Building Social Connections: A Framework for Enriching Older Adults' Social Connectedness Through Information and Communication Technologies

Abstract

Aged care providers and researchers are increasingly exploring the use of communication technologies to help older people remain connected to the world as they age. These initiatives often aim to counteract the negative effects of social isolation, thereby aiming to compensate for deficiencies associated with old age, rather than aiming to build on and enrich the social connections that people find valuable in later life. In this chapter, we present a framework that aims to inform the design of technologies for enriching older people’s social lives. Drawing on research from the field of social gerontology that provides insight into the multiple ways older adults experience social connection ..