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.

Caregiver's Use of Technology

The PEW Research Center has just published a report, "Family Caregivers are Wired for Health", about how caregivers use the internet to get health information. Thirty-nine percent of Americans care for an adult or child with serious health issues. Seventy-two percent of these caregivers search online for health information. This report found that caregivers are more likely than other internet users to:

• Gather health information online, particularly about medical problems, treatments, and drugs.
• Go online specifically to try to figure out what condition they or someone else might have.
• Consult online reviews about drugs and other treatments.
• Go online to find others with similar health concerns.

You can access the complete report here.

New "Sandwich Generation" Report

 The Pew Research Center has just published a study about the Sandwich Generation. This generation is 40-59 years of age and many of them are responsible for caring for both their own children and their aging parents. The Pew study surveyed 2,511 adults in this age group. They found that nearly half of the people surveyed have a parent age 65 or older and are either raising a young child or financially supporting a grown child (age 18 or older). In addition, about 15% of middle-aged adults are providing financial support to both a child and an aging adult. Here are some additional findings:

• 75% say adults have a responsibility to provide financial assistance to an elderly parent who is in need.
• 52% say parents have a similar responsibility to support a grown child.
• Among all adults with at least one parent age 65 or older, 30% say their parent or parents need help to handle their affairs or care for themselves.
• Among those whose parents need care, 31% say they provide most of this help, and an additional 48% say they provide at least some of the help. 

You can access the full report here. 


http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/01/30/the-sandwich-generation/

Social Networking Websites Increase in Popularity

Older adults have dramatically increased their use of social networking websites, such as Facebook. A PEW Research Center social networking report has found that 57% of internet users age 50-64 use social networking websites, while 38% of those age 65+ use these sites. Facebook is the most popular social network for older adults, with 56% of internet users age 50-64 using this website and 40% of those age 65+ using this website ("Photos and Videos as Social Currency Online" by Lee Rainie et al.). People use Facebook to stay in contact with friends and family and to share their pictures. Older adults are also using LinkedIn for career networking and Pinterest to share images.  
Why are social networks so popular? A PEW Research Center study investigated the social impact of social networking and found that:

• The average user of a social networking site has more close ties and is half as likely to be socially isolated as the average American.
• Facebook revives “dormant” relationships.
• Internet users get more support from their social ties and Facebook users get the most support.
• Facebook users have more close relationships.

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.

Social Media Use by Older Adults

The Pew Research Center has published a report called "Older Adults and Social Media".  This report was based on a phone survey of 1,756 adults.  Here are some highlights from this report:

•  Social networking use by internet users age 50 and above, has nearly doubled in the last year - from 22% to 42%.
• 47% of internet users age 50-64 use social networking sites
• 26% for internet users age 65+ use social networking sites.
• 11% of internet users age 50-64 post status updates on twitter or other sites.
• 5% of internet users age 65+ post status updates on twitter or other sites.
• 92% of internet users age 50-64 use email and 89% of internet users age 65+ use email.

The Pew Report gave some suggestions for why older adults have begun social networking: 

• to reconnect with past associates to network to find a new job or career.
• to find support online if the older adult has a chronic disease.
• to interact with grandchildren and other family members, who may live far away.  According to this report, "... social media bridges generational gaps."(p. 7).  It provides a place where people of all ages can interact and learn from one another.

The full report can be found here.

Growing Old in America: Expectations versus Reality

The Pew Research Center recently published the results of a phone survey of 2,969 adults. This survey investigated people's perceptions about aging. Four age groups were studied: 18-29; 30-49; 50-64; and 65+. This study found that older adults experienced fewer of the negative benchmarks of old age (illness, memory loss, depression) than younger adults reported that they expect to happen as they grow old. However, older adults also reported having fewer of the expected benefits of old age, such as having more time for hobbies or traveling more.

Other highlights of the study include:

• 60% of adults 65 and older say they feel younger than their age.
• 45% of adults 75 and older report that their life has turned out better than they expected, while only 5% stated that it turned out worse than they expected.
• 70% of older adults 65 and older say that they have more time with their family.
• 80% of adults aged 65 and older reported reading a book, magazine, or newspaper daily.
• men and women have similar expectations about growing older.
  

The full study can be accessed online here.

There were also regional differences in how older adults view aging. Older adults from the western part of the United States reported feeling younger and healthier than older adults in other parts of the United State. However, 63% of older adults in the northeast and the south reported that they get more respect as they age, compared to only 44% in the west. For more information on regional differences, please see this Pew Research report.