Internet Connection Helps Reduce Senior Depression

Q. My 78-year-old widowed mother spends her days on the computer and I’m worried about her lack of companionship. Should I be?

Here’s an interesting study: Spending time online reduces depression by 20 percent for senior citizens, the Phoenix Center reports in a new Policy Paper released recently. In addition to the quality of life benefits, reducing the cases of depression through widespread Internet use among older Americans could trim the nation’s health care bill.

“Maintaining relationships with friends and family at a time in life when mobility becomes increasingly limited is challenging for the elderly,” says Phoenix Center visiting scholar and study co-author Dr. Sherry G. Ford, an associate professor of Communications Studies at University of Montevallo in Alabama. “Increased Internet access and use by senior citizens enables them to connect with sources of social support when face-to-face interaction becomes more difficult.”

The Policy Paper, Internet Use and Depression Among the Elderly, examines survey responses of 7,000 retired Americans 55 years or older.

The implications of the findings are significant because depression affects millions of Americans age 55 or older and costs the United States about $100 million annually in direct medical costs, suicide and mortality, and workplace costs.

The Pew Internet & American Life Project estimates that only about 42 percent of Americans aged 65 or more use the Internet, far below the adoption rate of other age groups. Given the relatively low adoption rates by seniors, the study concludes that the opportunity for better health outcomes from expanded Internet adoption is substantial.

Further, with billions spent annually on depression-related health care costs, the potential economic savings also are impressive.

But you’re right about your mother’s need for human contact as well. While the Internet can help her keep in touch with family and friends living elsewhere, companions and friends whom she sees in person are vital for that personal touch. Consider suggesting a caregiving companion to your mother. Home Instead Senior Care hires seniors, many of whom are older adults, to be companions and home helpers for other seniors. Efforts are made to match CAREGivers with similar interests to those of seniors. What’s more, Home Instead CAREGivers are screened, trained, bonded and insured.