Abstract
BackgroundOlder adults typically have less access to the Internet than other age groups, and older Veterans may use the Internet even less due to economic and geographic reasons.ObjectiveTo explore solutions to this problem, our study examined older Veterans’ reported ability to access technology through their close social ties.MethodsData were collected via mail survey from a sample of Veterans aged 65 years and older (N=266).ResultsNearly half (44.0%, 117/266) of the sample reported having no Internet access. Yet, among those without current access, older Veterans reported having a median of 5 (IQR 7) close social ties with home Internet access. These older Veterans also reported that they would feel comfortable asking a median of 2 (IQR 4) social ties for help to access the Internet, and that a median of 2 (IQR 4) social ties would directly access the Internet for the older Veteran to help with health management.ConclusionsFindings suggest that even older Veterans without current Internet access have at least two social ties with home Internet who could be called upon for technology support. Thus, older Veterans may be willing to call upon these “surrogate seekers” for technology assistance and support in health management. This has implications for the digital divide, technology design, and health care policy.
Highlights
It is well documented that a “digital divide” exists whereby older adults are less likely to access the Internet than other age groups [1,2,3,4,5]
Older Veterans reported that a median of 4 (IQR 7) social ties would be willing to use the Internet for them to manage their health. Focusing on those Veterans without Internet access, we found that these older Veterans still reported a median of 5 (IQR 7) social ties with home Internet access
We found that older Veterans without Internet access were more likely to report being very uncomfortable using the Internet, suggesting that a lack of computer literacy could contribute to the lack of access
Summary
It is well documented that a “digital divide” exists whereby older adults are less likely to access the Internet than other age groups [1,2,3,4,5]. Recent statistics suggest that 59% of US adults aged 65 years or older use the Internet, compared to 86% of all US adults older than 18 years [6]. There is variation of use even among the elderly; older adults who do use the Internet are typically wealthier, more educated, and reside in more urban areas compared to older adult nonusers [6,8]. Older adults typically have less access to the Internet than other age groups, and older Veterans may use the Internet even less due to economic and geographic reasons
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