The professionals in health care assumed that the first generation of elders to be “onliners” would be Baby Boomers, the first of whom are approaching full retirement age (66)—-or that is how Social Security defines it.

They care about that because there are many online medical functions which would help patients pre-register, get appointments faster, e-mail doctors who offer that, to name only a few possibilities. That’s why they have been waiting eagerly for the online revolution to really get underway with older patients.

It’s already here.

Elders are moving online much faster than anticipated and that appears to provide big benefits mentally and socially.

Although this story does not make reference to this, one fast way to make an elders become onliners are their grandchildren. How better to hear about the day? It is easy to have private time with them in a way that will take the elder into the child’s world so that they can share it.

This is only a hint of a huge social movement that will grow when Baby Boomers join the current crowd.

As the story says, the study of possible benefits to brain function also are underway.

What happens to an elder’s brain online when being online is challenging, fun or comforting?

New York Times

….”Among older people who went online last year, the number visiting social networks grew almost twice as fast as the overall rate of Internet use among that group, according to the media measurement company comScore. But now researchers who focus on aging are studying the phenomenon to see whether the networks can provide some of the benefits of a group of friends, while being much easier to assemble and maintain. (Emphasis added)

“One of the greatest challenges or losses that we face as older adults, frankly, is not about our health, but it’s actually about our social network deteriorating on us, because our friends get sick, our spouse passes away, friends pass away, or we move,” said Joseph F. Coughlin, director of the AgeLab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“The new future of old age is about staying in society, staying in the workplace and staying very connected,” he added. “And technology is going to be a very big part of that, because the new reality is, increasingly, a virtual reality. It provides a way to make new connections, new friends and new senses of purpose.” (Emphasis added)

Source: New York Times, June 1, 2009