Aged Care Insite Issue 100 | April-May 2017 | Seite 6

news
Whiddon Group has highlighted from its
Social Isolation and Loneliness Report,
which was conducted by Galaxy Research.
Just under half of those surveyed who
use the internet daily said they felt lonely,
compared with 59 per cent of those who
are less frequent users.
While the report found older Australians
most commonly used the internet to
access email and search for information, 55
per cent of respondents indicated they use
social media. Most social media users were logging
onto Facebook, at 97 per cent, followed by
sites like Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter, at
about 10 per cent each.
Of all survey participants, 70 per cent said
social media makes them feel less lonely.
Karn Nelson, executive general
manager of strategic policy and research
at Whiddon, said the internet and
social media are avenues the provider
is continuing to explore as a means of
keeping residents and