In last week’s blog, we offered up some ideas of how to help elderly people restore their independence. Among our suggestions was to help them with modern technology. Giving your elderly loved one the knowledge of how to send a text, take a photo, deliver an email and surf the internet for fun is a great way to help him/her develop a greater sense of self-pride. Helping older adults with using the internet isn’t as odd a concept as you may think.
According to Dr. Nikola Djordjevic on MedAlertHelp.org, there are a lot of misconceptions about seniors and technology. They aren’t all technophobes, he insists, noting that there are many benefits for seniors who use technology. And there are more of them using the web and other tech than most of us assume.
To further his point, Dr. Djordjevic presents a very telling infographic entitled “The Elderly & The World Wide Web”. It contains a ton of valuable information extracted from a wide variety of sources. “The internet is no longer the exclusive domain of younger people,” the infographic begins, Over the past years, more and more elderly people have started venturing online…this group is more digitally connected than ever.”
70 percent of internet users aged 65 and over use the internet each day.
This is just one of the many statistics provided by the infographic. It defeats the stereotype that seniors stay off of their computers and have no interest in the internet. It also challenges the notion that older adults have no idea what they’re doing when it comes to surfing the web. The infographic reveals that 82 percent of boomers/seniors use search engines to gather information on topics of interest.
The elderly use the internet for a wide variety of reasons.
Older adults are well aware that the worldwide web is incredibly useful. They aren’t afraid of utilizing the internet for many needs. The infographic reveals that 78 percent of older adults go online because it provides easy access to information on personal interests. 60 percent believe the web keeps you up to date on political and policy issues while 33 percent say the internet is the most trusted source for news and information.
Seniors enjoy keeping in touch with friends and family using the internet.
In fact, 75 percent of seniors use the internet to connect with their loved ones, says the infographic. And don’t assume that the ways in which they connect are through email only. There are many older adults on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. While 20 percent of grandparents use email to communicate with their families, more than half (55 percent) of seniors follow a group or organization on social networks.
As mentioned earlier, the infographic contains a wealth of interesting information about the relationship between seniors and technology. We encourage you to check it out! And, as always, if you have any questions about the mobility solutions and home healthcare products offered by LifeCare Mobility Solutions, please don’t hesitate to call us at 416-267-9800 or email us at info@lifecaremobility.ca. You may also contact us by filling out the form on our Contact page!
