Exploring the Access and Use of Social Technologies by Older Adults in Support of Their Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Rapid Review

This study aimed to explore the accessibility, outcomes, and challenges of social technology use among community-dwelling older adults, older adults in long-term care, older adults with neurocognitive disorder, and older adults with pre-frailty and frailty, to help guide future research in this area. A rapid review was conducted, and articles were retrieved from four online databases, including Medline, AgeLine, EconLit and CINAHL, and grey literature from Google Scholar. Of the 131 articles retrieved, 24 were included in this review. The positive outcomes of social technology use include improved mental and physical health, reduced health disparities, and increased autonomy. Adverse outcomes include furthering the digital divide. More research surrounding the economic impacts of social technologies is warranted.PMID:37727886 | DOI:10.1017/S0714980823000259
Source: Canadian Journal on Aging - Category: Geriatrics Authors: Source Type: research