Can Changes in Older Adults' Technology Use Patterns Be Used to Detect Cognitive Decline?

Background And Objectives: The number of older adults diagnosed with dementia is expected to more than double by mid-century. Monitoring older adults' cognitive functioning is essential for the early detection of dementia, which can increase treatment efficacy and slow the disease progression. Current approaches to detect preclinical dementia are expensive, invasive, and are not accessible to everyone.

Social Media Use May Not Be As Bad As Some Suggest: Implication for Older Adults.

Background And Objectives: Social media use (SMU) has increased over the past decade among older adults. Cross-sectional studies report SMU is related to negative mental health outcomes (i.e.

Online health information seeking and the association with anxiety among older adults.

Introduction: The Internet supplies users with endless access to a wealth of information and is generally the first source searched by U.S. adults (18 years and older) when seeking health information.

Established Adults, Who Self-Identify as Smartphone and/or Social Media Overusers, Struggle to Balance Smartphone Use for Personal and Work Purposes.

Smartphone ownership and use continues to proliferate, allowing people to easily access online communication, entertainment, and information. Importantly, individuals can perceive that they overuse their smartphone and/or the social media applications (apps) they access on their devices. Much of the research on smartphone overuse has focused on youth and emerging adults, with little research focusing on individuals in the established adulthood stage of life.

Active and passive social media use are differentially related to depressive symptoms in older adults.

Objectives: Previous research on social media use (SMU) and mental health has focused on younger individuals. For example, in young adults active SMU (e.g.

Social media use and well-being among older adults.

While older adults (aged 65 years and older) are increasingly using social media, their usage rates still lag those of younger age groups. Social media use has been observed to have some positive effects on older adults' well-being; however, divergent findings exist depending upon the sample, measures, and methodological approach. This review highlights what is currently known about social media use and well-being among older adults, identifies strengths and weaknesses of current research on this topic, and argues that methodological and content-related research gaps must be closed before researchers can confirm a positive overall effect of social media use in everyday situations for older adults.

COVID-19's Influence on Information and Communication Technologies in Long-Term Care: Results From a Web-Based Survey With Long-Term Care Administrators.

Background: The prevalence of COVID-19 in the United States led to mandated lockdowns for long-term care (LTC) facilities, resulting in loss of in-person contact with social ties for LTC residents. Though information and communication technologies (ICTs) can be used by LTC residents to support their socioemotional needs, residents must have access to ICTs to use them.

Objective: This study explored ICT access and use in LTC facilities and how LTC facilities adapted to try to enhance social connections for their residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Solutions to the Challenge of Meeting Rural Transportation Needs: Middle-Aged and Older Adults' Perspectives.

This study aimed to explore how the aging population in Appalachia manages its transportation and plans for the transition to non-driving and to seek possible solutions to the challenge of meeting rural transportation needs. Four focus groups (N = 38) were conducted, supplemented by a questionnaire, in Appalachian Kentucky. The results showed that few alternative transportation existed except a local paratransit service and informal transportation support.

Video Communication With Cognitively Intact Nursing Home Residents: A Scoping Review.

Limited research exists examining video communication among cognitively intact nursing home residents to connect with family. This scoping review evaluated existing literature for video communication usage with nursing home residents, family, and nursing homes. A comprehensive search was completed using PubMed and EBSCOhost (including AgeLine, CINAHL, and PsycINFO) between 1972 and 2016 to locate English-language articles.