Internet Use Cuts Depression among Senior Citizens

Spending time online reduces depression by 20 percent for senior citizens, the Phoenix Center reports in a new Policy Paper released today. In addition to the quality of life benefits, the Policy Paper said reducing the incidence of depression by widespread Internet use among older Americans could trim the nation's health care bill.

"Maintaining relationships with friends and family at a time in life when mobility becomes increasingly limited is challenging for the elderly," says Phoenix Center Visiting Scholar and study co-author Dr. Sherry G. Ford, an Associate Professor of Communications Studies at University of Montevallo in Alabama. "Increased Internet access and use by senior citizens enables them to connect with sources of social support when face-to-face interaction becomes more difficult."

The Policy Paper, Internet Use and Depression Among the Elderly, examines survey responses of 7,000 retired Americans 55 years or older. The data was provided by the Health and Retirement Study of the University of Michigan and screened to exclude respondents who were still working and also those living in nursing homes in order to limit possible variations that might skew the findings. These limitations reduced the size of the sample from the initial 22,000 to 7,000, but that is still far larger than all previous efforts to consider the effect of Internet use on psychological well-being of the elderly population. Age 55 is the common age cut off for studies of the elderly. Unlike many existing studies on the benefits of broadband, the statistical methodologies used in the analysis aim to determine causal effects and not simply measure correlations.

Phoenix Center President Lawrence W. Spiwak says, "This is the most advanced statistical analysis on the social impacts of broadband to date, and the most believable. If policymakers want better data analysis, they now have it. The study raises the bar for credible statistical analysis when formulating broadband policy."

The implications of the findings are significant because depression affects millions Americans age 55 or older and costs the United States about $100 million annually in direct medical costs, suicide and mortality, and workplace costs. The Pew Internet & American Life Project estimates that only about 42 percent of Americans aged 65 or more use the Internet, far below the adoption rate of other age groups. Given the relatively low adoption rates by seniors, the study concludes that the opportunity for better health outcomes from expanded Internet adoption is substantial. Further, with billions spent annually on depression-related health care costs, the potential economic savings also are impressive. "Efforts to expand broadband use in the U.S. must eventually tackle the problem of low adoption in the elderly population," says study Phoenix Center Chief Economist and study co-author Dr. George S. Ford. "The positive mental health consequences of Internet demonstrate, in part, the value of demand stimulus programs aimed at older Americans."

Phoenix Center Policy Paper No. 38: Internet Use and Depression Among the Elderly, may be downloaded free from the Phoenix Center's web page at: http://www.phoenix-center.org/pcpp/PCPP38Final.pdf.

The Phoenix Center is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that studies broad public-policy issues related to governance, social and economic conditions, with a particular emphasis on the law and economics of telecommunications and high-tech industries.

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Concerns over an aging India

By 2050, India will be home to one out of every six of the world’s older persons, and only China will have a larger number of elderly people, according to estimates released by the United Nations Population Fund.

Thirty years ago, there were no “aged economies,” in which consumption by older people surpassed that of youth. In 2010, there were 23 aged economies. By 2040, there will be 89.

Japan is today the only country with more than 30 per cent of its population aged 60 or above. By 2050, there will be 64 countries where older people make up more than 30 per cent of the population.  In simple terms, within a decade there will be one billion older persons worldwide. And by 2050, nearly 80 per cent of the world’s older persons will live in developing countries — with China and India contributing to over one-third that number. 

A report released by the United Nations Population Fund and HelpAge India to mark the International Day of Older Persons — observed on October 1 — suggests that India had 90 million elderly persons in 2011, with the number expected to grow to 173 million by 2026. Of the 90 million seniors, 30 million are living alone and 90 per cent work for livelihood.

The report says the number of elderly women is more than that of elderly men. Nearly three out of five single older women are very poor, and two out of three rural elderly women are fully dependants. There is also an increasing proportion of elderly at 80-plus ages, and this pattern is more pronounced among women.

The study, undertaken in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Orissa, West Bengal, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh by HelpAge, suggests that one-fifth of the elderly live alone. This proportion has registered a sharp increase in the past two decades and is more evident in the case of elderly women.

The housing data from Census 2011 also point out that the number of households has increased substantially in the last decade, and the number of persons per household has come down substantially. Declining fertility, migration and nuclearisation of families are three possible reasons for such reduction in household size.

Across the States, there is a substantial variation in the type of living arrangement, particularly in the proportion of elderly persons living alone. The percentage of those living alone or with spouse is as high as 45 per cent in Tamil Nadu, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab and Kerala. This indicates that with a demographic transition under way and youth migrating out for economic reasons, there will be a drastic change in the living arrangements of the elderly in rural and urban areas. The large segment of the elderly, those living alone or with spouse only, and the widowed who are illiterate, poor and particularly those from the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe families, low wealth quintiles will definitely require various kinds of support: economic, social and psychological. These, at present, are woefully lacking.

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment put in place the National Policy on Older Persons in 1999 with a view to addressing issues relating to aging in a comprehensive manner. But the programme failed at the implementation level. The Ministry is now formulating a new policy that is expected to address the concerns of the elderly. The idea is to help them live a productive and dignified life. There is a scheme of grant-in-aid of the Integrated Programme for Older Persons, under which financial assistance is provided to voluntary organisations for running and maintaining projects. These include old-age homes, day-care centres and physiotherapy clinics. While the scheme, indeed the concept, is still alien to India, the Ministry is considering the revision of cost norms for these projects, keeping in view the rising cost of living.

The most recent intervention has been the introduction of the National Programme for Health Care for Elderly in 2010, with the basic aim to provide separate and specialised comprehensive health care to senior citizens. The major components of this programme are establishing geriatric departments in eight regional geriatric centres and strengthening health care facilities for the elderly at various levels in 100 districts. Though the scheme is proposed to be expanded during the Twelfth Five Year Plan, the regional geriatric centres are yet to take off because of lack of space in the identified institutions.

The enactment of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, was a legislative milestone. However, its implementation has been poor.

With poor social security arrangements for the elderly, it is not surprising that around 37 million elderly in India are engaged in productive work, according to NSSO data for 2004-05. A majority of these workers are illiterate or have limited levels of education. Half the women elderly workers are from the two poorest consumption quintiles. This indicates that illiteracy and poverty push them to undertake work outside as a survival strategy, or out of compulsion.   

Keywords: The Sunday Story, India population, India elderly population, senior citizens, elderly persons, health care for elderly, social security, old age homes, elderly care

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First robot rollout to 'assist' the elderly

It can be a difficult decision as to what step to take next when our older loved ones begin needing assistance in their daily lives, but a recent study from the Georgia Institute of Technology may make the choice easier. The idea of adding a robot to someone's household might seem far-fetched or futuristic to some, but after this study, it's clear that robots could soon be computerized family members.

The Georgia Institute of Technology asked about two dozen adults aged 65-93 to watch an eight-minute video about Willow Garage's Personal Robot 2. They followed the video by asking the participants about their preference of robot or human assistance in completing 48 unique tasks. The tasks ranged from such things as entertaining guests to setting the table.

The responses from the participants show that the older generation may not be as "behind-the-times" as some might think. Overall, they showed a preference to a robot's assistance in necessary activities in their daily lives, such as changing light bulbs, cleaning the house, washing dishes, making the bed, taking out the trash, and reminding them to take medications. Human assistance; however, was preferred for social and decision-making activities: cooking, entertaining guests, grocery shopping.

Additionally, activities of a personal, intimate nature remain in humans' hands. The participants were resistant to having robotic help with things like bathing, walking, shaving, getting dressed, eating, and brushing their teeth.

The researchers note that these results may be impacted by the lack of friendly interaction between person and robot. The Personal Robot 2 (PR2) is meant to perform specific tasks, and that's that. However, in the case of "social robots," such as MIT's Leonardo, people develop personal relationships with their assistant. They name their robot, dress it, and address it with greetings and farewells.

Another study called the Companion Able Project created Hector, a similar robot to PR2. Hector is guided by remote control and smart home compatibility, and he displays capabilities that are of great assistance to the elderly. He comes when he's called, reminds you of your daily schedules and routines, tells you when to take your medicine, and will even keep your glasses safe in his pocket. He is also a safety addition to the household with his fall detection capabilities. In emergencies - like a fall - he is connected to a remote control center, and he can assess the seriousness of the fall and evaluate what sort of help is needed.

It might be mind boggling for many to think of adding a metal member to their family, but the robotic technology is advancing rapidly and could prove essential to some households.

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