ERIC Number: EJ771596
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007-Aug
Pages: 18
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0360-1277
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Keeping in Touch: Talking to Older People about Computers and Communication
Dickinson, Anna; Hill, Robin L.
Educational Gerontology, v33 n8 p613-630 Aug 2007
Computer-based communication has tremendous potential to support older adults. But if people are to use such systems autonomously, it is necessary to move beyond current interfaces and systems and develop devices that fit into the environment of the user. Using a Grounded Theory approach, three focus groups were held and, subsequently, 9 older adults (age 70-90) were interviewed about the ways in which they kept in touch with friends and relatives. Outcomes included dependence on the telephone as a way of communicating. There is also a specific, supporting role for e-mail, which was used with younger family members or those living abroad to enrich communication with brief, informal messages.
Descriptors: Older Adults, Electronic Mail, Telecommunications, Letters (Correspondence), Social Isolation, Computer Attitudes, Computer Interfaces, Computer System Design, Family Relationship, Communication Skills, Computer Mediated Communication, Focus Groups, Interviews, Foreign Countries
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/default.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A