Television Viewing and Internet Use Habits Among the Elderly Living Alone
Television Viewing and Internet Use Habits Among the Elderly Living Alone
Television Viewing and Internet Use Habits Among the Elderly Living Alone
“More than 180,000 pensioners go for a whole week without speaking to friends, neighbours [sic], or family” claims an article from the BBC, published in 2000. The article further states that the number of the elderly who feel that nobody knows they exist is several times greater. With such large numbers in the UK alone, the isolated elderly are a continuously growing population. So what do these people do in their free time? How does such isolation affect their everyday lives? Our research hopes to show that elderly people who live alone watch a significantly larger amount of television and use the internet more than elderly people who live with others or young people who live alone. This difference in the amount of time spent with these coping mechanisms in turn causes a greater amount of depression among this population. Elderly people living alone watch more television and use the internet more to manage their loneliness, causing a disproportionate level of depression. Precious researchers have found that living alone is associated with a higher level of depression among the elderly. This research also finds that the higher the self-reported satisfaction is with the help of family members, among the elderly living alone, the less depressed they are (Mui, 1998). This data suggest that those experiencing more contact with their family, and therefore a higher satisfaction with the help received, are less depressed. Further research shows that elderly individuals living alone are much more likely to be dependent on government support as opposed to the support of their children than those living with others (Chou & Chi, 2000). Research such as this supports the notion that the elderly living alone are not only alone in their living arrangements but are also more alone in their general interactions with family and
Television Viewing and Internet Use Habits Among the Elderly Living Alone
“More than 180,000 pensioners go for a whole week without speaking to friends, neighbours [sic], or family” claims an article from the BBC, published in 2000. The article further states that the number of the elderly who feel that nobody knows they exist is several times greater. With such large numbers in the UK alone, the isolated elderly are a continuously growing population. So what do these people do in their free time? How does such isolation affect their everyday lives? Our research hopes to show that elderly people who live alone watch a significantly larger amount of television and use the internet more than elderly people who live with others or young people who live alone. This difference in the amount of time spent with these coping mechanisms in turn causes a greater amount of depression among this population. Elderly people living alone watch more television and use the internet more to manage their loneliness, causing a disproportionate level of depression. Precious researchers have found that living alone is associated with a higher level of depression among the elderly. This research also finds that the higher the self-reported satisfaction is with the help of family members, among the elderly living alone, the less depressed they are (Mui, 1998). This data suggest that those experiencing more contact with their family, and therefore a higher satisfaction with the help received, are less depressed. Further research shows that elderly individuals living alone are much more likely to be dependent on government support as opposed to the support of their children than those living with others (Chou & Chi, 2000). Research such as this supports the notion that the elderly living alone are not only alone in their living arrangements but are also more alone in their general interactions with family and
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