Older Adults and Technology Use

The Pew Research Center has just published a report called "Older Adults and Technology Use". This report is based on findings from a telephone survey of 6,224 people ages 16 and older living in the United States. The main findings from this report are:

• 59% of seniors (age 65 and above) go online - which is a 6% increase in one year.
• 47% say they have a high-speed broadband connection at home.
• 77% of older adults have a cell phone.
•  Among older adults who use the internet, 71% go online every day or almost every day.
• Among older adults who use the internet, 27% use social networking sites, such as Facebook.

You can read the full report here.

The "United States of Aging" Survey

The National Council on Aging, UnitedHealthcare, and USA Today funded a survey which asked older adults questions about their outlook and their preparation for aging. This "United States of Aging" survey of 2,250 adults aged 60+ was conducted in May through June of 2012. Here are some of the key findings of the survey:

•  64% of adults aged 60+ report that it is very or somewhat easy to pay their monthly living expenses now
• 23% of seniors are either not confident in, or do not have, a financial plan for their retirement years.
• 20% are still employed either full or part time.
• 28% of Seniors say they serve as a caregiver for someone else.
• 50% of Seniors have someone who is a caregiver for them.
•  90% of Seniors intend to continue living in their current homes over the next five to 10 years.

You can access the full report here. 

New Study of Older Adult Internet Use

 The Pew Internet and American Life Project has published a new report called "Older Adults and Internet Use". This report was based on a telephone survey of 2,254 adults in April 2012, which asked about American's use of the internet. Here are some of the highlights of the report which concern older adults:

• 53% of Americans age 65+ use the internet or email 
• Of those Seniors who go online, 70% use the internet on a typical day.
• Only 34% of adults age 75+ use the internet 
• 69% of adults age 65+ own a cell phone
• 34% of internet users age 65+ use Facebook or other social networking sites (this is quite an increase - since only 13% used these sites in 2009).
• 11% own an e-book reader
• 8% own a tablet

You can read the full report here.

Pew Generations 2010

 Pew Internet has published the results of their Generations 2010 report. This report was based on a telephone survey of 2,252 adults, which asked about American's use of the internet. This report had three age categories for older adults: older boomers, ages 56-64; the Silent Generation, ages 65-73; and the G.I. generation ages 74 and above. Here are some of the highlights of the report which concern older adults:

• 76% of Older Boomers use the internet.
• 58% of the Silent Generation use the internet.
• 30% of the G.I. Generation use the internet.
• 44% of the Silent Generation have searched for financial information and this percentage is higher than for any other age group.
• All three "older adult" age groups have greatly increased their use of social network sites - with the percentage of the G.I. Generation who use Social Networking sites increasing from 4% in 2008 to 16% in 2010!
• 76% of Older Boomers get news online.
• Email is the top online activity for all "older adult" age groups, followed by "search", and then "finding health information".

The full report can be accessed here.

Caregiving in the U.S. 2009

MetLife Foundation funded a national caregiving study conducted for the National Alliance for Caregiving and the AARP. This study was published in November 2009 and was composed of three parts:

• Caregivers of Children under 18 with Special Needs
  
• Caregivers of Young Adults
• and Caregivers of adults 50+

The study of caregivers of adults 50+ was based on telephone interviews with 1,397 caregivers who are 18 years or older and who care for someone 50 years or older. Key findings of this study include:

• they estimated that 43.5 million caregivers provide unpaid care for a family member or friend who is age 50 or over. This means that 19% of all adults in the U.S. are caregivers.
  
• approximately 67% of caregivers are female.
• the average age of caregivers is 50 years old
• caregivers provide care for an average of four years
  
• caregivers provide on average 19 hours of care per week
• 55% of caregivers are employed while caregiving and 64% of these caregivers report having to make workplace accomodations (such as coming in late to work) as a result of their caregiving role.
• 15% report their care recipient requires help due to aging
• 15% report their care recipient requires help due to Alzheimer's disease, dementia, or forgetfulness.

For more information, you can click here for the full study.

Recent Grandparents Survey

The MetLife Mature Market Institute recently published a survey about grandparents. Highlights of this report include:

•  63% of grandparents provided financial support for their grandchildren in the last five years.
• Only 32% of grandparents gave their children financial advice (such as start saving early in life).
  
• 26% of grandparents provided money for their grandchildren's education.
• 25% reported that they increased their financial support of grandchildren due to the poor economy.
  
• 22% believed that providing this money had a negative effect on their own financial situation.

This survey polled 1,077 U. S. adults aged 45+.  More information about this survey can be found here. 

Florida Caregiving Survey

The AARP partnered with the "Hospice of the Florida Suncoast" and "Florida Hospice and Palliative Care" to survey AARP members living in Florida. The survey investigated caregiving and end of life issues.

Survey highlights include:

• 13% of survey respondents provide unpaid care for a relative, spouse, friend, or partner.
• 45% of caregivers have been providing care for 1-5 years.
• 39% of caregivers spend 6-20 hours a week providing care.
• 39% of caregivers spend over 20 hours a week providing care.
  
• 40% would like information about available caregiving resources.
• 90% have heard of hospice services.
• 64% have talked with their spouse, partner, or family member about their wishes for end of life care.
  

The full report can be found here.