And how to search for people, and all kinds of good stuff
Cotten and her team of UAB graduate students led 300 older adults in computer training courses, setting out to discover whether information and communication technologies catholicmatchA (ICTs) would allow individuals to “transcend social and spatial barriers,” allowing residents at the living communities being studied to enhance their social networks and feel a greater sense of connection to the world at large. In a presentation at last November’s Annual Scientific Meeting on Aging in New Orleans, Cotten presented her study of 15 assisted and independent living communities, which were randomly divided into three different arms of the study.
The ICT group started their computer classes learning the most basic skills: turning the computer on, logging in, opening and closing programs. They later moved on to email, learning to search and evaluate information online, social networking, and how to use sites like Hulu, YouTube, and Google Earth — a favorite among older adults, who enjoy checking up on their old homes and neighborhoods. The mean age of the participants was 82.5 years, and the average time spent in an assisted living community was 3.25 years. Cotten and her team used field notes, focus group data, observations, and five surveys distributed to participants over the course of a year to evaluate the results of the study.
For many participants, it wasn’t their first time using a computer. “I had a computer back in ’98,” said Goodykoontz. “I had taught myself by trial and error; I thought [the class] would be a good chance to learn from a professional.” Fellow participant Vivian Mathews said that thought she had already owned a computer — “bought one when everyone bought one; it was the thing to do,” she says — she saw the classes as an opportunity to explore the wealth of information her computer could provide. “I learned more about the Internet and how to do email — those were the important things. “