Few seniors use Web for health info
Most seniors haven’t yet weaved the Web into their lives, robbing themselves of a wealth of health information available online, researchers have found.
About 30% of people age 65 and older have gone online, compared with 70% of those age 50 to 64, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation study, released earlier this month.
Seniors on the wrong side of the digital divide miss out on online health information that’s especially important to them, said Vicky Rideout, a vice president of the Foundation, based in Menlo Park, Calif.
For instance, hospital ratings are published online, and seniors can determine the best drug discount card at www.medicare.gov by entering the drugs they take, the dosage and other information, Rideout said.
But just a fifth of those age 65 and older have sought health information online, compared with half of 50- to 64-year-old people, the survey found.
The report also found that just 5% of seniors have gone online to buy prescription medicine.
“At least for those that are 65 and older, that is really not a significant phenomenon at this point,” Rideout said.
Just a few years ago, people thought it was cute that grandparents could get photos of their grandchildren via e-mail, said Susannah Fox, associate director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project, which researches the influence of the Internet.
“Now in 2005, it’s more high stakes,” she said. “A doctor doesn’t always have time to go through all the health questions that someone might have, but the Internet has time. Dr. Google has time.”
Seniors have been slow to go online because they didn’t use computers at work, they don’t see the value of the Internet or they can’t afford a computer or Internet access, Fox said.
Anthony Panaro, 84, of Bayside, N.Y., says he and many other seniors aren’t adept at using computers. “Not that we shudder at the thought of it -- we’d like to get into it,” he said.
Groups such as SeniorNet have stepped in to help solve the problem. The national nonprofit organization tailors its classes to those 50 and older, teaching them Internet usage, e-mail, digital photography, online financial management and computer security, said Executive Director Kristin Fabos.
Libraries also help bridge the divide.
“Most of the classes are filled with elderly people,” said Nancy Donner, spokeswoman for the New York Public Library. “A lot of them are there for really basic things like how to turn on the computer, how to set up an e-mail account, how to do research on the Internet.”
