Older people and their attitude to the use of information and communication technologies - A review study with special focus on the Czech Republic (Older people and their attitude to ICT)
Abstract
Rising standards of living and good quality health care have contributed to people living longer. According to the Eurostat agency (Benáčová & Valenta, 2009), in the next 50 years there will be twice as many older people worldwide.
The aging process, however, brings about new economic and social issues. Therefore, there is constant effort to prolong the active age of these older people who want to lead an active, fulfilling, and quality life in a sense of their inclusion, socialization, and independence.
This can be achieved not only by continuous support from their family members. Current trends also show an important role for information and communication technologies (ICT) in the prolonging of an active life.
The purpose of this review study is to explore the role of ICT in the lifestyle of older people and show how the Czech older people can cope with the use of ICT in their life. The methods exploited in this review study include a literature review of available sources exploring the use of ICT by older people and a comparison of the very few research studies exploring this topic in the Czech environment.
The objective was to illustrate how the role of ICT in the life of the Czech older people and their training in the use of ICT can lead to a gradual positive change in their attitude towards ICT.