for federal support of translational research in technology for older adults.

Download or read book Older Adults and Social Media written by Mary Madden and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 13 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "While social media use has grown dramatically across all age groups, older users have been especially enthusiastic over the past year about embracing new networking tools. Social networking use among internet users ages 50 and older nearly doubled - from 22% in April 2009 to 42% in May 2010. - Between April 2009 and May 2010, social networking use among internet users ages 50-64 grew by 88%--from 25% to 47%. - During the same period, use among those ages 65 and older grew 100%--from 13% to 26%. - By comparison, social networking use among users ages 18-29 grew by 13% - from 76% to 86%. "Young adults continue to be the heaviest users of social media, but their growth pales in comparison with recent gains made by older users," explains Mary Madden, Senior Research Specialist and author of the report. "Email is still the primary way that older users maintain contact with friends, families and colleagues, but many older users now rely on social network platforms to help manage their daily communications." One in five (20%) online adults ages 50-64 say they use social networking sites on a typical day, up from 10% one year ago. Among adults ages 65 and older, 13% log on to social networking sites on a typical day, compared with just 4% who did so in 2009. At the same time, the use of status update services like Twitter has also grown - particularly among those ages 50-64. One in ten internet users ages 50 and older now say they use Twitter or another service to share updates about themselves or see updates about others."--Publ. website.

Download or read book Social Networking for the Older and Wiser written by Sean McManus and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2010-08-03 with total page 381 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Social networks enable anyone with a computer and Internet connection to stay in touch with friends and family across the globe, and rediscover old acquaintances. Social Networking for the Older and Wiser starts with the basics of social networks, before moving onto intermediate topics, all whilst highlighting ways to protect your privacy and keep your details secure. The book is packed with step-by-step instructions on how to use Facebook, Twitter, Friends Reunited, Saga Zone, and other social networks to: Create an account on your chosen social network Reconnect and stay-in-touch with old friends Find others who share your interests and hobbies Share messages and photos Create your own social groups and clubs online So what are you waiting for? Join in on the social networking phenomenon that is sweeping the globe!

Download or read book Mobile Technology for Adaptive Aging written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2020-10-25 with total page 147 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To explore how mobile technology can be employed to enhance the lives of older adults, the Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine commissioned 6 papers, which were presented at a workshop held on December 11 and 12, 2019. These papers review research on mobile technologies and aging, and highlight promising avenues for further research.

Download or read book Media Perspectives for the 21st Century written by Stylianos Papathanassopoulos and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2011-03-17 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Media Perspectives for the 21st Century brings together key international scholars to explore concepts, topics and issues concerning the communication environment in contemporary democratic societies. It combines qualitative and quantitative approaches to provide an interdisciplinary and truly global perspective that reflects the trends, theories and issues in current media and communication research. The collection raises significant questions about the study of the media by challenging approaches to major media and societal issues, and analyses in more depth the range of concerns that shape both the present and the future media landscape and the issues these can create for communication. It also investigates the main effects of technological developments on the domain of the news media and journalism. Divided into two main sections, Part I provides accounts of the role of the media in society, and deals with agendas that affect the field of communications studies. Part II goes on to examine the world of new media and offers analyses on the developments of the 21st century. Chapters deal with various dimensions of media from a number of different perspectives and socio-political contexts, covering a wide range of topics including Social Networking, Political Communication, Public Journalism, Global Infotainment and Consumer Culture. Media Perspectives for the 21st Century will be highly useful to undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as researchers and academics, in the fields of media and communication studies, mass communication, journalism and new media.

Download or read book Measuring Understanding and Improving Wellbeing Among Older People written by Sefa Awaworyi Churchill and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-03-20 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How can we be happier, healthier and more satisfied in life? This edited collection examines various dimensions of wellbeing among older people, including its measurement; social, environmental and economic determinants; and how research can be translated into policy to improve quality of life for older people. With an increasingly ageing population across countries and an increasing population of older adults, there is growing interest in improving older people’s ability to live healthily and happily. With a focus on retirement and aged care, this book is important reading for those interested in Welfare Economics, Health Economics and Development.

Download or read book Agent Based Computational Demography written by Francesco C. Billari and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Agent-Based Computational Demography (ABCD) aims at starting a new stream of research among social scientists whose interests lie in understanding demographic behaviour. The book takes a micro-demographic (agent-based) perspective and illustrates the potentialities of computer simulation as an aid in theory building. The chapters of the book, written by leading experts either in demography or in agent-based modelling, address several key questions. Why do we need agent-based computational demography? How can ABCD be applied to the study of migrations, family demography, and historical demography? What are the peculiarities of agent-based models as applied to the demography of human populations? ABCD is of interest to all scientists interested in studying demographic behaviour, as well as to computer scientists and modellers who are looking for a promising field of application.

Download or read book Ageing as a Migrant written by Ruxandra Oana Ciobanu and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-06-29 with total page 197 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Motivated by the steady increase in the population of older migrants worldwide, this book acknowledges the diversity within this population group and provides an interdisciplinary and multi-level approach for studying older migrants’ strategies to overcome vulnerability. The book brings together original research on the topics of diversity among older migrants, social vulnerability, loneliness, (transnational) care and support networks. Based on a review of the growing literature on the topic of older migrants and anchored in the empirical findings discussed in the chapters, the book puts forward a general approach to study older migrants as social actors who develop strategies to surpass vulnerabilities. As documented by empirical research, older migrants mobilise their resources and are able to deal with structural opportunities and restrictions operating at meso and macro levels. These strategies are placed at the intersection between family obligations and resources, social networks, and migration and care regimes. The interdisciplinary and multi-level research in this book acknowledges the heterogeneity within the population of older migrants and puts forward research results that have implications for policies targeting the growing population of older migrants. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies.

Download or read book Social Networking for Seniors in Easy Steps written by Anne Sparrowhawk and published by In Easy Steps Limited. This book was released on 2010-11-30 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A guide for older Internet users on such topics as creating an account on a social networking site, using Skype to talk, starting social groups and clubs online, and finding others with similar interests and hobbies.

Download or read book Ageing and Digital Technology written by Barbara Barbosa Neves and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-01-08 with total page 335 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book brings together Sociologists, Computer Scientists, Applied Scientists and Engineers to explore the design, implementation and evaluation of emerging technologies for older people. It offers an innovative and comprehensive overview, not only of the rapidly developing suite of current digital technologies and platforms, but also of perennial theoretical, methodological and ethical issues. As such, it offers support for researchers and professionals who are seeking to understand and/or promote technology use among older adults. The contributions presented here offer theoretical and methodological frameworks for understanding age-based digital inequalities, participation, digital design and socio-gerontechnology. They include ethical and practical reflections on the design and evaluation of emerging technologies for older people, as well as guidelines for ethical, participatory, professional and cross-disciplinary research and practice. In addition, they feature state-of-the-art, international empirical research on communication technologies, games, assistive technology and social media. As the first truly multidisciplinary book on technology use among ageing demographics, and intended for students, researchers, applied researchers, practitioners and professionals in a variety of fields, it will provide these readers with insights, guidelines and paradigms for practice that transcend specific technologies, and lay the groundwork for future research and new directions in innovation.

Download or read book Smartphone Cultures written by Jane Vincent and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-12-01 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Smartphone Cultures explores emerging questions about the ways in which this mobile technology and its apps have been produced, represented, regulated and incorporated into everyday social practices. The various authors in this volume each locate their contributions within the circuit of culture model. More specifically, this book engages with issues of production and regulation in the case of the electrical infrastructure supporting smartphones and the development of mobile social gambling apps. It examines issues of consumption through looking at parental practices relating to children’s smartphone use, children’s experience of the regulation of this technology, both in the home and in school, how they cope with the mass of communications via the smartphone and the nature of their attachment to the device. Other chapters cover the engagement of older people with smartphones, as well as how different cultural norms of sociability have a bearing on how the technology is consumed. The smartphone’s implications for other theoretical frameworks is illustrated through examining ramifications for domestication, and the sometimes-limited place of smartphones in certain aspects of life is examined through its role in the practices of reading and writing. Smartphone Cultures presents the latest international research from scholars located in the UK, Europe, the US and Australia and will appeal to scholars and students of media and cultural studies, communication studies and sociologists with interests in technology and social practices.

Download or read book An Exploratory Study on Online Communication Media Use and Social Networking Practices Among Older Adults in Urban China written by Ranran He and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The use of online communication media has increased dramatically over recent years, with people from different age groups becoming users of online communication media. Many scholars have become interested in how online communication media influence or even reshape people's social networking practices and social networks. Most existing studies on the impacts of online communication media are based on the observation of online practices of the general population or the younger population, while older adults are rarely taken into consideration. An increasing number of elderly people have become active users of online communication media and they may differ from younger people in many aspects such as networking strategies. Studying the elderly population may therefore enhance our understanding of the utility of online connectivity. Based on 35 in-depth interviews of elderly WeChat users in urban China, which were conducted between December 2017 and March 2019, this study considers two major questions: (1) How do older adults use online communication media to network with their different social relations? (2) How do the online networking practices of older adults influence their social relations? The analysis focuses on two major issues to answer the second question: accessibility and the relational intimacy of social ties. By considering these two questions, this study aims to determine whether older adults become "networked individuals" or just stay "alone together" when they become active users of online communication media. My findings show that how elderly people use online communication media to interact with their social ties is different from younger users and their unique networking strategies have different digital impacts on their social relations. Elderly people often lack opportunities to socialise due to their age-related conditions. Online communication media can reduce their costs of manage social ties and serve an important channel to help many elderly users to (re)connect and develop their social ties, enhancing both the accessibility and relational intimacy of those social ties and help them to become "networked individuals"

Download or read book Effects of Online Social Networking on the Cognitive Social and Emotional Health of Older Adults written by Janelle Wohltmann Myhre and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Research suggests older adults who remain socially active and cognitively engaged have better cognitive function than older adults who are socially isolated and disengaged. Using an online social networking website, like Facebook.com, may require simultaneous cognitive and social engagement, thus yielding improvements in both domains. This study aimed to examine the efficacy of learning and using Facebook as an intervention to maintain or enhance cognitive function in older adults. Results from a small pilot study with 7 older adults suggested there may be positive effects on executive functions and memory following learning and using Facebook. Therefore, a larger and more well-controlled examination of the intervention was completed. Participants were 41 older adults (12 male), with a mean age of 79.4 and 16.5 mean years of education. Participants were assigned to learn how to use Facebook (n = 14) or an online diary website (active control, n = 13), or they were placed on a waitlist (no treatment control, n = 14). Participants assigned to learn a website attended three 2-hour classes over the course of one week and then used the website at home daily for the next 7 weeks. Participants assigned to the waitlist received no contact for 8 weeks. All participants completed a series of neuropsychological tests and questionnaires on social and lifestyle factors before and after this 8-week period. Results showed that all participants were able to learn and use Facebook or an online diary website over an 8-week period. In addition, the Facebook group showed a significant increase in updating performance at post-test compared to no significant change in the control groups. Other composite measures of executive function, memory, and social support showed no differential improvement in the Facebook group across the 8-week interval. Thus, learning and using an online social networking site appeared to provide specific benefits for executive functions associated with working memory in a group of healthy older adults. This may reflect the particular cognitive demands associated with online social networking and/or the benefits of social engagement more generally.