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Silver Surfers: Riding the Wave of
Technology
By: Shauna Waters
“Aging is not lost youth, but a new
stage of opportunity and strength”-‐ Be5y
Friedan
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As individuals age, they may become more and more isolated.
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Technology has the poten>al to improve and enhance the lives of seniors in a variety of
ways…
…once we iden4fy and break down barriers to
use.
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“Today, 59% of [American] seniors report that they go online”-‐ Pew Research Centre
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Seniors who use the Internet are mainly mo+vated to do so by children and
grandchildren.
Skype, e-‐mail and social networks are easily accessible ways to stay connected with family
and friends.
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Internet use can lead to enhanced cogni+on
through the use of search engines and educa@onal
games.
Seniors can shop and bank from home even if they are restricted by poor mobility and the
inability to drive a car.
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Seniors can have another chance at love, with
online da+ng being the second most common place to meet a mate
later in life.
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Those over 55 are the fastest growing group of users of online da+ng sites.
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Overall, the Internet has the poten@al to decrease the risk of depression in the elderly by greater than 30%.
Internet use drops significantly aHer the age of 75, indica@ng that there exists barriers to use.
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Sta@s@cally, seniors from lower socio-‐
economic backgrounds with lower educa+on levels are the least likely to use the
Internet.
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Seniors are oHen skep@cal of providing personal informa+on online, as they are a common target for iden+ty the? and scams.
Physical and cogni+ve disabili+es, such as loss of sight and hearing, prevent some older adults from learning
computer skills.
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So how do we break down the barriers?
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There are classes available at community centres and public libraries to increase digital
literacy, specifically for seniors.
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Children and grandchildren, as well as student volunteers, can provide in-‐home educa@on…
But be pa+ent with them!
We must make it easier for our seniors to enrich their lives by joining the technological
+des of change to become…
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http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-008-x/2009002/article/10910-eng.htm http://www.sainetz.at/dokumente/Older_adults_and_internet_use_2012.pdf http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/04/03/older-adults-and-technology-use/ http://scholar.google.ca/scholar_url?hl=en&q=http://www.researchgate.net/publication/5431128_Internet_use_and_loneliness_in_older_adults/file/3deec515bc17554b06.pdf&sa=X&scisig=AAGBfm0zyUwHNt9Zo0M0zX-HbYymVr5mNQ&oi=scholarr&ei=ZEZ6U9-XKYqXyATrv4LoCA&ved=0CCcQgAMoADAA http://c24izzah.wikispaces.com/file/view/Computer,+Internet,+and+E-mail+Use+Among+Older+Adults+Benefits+and.pdf http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/04/22/seniors-internet-fights-depression/8009059/ http://www.seniorlivingmag.com/articles/2014/03/rising-trend-in-online-dating-for-seniors
SOURCES
All images contained in this presentation are licensed under the Public Domain CC0 and are sourced from Pixabay
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