Australian Population & Migration Research Centre
Policy Brief
Vol. 1, No. 8
By Helen Feist and
Kelly McDougall
August, 2013
OLDER PEOPLE’S USE OF NEW COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES:
Research Findings & Policy Implications
New communication technologies are underutilised by older people but given the
right equipment, support and advice the use of new technologies enhances social
connections, improves perceived health and increases access to information for older
people– which all help to enable ageing well. The results of this study show self-rated
health, satisfaction with community, access to information and the ability to stay in
touch with family and friends all improved after participants were introduced to, and
assisted in learning to use, their chosen new technology.
What is the issue?
Demographic changes leading to the ageing of
our populations have occurred at the same time
as rapid changes in technology and technological
capabilities1. Technology has become an integral
part of every-day life for many people. It will
continue to become even more integrated into
aspects of society including work, education,
service delivery, communication and social
activities in the future2. Adoption and use of new
technologies are dependent on many things, and
age has been found to have a great influence2,3,4.
Previous research has shown new
communication technologies such as the
Internet, computers, tablets and mobile phones
are underutilised by older people, a population
group that can potentially benefit from them the
most. New technologies provide a forum for
communication, regardless of location, that can
help offset loneliness and isolation issues.
Importantly, new communication technologies
empower people by allowing for access to
information, regardless of level of mobility. As
society as a whole, including service
organisations that provide care to ageing
populations, move to become increasingly
‘digitised’ in their distribution of information and
services, it is crucial that older people are not
left behind. Although the uptake of new
technologies by older people is increasing over
time, there is still significant room for
improvement.
This policy brief describes results of a pilot study
which enabled the use of new technologies by
older people which formed part of the ‘Linking
Rural Older People to Community through
Technology’ (LROP) project*. The results of this
study show self-rated health, satisfaction with
community, access to information and the ability
to stay in touch with family and friends all
improved after participants were introduced to,
and assisted in learning to use, their chosen new
technology.
What the background data says…
The Internet is becoming a ubiquitous means of
accessing information and communicating with
other people worldwide. In Australia, Internet
use declines with age3. Figure 1 shows some
population groups are more affected by the
digital divide. There is an inverse relationship
between age and internet connectivity; nearly
45% of Australians aged 85+ do not have access
to the Internet at home compared with just 7%
of the population aged less than 55. Above
*The ‘Linking Rural Older People to Community Through Technology’ project was a three year, multi-phase
project funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing and managed by the Murray
Mallee Aged Care Group Inc., a community aged care service provider based in Murray Bridge. Researchers
from APMRC at the University of Adelaide carried out the research.
Figure 1: No household internet access by select characteristics, Australia, 2011
Source: ABS Census data 2011 based on place of enumeration
Live outside of capital cities
Household income <$200/week
Lone person household
Age 85+
Age 55+
Age < 55
Total Australia Population
0
10
20
30
40
50
% with NO internet access at home
average rates of no internet connection are also
apparent for people living in lone person
households, who have a low income and for
those who live outside of capital city areas
indicating a socioeconomic divide. Older people
are more likely to live alone and to have a lower
household income compared to younger groups,
illustrating the multiple divides that exist in
accessing new technologies for older people.
Not only are older people less likely to access the
Internet, previous research has shown older
people who do use the Internet use it with less
intensity, have less confidence in their abilities
and are less likely to feel the impact of using the
Internet is positive compared to people younger
in age5. Additionally there are differences in
rates of use of new technologies within the
broader group of ‘older people’, for example
while the current generation of older people
(aged 65+ years) has low rates of Internet
adoption, the next generation of older people
(55 to 64 years) has a much higher rate of
Internet use. This is partly driven by familiarity
with new technologies through work and
through living with younger family members
who are high users of new technologies.
Importantly, they will carry that experience and
familiarity with them into older age.
What are the barriers?
Some challenges associated with growing older
including cognition, memory, hearing and
eyesight issues, do impact on take up rates of
new technologies6; these factors are
compounded by a lack of previous exposure to
ICT and a lack of confidence. It has been
suggested that older people have had a lack of
exposure to technology in their formative years
and their experiences with technologies are
generally limited to more mechanised forms7.
This means older people are less likely to feel
relaxed and confident about using new
technologies. Some research has claimed that
exposure to new technologies influences uptake
and older people are less likely to adapt to new
technologies because they are more likely to live
alone (or with other older people) rather than
with other, younger, family members8. Older
people are also less likely to have experienced
new technologies in the work place, and to have
left the educational system before new
technologies were introduced9. The financial
cost has also been cited as a contributing factor
to slower uptake of newer technologies.
A study undertaken by researchers at APMRC
looking at technology use of older people in the
metropolitan Charles Sturt LGAa identified the
following major barriers for some older people
in accessing ICTs:
a
Hugo G, McDougall K, Feist H, Coutts P. (2013) New
Information Technologies and the Elderly: Practice,
Problems, Potential: A Case Study of Charles Sturt. Report
for the Charles Sturt Council.



Cost
Denial of need/Lack of interest
Fear: of doing things wrong and/or not
being able to access help when needed
Another important barrier to using ICTs
generally is lack of adequate assistance – for
both new and more experiences users. An ABS
report on adult learning from 2007 10 shows that
the vast majority of Internet users of all ages
acquire their skills informally; that is they are
either self-taught or they learn with the
assistance of family and friends rather than a
formalised structured course or lessons. There
are many advantages to informal learning as it
tends to be more relevant to what the user is
most interested in learning and is inexpensive or
free. Previous studies have also found informal
support to be suitable to many older learners
because of the ability to individualise support to
meet the needs of the older person and people
are not ‘forced’ to learn things they aren’t
interested in11.
The rate of adoption of new technologies is also
related to attitudes towards new technologies
which are influenced by current circumstances
(such as health and the ability to afford the
expense of engaging with new technologies) and
previous experiences. Participants in the LROP
study facing barriers in accessing and using new
technologies agreed with the following
statements:



‘new technologies are changing too fast
for me to keep up’
‘new technologies are too complex for
me to use’
‘I am too old to learn about new
technologies’.
The technology ‘intervention’.
‘I want to keep up
with modern
technology so I don't
feel left behind, and
can understand what
my grandchildren
and my children are
talking about when
they start talking
about the latest.’
The purpose of LROP pilot study was to enable,
observe and record personal interaction with
new technologies within the study population,
in order to explore the potential relationship
between new technologies and connections to
community networks for rural older people. The
pilot program involved 48 participants who were
provided with their choice of a laptop computer
or an Apple iPad, 3G Internet connection and
self-directed, personalised tuition and ongoing
support for a period of 12 months. Measures of
participants comfort with technologies,
attitudes to new technologies, satisfaction with
community interactions and self-rated health
were taken before and after participation in the
pilot program to determine any differences in
these measures before and after the technology
‘intervention’.
Why be involved?
Understanding the motivations behind
participants’ involvement in the pilot program
was important from both a research point of
view and in assisting researchers in designing the
pilot program to help participants realize their
goals. Some of the reasons people wanted to be
involved in the program were as follows:
‘I want to keep up with modern technology so I
don't feel left behind, and can understand what
my grandchildren and my children are talking
about when they start talking about the latest.’
‘Keeping the brain active. To know what the
grandchildren are talking about.’
‘Not to be left behind with modern technology.
Being able to send and receive emails. Use the
Internet.’
What were meaningful activities?
The value of personal relevance is a major driver
for the successful adoption of new
technologies.9, 12, 13, 14 Email was the single most
popular activity of LROP pilot participants, but
participants were also keen to use programs
such as Google Maps™ to look at the places their
children and family live, to locate their original
family homes where they grew up and to look at
potential holiday locations. Viewing family and
holiday photos, sending each other jokes via
email and participating in the pilot study on-line
footy tipping competition and on-line iPad™
‘Words with Friends’™ group also became
regular activities. Researchers noted an increase
in intergenerational communication and
interaction as children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren encouraged participants with
emails and helped to trouble shoot problems in
between classes.
Did it make a difference?
Both the LROP and the Charles Sturt studies
undertaken by APMRC identified similar findings
when it comes to the benefits and of using ITCs
for older people including:



Feeling more independent
Feeling better informed
Retaining closer contact with family and
friends
It is clear that positive attitudes towards new
technologies increased among participants after
the LROP pilot program (see Figure 2). The
statements: ‘new technologies are very useful to
me’ and ‘new technologies make it easier to stay
in touch with my family and friends’ were widely
agreed with after participants took part in the
pilot program. The proportion of participants
agreeing with negative statements about new
technologies also decreased after taking part in
the program.
of comfort and confidence using new
technologies, there was an increase in
perceptions of feeling connected to community.
Participant’s satisfaction with their level of
community involvement increased from 85 per
cent before the pilot to over 95 per cent after
the pilot.
After the pilot program over 90 per cent of
participants agreed with the statement ‘the
Internet helps me find useful information’
compared to 60 per cent who agreed with this
before the pilot program. Participants were also
much more likely to agree with the statements:
‘I feel confident searching the World Wide Web
for information’ and ‘I feel confident
communicating with others through the
Internet’ after the pilot program.
An important result was a marked increase in
the proportion of participants who rated their
health as excellent/very good; from 16 per cent
before the pilot to over 40 per cent after the
pilot. This illustrates the positive effect being
engaged and included through the use of new
technologies may have on health and well-being
for older people.
In addition to increased positive attitudes
towards new technologies and improved levels
Figure 2: Changes in attitudes towards new technologies, pre and post pilot
Source: LROP 2012
I can see no use for new technologies in my life
New technologies are too expensive for me
Pre-test
I am too old to learn about new technologies
Post-test
New technology is changing too fast for me to keep up
New technologies are too complex for me to use
I would use new technologies if they were easier to use
I would use new technologies more if my family and friends used them
I would use new technologies more if I had more advice and support
I would use new technologies more if I had opportunities for training
New technologies make it easy to stay in touch with family and friends
I use new technologies to make life easier
New technologies are very useful to me
0
20
40
Percent
60
80
100
Figure 3: Per cent respondents satisfied with
their level of community involvement, pre
and post pilot
Figure 4: Self-rated health, pre and post pilot
Source: LROP 2012
Source: LROP 2012
100
Percent
Percent
95
90
85
80
75
Pre-pilot
Post-pilot
In addition to increased satisfaction with
community involvement and improved selfrated health, 89 per cent of pilot participants
stated that their access to community
information had improved and 72 per cent
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Pre-pilot
Post-pilot
Excellent/Very
Good
Good
Fair/Poor
said their ability to stay in touch with family
and friends had improved suggesting that the
new technology had impacted to some extent
on their sense of connection to their social
networks and local community.
What are the implications?
Results from the LROP pilot study show older
people’s attitudes towards, and confidence
using, new technologies can change given the
right assistance and support, and using new
technologies can lead to improved health, wellbeing and feelings of social inclusion. Other
literature concurs with these findings, for
example Magnusson et al. (p.229)6 states: ‘Older
people’s negative attitudes towards using ICT
services can potentially be modified if they
receive appropriate training that both meets
their individual learning needs and which
focuses on the direct potential benefits of the
ICT service as a support to them in their own
home’.
Appropriate training and use of ICTs increases
self-esteem, improves well-being and
reducing social isolation through increasing
social networks and strengthening
intergenerational ties.6, 7, 9, 12, 15 This study
supports previous findings by suggesting that
once older people are introduced to new
technologies their levels of adoption can be as
high as younger cohorts. The key is ensuring that
older people are introduced to devices that are
user friendly, appropriate to personal needs,
that training and support are aimed at meeting
personal requirements and styles of learning,
and that ongoing support is offered, preferably
on an informal basis, within the local
community. These results suggest that there is
indeed an untapped market for both ICT training
and support for older people through local
community groups, especially in rural areas.
89 per cent of pilot participants stated that their
access to community information had improved
and 72 per cent said their ability to stay in touch
with family and friends had improved.
Recommendations
Recommendation One:
Specifically designed ICT education and support
programs targeted at older individuals with small
social networks, to help in alleviating social
isolation and poorer health by strengthening their
sense of connectedness to family, friends and
community.
Recommendation Two:
The development of ‘try before you buy’ programs
that offer older people a gentle introduction to
new technologies in a non-threatening
environment such as a drop in system at a
community centre or library or short introductory
courses that allows older people to use their
selected technology and receive basic introductory
training for several weeks, to allow older people
to approach the purchase and adoption of new
technologies with more confidence.
Recommendation Three:
Provision of financial support for seniors for
upgrading and maintaining their devices and/or
attending ICT classes; along with financial
subsidies for Internet connections (similar to
current subsidies for telephone, council rates etc.)
would go a long way towards supporting
interaction with ICTs for older people. It is
suggested that a small ‘technology bonus’ for
eligible seniors every five years, similar to the
‘baby bonus’ scheme would allow older people to
maintain and upgrade their devices, pay for the
classes and support they require, and maintain
Internet services.
Recommendation Four:
There is a need for Internet providers to have
clear and simplified explanations of their service
plans and for assistance to be available for older
people to physically set up devices to be Internetready.
Recommendations when developing programs to enable the use of new technologies by
older people:
 Start with simple, meaningful activities like using email
 Have regular meetings, especially when first learning
 Use a self-directed and work-at-your-own-pace approach
 Keep group size small – around three learners per tutor
 Benefits of group learning include social interaction, learning from peers
 Benefits of one-on-on learning at home include learning ‘in situ’ where the device will
most often be used
In Conclusion
Utilising the advantages that new technologies offer in communication, service delivery and social
connectedness means the ageing society can become part of the information society. As
researchers, policy makers and service providers it is important that we do not embrace ageist
beliefs about older people being unable to learn and unwilling to adopt new technologies. We
should consider and promote the potential roles new technologies could play in supporting and
enhancing positive ageing experiences for the current generation of older people and the future
generations of older people.
References
1.
2.
3.
4.
Bernard M, Phillips J. The Challenge of Ageing in Tomorrow's Britain. Ageing and Society. 2000;20:33 - 54.
Czaja S, Schulz R. Innovations in Technology and Aging. Generations. 2006;Summer, 2006:6-8.
ABS. Australian Social Trends: Internet Access at Home. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics2009 Cat. No. 4102.0.
Lenhart A. Adults and Social Network Websites: Pew Internet & American Life Project
2009 January 14th, 2009.
5. ACMA. Use of Digital Media and Communication by Older Australians. Communications report 2011-12 Canberra: Australian
Communications and Media Authority, Austrailan Government; 2012.
6. Magnusson L, Hanson E, Borg M. A Literature Review Study of Information and Communication Technology as a Support for
Frail Older People Living at Home and their Family Carers. Technology & Disability. 2004;16:223-35.
7. Dickinson A, Goodman J, Syme A, Eisma R, Tiwari L, Mival O, Newell A. Domesticating Technology. In-Home Requirements
Gathering with Frail Older People, Conference Proceedings HCI; UK2003.
8. Selwyn N. Apart from technology: understanding people’s non-use of information and communication technologies in everyday
life. Technology in Society. [doi: 10.1016/S0160-791X(02)00062-3]. 2003;25(1):99-116.
9. Selwyn N, Gorard S, Furlong J, Madden L. Older Adults' Use of Information and Communications Technology in Everyday Life.
Ageing & Society. 2003;23:561-82.
10. ABS. Adult Learning Australia: 2006-2007. Australian Bureau of Statistics2007 Cat. No. 4229.0.
11. Hugo G, Feist H, Parker K. Linking Rural Older People to Community Through Technology: Final Report. Canberra: Department
of Health and Ageing2012.
12. Andersson N, Hanson E, Magnusson L. Views of Family Carers and Older People of Information Technology. British Journal of
Nursing. 2002;11(12):827-31.
13. Tacken M, Marcellini F, Mollenkopf H, Ruoppila I, Szeman Z. Use and Acceptance of New Technology by Older People. Findings
of the International MOBILATE Survey: 'Enhancing Mobility in Later Life'. . Journal of Gerontechnology. 2005;3(3):126-37.
14. White H, McConnell E, Clipp E, Branch L, Sloane R, Pieper C, Box T. A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Psychosocial Impact of
Providing Internet Training and Access to Older Adults. Ageing & Mental Health 2002;6(3):213-21.
15. Coughlin J. Technology Needs of Aging Boomers. Issues in Science and Technology. 1999;Fall, 1999:53-60.
Edited by Arusyak Sevoyan
Australian Population and
Migration Research Centre
http://www.adelaide.edu.au/apmrc/
School of Social Sciences
Room G17, Ground Floor, Napier Building
The University of Adelaide
South Australia 5005
Telephone +61 8 8313 3900;
Fax: +61 8 8313 3498