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BABY BOOMERS’ FUTURE: ELDERNET

igh-tech baby boomers take heart: You won't be offline in your old age. Led by Stanford medical student Meetpaul Singh, Eldernet Link uses technology to improve the lives of seniors by decreasing their social isolation. "We provide Internet and e-mail access to the elderly to test the hypothesis that their quality of life can be improved and their health care costs decreased with the implementation of low-cost, easy-to-use technologies," Singh says.

Introducing technological links in an incremental way, the researchers want to compensate for physical restrictions and help overcome mental isolation by connecting senior people to their family, friends, healthcare providers and the community at large. They are testing the program at Lytton Gardens, a Palo Alto senior apartment complex.

Early response is positive. "It is something everybody should get into," says Ruth Hyman, 92. "It gives them something to do when they are sitting at home instead of looking at the same picture all the time." She goes online four times a day to check her stocks, scan electronic newspapers and read e-mail.

"Thus far we have found that elderly participants are using their [computers] on a daily basis and are beginning to access the Internet as a source for information," Singh says.

Despite initial worries that residents could become more reclusive or withdrawn from community life if "hooked" to their computers, it appears they do not neglect their daily activities.

A second part of the project will be the introduction of a disease-management software program that uses the telephone, e-mail or the Internet to send reminders to patients about their daily medical routine, to provide information about their condition, and to permit discussions with others in electronic groups.

www.lyttongardens.org/eldernet/elderbar.htm or e-mail: meetpaul@leland.stanford.edu

Eldernet (Plain text)

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