Abstract:
As e-government resources become more mainstream, older adults will require proficiency with information and communication technologies (ICTs) to access online resources. Natural aging processes, with decreased vision, hearing, and dexterity, will continue to make interactions with ICTs such as computers, cell phones, and e-readers problematic. Physiological decline and social isolation often accompanying aging can pose challenges, causing people to seek social support from ICT instructors while learning. The study explores this phenomenon through Social Support Theory (House, 1981), which states that social support is the availability of assistance or caring from other people and the perception of being part of a supportive network. Support is given by four types of interactions between a support provider and a support seeker - emotional, instrumental, informational, and appraisal. Older adults living in the service area of a local senior center participated in this mixed-methods study. Semi-structured interviews allowed participants to elaborate on ICT instruction experiences and physical disabilities. Participants also sorted index cards containing possible behaviors displayed by ICT instructors into stacks rated by (1) importance and (2) how often sought. Results strongly supported the informational and appraisal support elements of Social Support Theory and showed that older people value and seek such behaviors from ICT instructors. Findings of this study can inform professionals who work with older adults about helpful interactions facilitating the information and communication needs of older adults in their learning to use ICTs.
