scholarly journals Learning with and about Digital Technology in Later Life: A Socio-Material Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 686
Author(s):  
Rebekka Rohner ◽  
Lisa Hengl ◽  
Vera Gallistl ◽  
Franz Kolland
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Digital Learning ◽  
Social Worlds ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Digital Devices ◽  
Everyday Lives ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
The Individual

Literature has widely explored the learning processes with information and communication technology (ICT) in later life, mostly focusing on the individual learner rather than materialities—such as smartphones, notepads, and handouts. The aim of this paper is to introduce a socio-material perspective by focusing on the question: What role do materialities play in digital learning processes in later life? This paper draws upon a situation analysis of data from a qualitative multi-perspective study. Researchers conducted participatory observations of five ICT courses for older adults in Austria and semi-structured interviews with seven trainers and nine older participants (61–81 years). By identifying three social worlds (digital devices, education, and participants’ everyday lives), the findings show how ICT-learning processes are embedded in the everyday lives of older adults and include not only digital, but also everyday materialities, such as pens, paper and books. These material convoys of digital learning in later life are vital in facilitating successful technology appropriation in later life.

scholarly journals Capitalizing and Compensating: Older Adults’ Religious and Spiritual Uses of Technology

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-31
Author(s):  
Samantha L.C. Kang ◽  
Camille G Endacott ◽  
Gabrielle G Gonzales ◽  
Vern L Bengtson
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Unexpected Finding ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Faith Traditions ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Religious Lives

This study explores how older adults use information and communication technologies (ICTs) in their spiritual and religious lives. How widespread is their use? What kinds of ICTS do they use and for what reasons? What impact do they have on their religious and spiritual lives? We explored these questions by collecting interviews with 90 older adults, average age 77, from six major Judeo-Christian faith traditions. The sample was developed from nominations by pastors, priests, and rabbis in three southern California cities. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews and analyzed through abductive analysis. Many older adults in our sample reported using ICTs to assist their devotional lives—nine in ten of our participants provided examples, thus dispelling technology as merely a tool for the young to incorporate into their religious lives. An unexpected finding of the research was the wide variety of ICT usage mentioned by these elderly participants —over 15 distinct ones were mentioned.  The reasons for using ICTs fell into two primary categories: compensating for age related changes and capitalizing on unique opportunities for growth in later life. The results demonstrate support for Carstensen’s Socio-Emotional Selectivity Theory and have implications for practitioners working with older adults, such as social workers and clergy, as well as for marketers in industry.  

Exploring older adults' adoption and use of a tablet computer during COVID-19: Longitudinal study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunyoung Kim ◽  
Willow Yao ◽  
Xiaotong Du
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Tablet Computer ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Digital Devices ◽  
Novice Users ◽  
Computer Learn

UNSTRUCTURED As mobile computing technology evolves, such as a smartphone or a tablet computer, it increasingly offers features that may be particularly beneficial to older adults. However, the digital divide exists, and many older adults have been shown to have difficulty using these devices. The COVID-19 pandemic has magnified how much older adults need but are excluded from having access to and comfort with technologies to meet essential daily needs and overcome physical distancing restrictions. This study sought to understand how older adults who had never used a tablet computer learn to use it, what they want to use it for, and what barriers they experience as they continue to use it during social isolation by the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a series of semi-structured interviews with eight people aged 65 and older for 16 weeks, investigating older novice users’ learning and use of a tablet computer over time. The results show that our participants were willing to learn and successfully used a tablet for entertainment, social connectedness, and information-seeking purposes. However, it was not through acquiring sufficient digital skills but by incorporating the method they are already familiar with in its operation – Pen-and-paper. With these findings, we conclude by discussing how to help older adults better utilize digital devices for quality of later life.

scholarly journals Designing Age-Friendly Communities: Exploring Qualitative Perspectives on Urban Green Spaces and Ageing in Two Indian Megacities

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1491
Author(s):  
Deepti Adlakha ◽  
Mina Chandra ◽  
Murali Krishna ◽  
Lee Smith ◽  
Mark A. Tully
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Healthy Ageing ◽  
World Health ◽  
Social Resilience ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Activity Promotion

The World Health Organization and the United Nations have increasingly acknowledged the importance of urban green space (UGS) for healthy ageing. However, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) like India with exponential ageing populations have inadequate UGS. This qualitative study examined the relationships between UGS and healthy ageing in two megacities in India. Participants were recruited using snowball sampling in New Delhi and Chennai and semi-structured interviews were conducted with consenting participants (N = 60, female = 51%; age > 60 years; fluent in English, Hindi, or Tamil). Interviews were recorded, transcribed, translated, and analysed using inductive and thematic analysis. Benefits of UGS included community building and social capital, improved health and social resilience, physical activity promotion, reduced exposure to noise, air pollution, and heat. Poorly maintained UGS and lack of safe, age-friendly pedestrian infrastructure were identified as barriers to health promotion in later life. Neighbourhood disorder and crime constrained older adults’ use of UGS in low-income neighbourhoods. This study underscores the role of UGS in the design of age-friendly communities in India. The findings highlight the benefits of UGS for older adults, particularly those living in socially disadvantaged or underserved communities, which often have least access to high-quality parks and green areas.

scholarly journals Older Adults’ Motivations for Participating in a “Tune-Up” of Their Driving Skills: A Multi-Stakeholder Analysis

2020 ◽  
pp. 073346482098241
Author(s):  
Ruheena Sangrar ◽  
Kyung Joon Mun ◽  
Lauren E. Griffith ◽  
Lori Letts ◽  
Brenda Vrkljan
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Stakeholder Analysis ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Older Drivers ◽  
Willingness To Participate ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Driver Training ◽  
Near Misses ◽  
Driving Experience

Driver training has the potential to keep older adults safe behind-the-wheel for longer, yet there is limited evidence describing factors that influence their willingness to participate in training. Focus groups with community-dwelling older drivers ( n = 23; 70–90 years) and semi-structured interviews with driving instructors ( n = 6) and occupational therapists ( n = 5) were conducted to identify these factors. Qualitative descriptive analyses highlighted how self-awareness of behind-the-wheel abilities in later life can influence an older adult’s motivation to participate in driver training, as well as their willingness to discuss their behaviors. Collision-involvement and near-misses prompted participants to reflect on their driving abilities and their openness to feedback. Participants’ preferences for learning contexts that use a strengths-based approach and validate the driving experience of older drivers, while providing feedback on behind-the-wheel performance, were raised. Older driver training initiatives that consider the needs of the aging population in their design can promote road safety and community mobility.

scholarly journals Later life ICT learners ageing well

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Russell
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Peer Tutors ◽  
Developed Country ◽  
Hermeneutic Phenomenological ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Phenomenological Methodology ◽  
Sydney Australia

This article is based on a qualitative study of later life computer learners and their learning experiences in Sydney, Australia. Participants who undertook lessons from peer tutors in non-formal learning environments were aged between 63 and 86. Sixteen later life learners were interviewed individually by using hermeneutic phenomenological methodology. The use of semi-structured interviews provided opportunities for participants to elaborate and reflect on their learning and lived experiences. The interviews took place over a period of seven years, from 2003 to 2010. The main aim of the study was to understand and interpret the lived experiences of information and communication technology (ICT) learning in later life. Interpretations from the study suggested that learning and using a computer contributed to a sense of well-being, furthered an understanding of the lifeworld and provided participants with a heightened sense of belonging. In this article, well-being is discussed in the context of ageing and learning in a modern developed country. The ontological and existential themes of being, becoming and belonging are explored and used as a framework to interpret the findings from the study.

scholarly journals Older adults, informal support, and the process of driving cessation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Amy Murray ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Support Network ◽  
Informal Support ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Driving Cessation ◽  
Homogeneous Sample

The following thesis is based upon an exploration into the process of driving cessation in later life, with a specific focus upon informal support. Although informal support has been highlighted as a highly important factor across the process of driving cessation (Johnson, 2008; Hanson & Hilldebrand, 2011; Ichikawa et al, 2016; Schryer et al, 2017), there is limited research which has explored this in depth. There is even less literature available which has incorporated the views of informal support network members, to understand their lived experiences of the driving cessation process. Studies which have addressed this gap, have tended to focus upon the views of adult children only (Rosenbloom, 2010; O’Connell et al, 2013). Using a phenomenological line of qualitative inquiry, individual semi-structured interviews with current and retired older drivers (n=15), and their family, friends, and wider community members (n=15) were completed. This was to provide a holistic approach to understand the driving cessation process, for the receivers and providers of informal support. Following a detailed thematic analysis, findings revealed both the process of driving cessation and informal support, to be profoundly complex, multi-faceted phenomena’s, holding multiple meanings for participants. This included a range of practical and psychosocial outcomes, which were both positive and negative. Often, findings were inter-linked, demonstrating the complexity of experiences amongst this far from homogeneous sample. The implications of the study have important messages for a number of individuals and groups, including older adults, their informal networks, policy and practice, and third sector organisations.

Rising above It: Status Ambivalence in Older Adults

Gerontology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (6) ◽  
pp. 576-588
Author(s):  
Deirdre A. Robertson ◽  
David Weiss
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Protective Mechanism ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Social ◽  
Implicit And Explicit

Background: Social status is the standing of a person or group in the social hierarchy, and is perceived to change across the life span from low social status in early life, to peak in midlife, and to a decline thereafter. As threats to subjective social status are known to be detrimental to individuals’ health, it is important to better understand how older adults perceive themselves and others in terms of age-related social status. Objective: We examined status ambivalence – the potential discrepancy between how older adults’ perceive social status for themselves compared to older adults in general. Method: Study 1 used qualitative data from 37 semi-structured interviews with older adults to assess perceptions of social status. Study 2 used quantitative survey data from 114 older adults who completed explicit and implicit measures of social status. Results: Study 1 (n = 37, meanage = 71.72, SDage = 5.69; 81.1% women) provided preliminary evidence for status ambivalence such that older adults reported unequivocal low social status for other older adults but a more ambivalent perception of their own social status. Study 2 (n = 114, meanage = 64.32, SDage = 8.98, 57.9% women) compared implicit and explicit measures of social status revealing that older adults consistently perceive older adults to have low social status but again show a more ambivalent perception of their own social status. Conclusion: We discuss status ambivalence as a potential protective mechanism in the context of negative societal perceptions of age-related social status that may be important for well-being in later life.

Emotional Functioning and Sense of Hope as Contributors to Healthy Aging

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 253-260
Author(s):  
Amiya Waldman-Levi ◽  
Asnat Bar-Haim Erez ◽  
Noomi Katz ◽  
Jeanine M. Stancanelli
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Prediction Models ◽  
Emotional Functioning ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Physical Factors ◽  
Emotional Status ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Individual

Cognitive and physical factors affect participation in later life. It is imperative to explore the contribution of emotional factors on older adults’ participation and wellbeing. Seventy-eight older adults were recruited for this cross-sectional study and grouped based on their level of independence. Emotional functioning, hope, cognition, participation, and wellbeing were measured. Analyses of variance, correlational analysis, and prediction models were employed. Significant differences were found between independent and dependent older adults’ participation and wellbeing, F(2, 72) = 12.71, p < .00, η2 = .26. Independent older adults’ participation was predicted by cognition, β = 0.40, and hope, β = 0.58. Wellbeing was predicted by cognition, β = 0.39, emotional status, β = −0.46, and hope, β = 0.36. Dependent older adults’ wellbeing was predicted by emotional status, β = −0.68, and hope, β = 0.32. Occupational therapists play a key role in promoting healthy aging by incorporating psychosocial factors at the individual, community, and societal levels.

scholarly journals Trauma and Religious Complexity in Later Life

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 415-415
Author(s):  
Rennae Wigton ◽  
Shannon Jones ◽  
Austin Prusak ◽  
Andrew Futterman
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
New York ◽  
New England ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Severe Trauma ◽  
Great Distance ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Personal Vulnerability ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The present study examines the impact of traumatic life events on religious complexity in later life. We anticipated that those older adults experiencing stressors that produce significant personal vulnerability (e.g., life threatening illnesses) demonstrate reduced complexity of belief and behavior (e.g., less belief with doubt). From a sample of 278 semi-structured interviews of older adults (aged 55-101 years-old.) from six New England and New York states, we analyzed 166 interviews using grounded theory (Strauss & Corbin, 1990). Individuals who experienced trauma related to war, close familial loss, and/or severe physical illness tended to be “true believers,” (i.e., adhere to rigid belief orthodoxy; Hoffer, 1950). By contrast, those who experienced less severe trauma (e.g., minor illness, job loss) were less apt to describe rigid belief. Temporal proximity of trauma was not consistently associated with greater complexity of belief and behavior, in the sense that with great distance from trauma, individuals were able to “work through” their experiences of trauma, and thereby increase complexity of belief and behavior. This is consistent with findings by Harris and Leak (2015), Krause and Hayward (2012), and Wong (2013) that suggest that trauma leading to personal vulnerability leads to long-term physical, mental, behavioral, and spiritual deficits that rigid religious belief and behavior help to offset. These findings are discussed in terms of psychological theories of grief resolution, personal coping, and terror management.

Older adult recovery: “What are we working towards?”

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha Rankin ◽  
Stephanie Petty
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Mental Health Setting ◽  
Personal Recovery ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Inpatient Mental Health

Purpose – The perspectives of frontline clinical staff working with individuals in later life within an inpatient mental health setting, of their role in recovery, have not yet been explored. The purpose of this paper is to understand what recovery means within an inpatient mental health setting for older adults. The authors address clear implications for clinical practice. Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 multidisciplinary participants across two specialist older adult recovery units at an independent hospital in the UK. Thematic analysis was applied to the transcripts. Findings – Three main themes were identified: participants identified their normative task as the promotion of “moving on” (clinical recovery) and their existential task as personal recovery. The context in which recovery happens was highlighted as the third theme. These represented competing workplace goals of clinical and personal recovery. This highlights the need to give permission to personal recovery as the process that enables mental health recovery in older adults. Originality/value – Staff working in a inpatient mental health service for older adults discussed the meaning of recovery and their role in enabling recovery. This has implications for sustainable clinical practice in this setting. Recovery-orientated practice in this setting is required but the detail is not yet understood.

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