Private Social Network Use, Loneliness & Social Isolation of Elderly

Older adults are often on the wrong side of the digital divide. However, recent Pew surveys suggest that they may be closing the gap. Fifty-nine percent of adults over 65-years-of-age are online. Computer use by older adults is of interest because it has been shown to be associated with lower rates of isolation, loneliness and depression (Cotten, et al., 2013, 2014). This descriptive and exploratory study involved a small number of independent living (IL) residents residing in two continuing care retirement communities (CCRC). The purposes of this pilot study were to explore if (a) IL residents wanted to have more social communication with family members and old friends; (b) providing IL residents with an easy-to-use private social network encouraged them to use computers for social communication; and (c) using computers for social communication led to decreased isolation and loneliness, and improved quality of life. Participants were either non-computer users or had limited computer experience, and were trained to use a private social network called KeepInTouch (KIT). The pilot testing of this KIT intervention was implemented by using a quasi-experimental, waitlist control design .