Technology and the relationship to quality of life in later adulthood
File(s)
Date
2013Author
Rheineck, Lisa
Fricke, Cheryl
Advisor(s)
Wolfgram, Susan
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) by
older adults has the potential to enhance the quality of life in those who
remain connected to family and society (Feist, Parker, Howard, & Hugo,
2010).The purpose of our study was to evaluate the use of ICT by older
adults to remain viable participants in society and in the lives of their
families. This nonrandom pilot study, conducted at senior agencies in
Northwestern Wisconsin, investigated differences between users and
non-users of ICT to stay connected to significant people in their lives
and to society overall. Informed by literature and Family Ecological
Theory (Smith, Hamon, Ingoldsby, & Miller 2009), we predicted that
older adult users of ICT would report better quality of life than nonusers.
Survey data were statistically analyzed using cross-tabulations,
mean comparisons, and reliability analysis. Moderate support was found
for the hypothesis. Implications for practitioners are to encourage users
and non-users to work through possible self-imposed age barriers and
increase their frequency of communication with current social networks
through the use of ICT. Implications for future research would be
increased sample size with greater diversity in socioeconomic status, race
and geographic location. We recommend a mixed method approach using
qualitative interviews for the older adult lived experience perspectives
Subject
Older adults
Quality of life
Communication technologies
Information technologies