Social media: an isolated older person’s friend—or foe?
By Tom Kamber Social media holds the promise of connecting everyone, everywhere, all the time. For isolated older adults, it would seem an antidote to aging’s social afflictions: an adaptable solution that can revitalize old acquaintances, strengthen existing relationships and spawn new connections. But three studies, plus lessons learned from a recent project at Older […]
Patients Accessing Technology at Home (PATH)
While patient access to health information technology is a core component of currenthealth system reform and its promise for increased quality, cost control and satisfaction, most adults over the age of 65 are stranded on the other side of the “digital divide.” The PATH Project’s overarching goal is to develop an effectivemodel for engaging, training […]
Gen X: The Cro-Magnon of Digital Natives
By Tom Kamber I grew up in Asbury Park, New Jersey, which happens to be the epicenter of American boardwalk life. It’s home to Bruce Springsteen, street racer muscle cars, second-tier mobsters, and saltwater taffy. It is also the place where, during my high school years in the early 1980s, video games got their start. […]
Fighting Social Isolation: A View from the Trenches
by Thomas Kamber, PhD 23 December 2017 It is a sad paradox that the technology revolution which has done so much to connect the world has in many ways been a source of increasing alienation and isolation for senior citizens. More than 25 years after the invention of the World Wide Web, one-third of Americans […]
Connecting Rural Older Americans with Technology: Lessons from Senior Planet
The age profile of rural America is rapidly changing—an exodus of young people has left many towns with high concentrations of senior citizens and few services to help them. Now a unique partnership in upstate New York has found promising solutions that combine technology with a human touch. Download PDF
Older Adults and OATS Computer Training Programs: A Social Impact Analysis Findings Report
Paula J Gardner, PhD and The New York Academy of Medicine, Division of Health Policy April 2010 This study examined the impact of the OATS computer training courses on older adult participants. Findings were generated from an integrated analysis of all study data that served to complement one another. In particular, field notes and individual […]
Toward an Inclusive Measure of Broadband Adoption
by Charles M. Davidson, Michael J. Santorelli & Tom Kamber International Journal of Communication 6 (2012) Accrual of the benefits of broadband connectivity differs from user group to user group. This dynamic impacts the structure of broadband adoption programs, the crafting of policy responses to the digital divide, and the measurement of outcomes. Thus a one-size-fits-all […]
“Getting Turned On”: Using ICT Training to Promote Active Aging in New York City
by Paula J. Gardner, Tom Kamber, and Julie Netherland Journal of Community Informatics (2012) The purpose of this mixed-method study was to examine how participation in a senior’s technology training program influences the social environments and active aging of older New Yorkers. Read More