Researchers at University College London (UCL) found that using the internet improves the mental health and life satisfaction of older people with good levels of education. More use of the internet would benefit a less educated group who used the internet less and who had higher scores for depression lower for life satisfaction. Meantime, a study by the American National Institute of Ageing of more than 18,000 adults found that people who used the internet regularly had about half the risk of dementia as people who were not regular users. With more and more everyday interactions going online, it’s a unique opportunity for Christians to connect with those who need help.

Published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, the UCL study was the first to examine the links between different internet usage and the impacts on mental health. Researchers included more than 9,000 people over the age of 50 over a period of six years (2012 - 2017). They are found a positive long-term effect of using the internet daily, with infrequent use (monthly or less) associated with lower levels of life satisfaction among older people. Daily users saw larger increases in their life satisfaction scores than those who used the internet weekly or never, and had the highest scores overall by the end of the study. People who used the internet to keep in touch with others had more life satisfaction, while those using it for ‘information access’ only, specifically searching for jobs (including those already in work) had worse life satisfaction.

The American study tracked 18,154 adults between the ages of 50 and 65 who did not have dementia when the study period began. Study co-author, Dr Virginia Chang, an associate professor of global public health at New York University’s School of Global Public Health said that online engagement may help to develop and maintain cognitive reserve, which can in turn compensate for brain aging and reduce the risk of dementia. Read more here

In the UK, 25 percent of people aged 65 and over don't use the internet - that’s around 2,750,000 people and as more and more every-day interactions are taking place over the internet they are being increasingly disadvantaged. An example is the fast-growing move to online banking as local branches with the personal touch disappear. Our CEO, Stephen Hammersley, has spoken about this in a radio interview.

Today’s older generation has adapted to more innovation in its time than any other before it, and many are already expert at using the internet. It’s a myth that others are not interested but many need help, especially those living on their own, as Stephen mentioned. Some time ago while waiting for the contract for my mobile phone to be printed out I observed an elderly father, his son and grandson come into the store. They were so alike they were clearly family. They explained to the Manager that they were looking for a Tablet for the grandfather so he could speak to friends and families in other countries. He smiled widely when he heard that he could also read his favourite newspaper on it. He could see the benefits, and was well supported by his son and grandson.

It’s a great opportunity for churches, helping older people to get online. A church I visited in Bradford has a ‘club’ of tech-savvy teenagers, where others could go for help with their mobile phones and tablets. It’s another way of ‘helping to bear one another’s burdens,’ (Galatians 6:2). It’s also an opportunity for community outreach.

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