Web surfing reduces depression in seniors

[The Straight Story]

Web surfing reduces depression in seniors

PHOENIX, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- Surfing the Internet reduces depression among senior citizens, a report says.

The report, released Friday by the Phoenix Center, a nonprofit group that studies broadband Internet policy issues, said going online had reduced depression among seniors by 20 percent, The Hill reported.

Calling Internet use a "treatment" for depression among older adults
, the report said it fosters interpersonal communication, reduces loneliness and improves the sense of well-being.

And ultimately, increasing Web surfing among seniors could reduce the national health tab, the report said.

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2009/10/16/Web-surfing-reduces-depression-in-seniors/UPI-72211255746345/

[Mz Pip]

1. In addition

spending any amount of time on line shows that there are many more people out there who have it a whole lot worse than you do.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. My dear Straight Story!

I am Living Proof of this!

My husband used to say that I was bored a lot of the time, before I got online...

Not any more!

:hi:

[The Straight Story]

3. Glad seeing me online could help

;)

[imdjh]

4. When AOL was king, I found that many seniors either took the forums too seriously...

... or too personally. I have often thought that my mother would enjoy forums, but at the same time I can see her turning off the computer for good if she got enough of the rudeness and anonymous craziness.

She does like many of the read only sites she had been directed to over the years, but she has never shown any evidence of surfing per se.

[Warren DeMontague]

5. Well, sure! Old folks like porn, too!

:evilgrin:

[Robb]

17. There's porn on the internets??? nt

[csziggy]

6. It certainly helps my Dad stay mentally active and happier

He is profoundly deaf so communicating has gotten to be very difficult but he can email his children, grandchildren and friends. When his undiagnosed osteoporosis ended up causing a fracture that has limited his mobility and caused him immense pain, he could no longer be active the way he had been all his life.

So he spends a lot of time keeping up with his interests - WWII Pacific submarines and history, among others. He also tries to keep up with the interests of family members and emails us with articles he thinks will intrigue us. At 86 he may not be spry, but he is still mentally sharp. If he could not keep up with people and events, I suspect depression and loneliness would have finished him years ago.

[stevedeshazer]

7. This certainly is good news.

Will us baby boomer knobs in 'assisted living' quarters have G4 in our cubes?

Will we still have to work crappy part-time jobs in order to make ends meet after 65?

[patrice]

18. There are those of us who are working on changing ALL of that.

http://www.ncbcapitalimpact.org/default.aspx?id=146

I assure you: Many new developments ARE afoot and NOT just for the wealthy.

[Mari333]

21. Ive often wondered about nursing homes and baby boomers

I am almost 60 and after visiting some of the elderly care facilities around here I realized I would probably swallow a handful of cyanide pills rather than be subjected to endless Las Vegas nights, bingo games, and perky cheery caretakers who dressed me up with a bow in my hair and dragged me out in a wheelchair.

glad its changing.

[patrice]

22. The Boomers are going to change it from Institution-centered (factory) care to

Person-centred (organic) care.

I am very much hoping to see the types of Medicare reform that facilitate person-centered care by freeing up funds (concurrent with developing new funding models) to be spent more appropriately to the needs of individual persons, not just in service to "care" processors.

[patrice]

23. p.S. Federal regulations do not prohibit residents from working for/in

the care facilities in which they live.

There has been a history of abuse around that fact in the past, so no one does this anymore, but I, for one, can tell you of anecodtal evidence that residents do not want to be idle. I think appropriate work for those who desire it would be a healthy thing and it would be even more wonderful if funding models would allow the choice of making that work, or at least part of it, an investment in the Living Enterprise.

[Egnever]

8. Works for me too!

Course I am not a senior... yet

[grasswire]

9. I believe it.

I know that I was in a funk just prior to the time I first signed on to the Internet, at something like 2800 bps. Can that be right?? I started chatting on AOL, and the contact improved my mood quite a bit. And I wasn't a senior. Just a post-divorce survivor. I've been on the Internets twelve years now, although I spend less time than I used to.

[SoCalDem]

10. My computer-phobic husband has discovered ebay..Lord help us all !

He's a collector (WWII era toys & American Flyer trains)..and he has learned a LOT out of the desire to get his goodies.. Our poor mailman ..every day is like Christmas around here ..

[Hardrada]

11. eBay helped me start collecting beer cans again until my wife

told me to cut it out!!

[Raejeanowl]

13. Ain't That Fun?

And since the boxes don't fit in the mailbox, you get to know your mail carrier and the UPS person and have so many conversational starters everywhere you go about your acquired goodies, or adventures finding the pickup onlies, etc.

[Quantess]

12. That's so cool! I hope most senior citizens are not as afraid of the internet as my dad was.

He was curious about it, but he insisted that I push all the buttons on the keyboard. And after all that, he waved his hand in the air and said "Nah, they all just want to sell their book!"

[lamp_shade]

14. I'm living proof. n/t

[old mark]

15. It works for me!!! I get to fuck with people every day,and I feel better!

Is this part of the health reform plan?


mark

[patrice]

16. I'm tutoring Seniors where I work in the use of the internet.

Even those whom I have to setup for huge-fonts and high contrast display get excited by the results.

[patrice]

19. I showed one old gent how to get his hometown newspaper online and he kissed my hand. nt

[JBoy]

20. Sounds logical. When you surf the web, you're the one in control.