Technology to Prevent Social Isolation

On Wednesday 15th October I gave a presentation at an Australian Association of Gerontology forum on the topic of "Technology to Prevent Social Isolation".

The talk presented findings and reflections from the project "Growing Older and Staying Connected: Touch-screen Technologies for Ameliorating Older People's Experience of Social Isolation".

Many factors associated with ageing, such as deteriorating health and limited mobility, make it difficult for older people to socialise and engage in local community activities. New communication technologies, which are becoming more accessible and easier to use, offer new opportunities for supporting older adults who are socially isolated. In the project, small groups of older adults used a new iPad application to create and share photographs and messages. During this presentation, I showed examples of the sorts of creativity and self-expression that emerged during the photo-sharing activity. The talk also provided reflections on the challenges we encountered when introducing a technology and creating a new social network with people aged in their 80s and 90s, most of whom lived alone.