01
June
2021
|
14:45
Europe/London
Study shows benefits of online and traditional communication for older people
University researchers have collaborated on a study which shows older people who use online communication alongside traditional social interactions show less memory decline.
UoM's Dr Gindo Tampubolon along with Dr Asri Maharan worked on the study led by Snorri Rafnsson from the University of West London, entitled ‘Social Contact and 15-year Episodic Memory Trajectories in Older Adults With and Without Hearing Loss’.
The study examined the regular communication habits of 11,418 men and women aged between 50 and 90 years old.
The researchers analysed the older peoples social networks (online and offline) and their memory function for over a decade. They concluded: “Supplementing conventional social interactions with online communication modes may help older adults, especially those living with hearing loss, to sustain cognitive function to benefit from personal relationships.”
The study was published recently in Journals of Gerontology. The full paper can be viewed open access.
This study also piqued the interest of the Guardian who featured a news item about this recently, stating that “Using Zoom could help older people avoid dementia”.