Computer and Internet Literacy in Older Age

Computer and Internet technology is a potential source of valuable general as well as health information and plays an increasing role in our everyday lives. The main objective or this study was to evaluate the use of computer and the Internet among older people. The study was conducted by the National Institute of Gerontology and Geriatrics "Ana Aslan" over a period of 6 months in 2015. A number of 455 participants 65 years of age and older were asked to complete a 16 items questionnaire inquiring about the use of computer and the Internet. Approximately one in three people were computer and Internet users. Factors the significantly affected computer as well as Internet use were age, level of education, income and social isolation. The majority of non-users indicated that specific training and better financial conditions would stimulate future computer and Internet use. This finding was consistent with reported reasons for not using the Internet, specifically lack of knowledge and considerable degree of difficulty.