Roughly fifteen percent of older adults suffer from an issue of depression. Also, more than ten percent of them commit suicide. During the old times, it was extremely difficult for older adults to get in touch with their relatives and friends because of limited access to communication sources such as mobile and internet. With the advent of smartphones and high-speed internet plans, now seniors can get in touch with their colleagues or friends within a few seconds to get rid of loneliness. Here we have listed more such benefits of modern technology and internet that help seniors to avoid depression:
Lifestyle Transformation
The availability of internet on several portable devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops has given a lot of flexibility to users of all ages and seniors are no exception to it. Take any topic and you will find an app available for it. From fitness to creativity and travel to financial planning, seniors can access several apps on their smartphones to make a transformation in their lifestyle. Digital home devices such as Amazon Echo and Google Home can help seniors to add comfort in their lives. With the voice activation feature, you can simply ask the gadget question on any topic of your interest and start a discussion with it. It is one of the effective tricks to add an element of excitement in your life and keep yourself occupied.
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Finding Resources for Learning
Technology has made things simple for people and seniors are also well prepared to get the best out of it. They are using several online resources for their benefit. This mainly includes online blogs, portals, news websites, forums and much more. Sometimes they get frightened by online frauds and scams because of a lack of knowledge about the internet. However, there are several online security tools available that can help older adults to get rid of phishing scams and frauds.
The internet gives an amazing power in the hand of any user. You can access information on any topic to create mastery over the specific field. Seniors can use the internet to learn something new thereby avoiding the moments of monotony from their lives. If you possess some hobbies but not getting enough information on the same then you can use the internet to explore more on the topic. Who knows after spending some time on the internet, you may end up creating some new hobby in your life?
Finding Companion
Loneliness is a root cause of depression amongst older adults. Most of the seniors don’t have a life partner to share their thoughts and ideas that make them feel despair. This is exactly where the internet can act as a perfect companion for seniors to fight with depression; they can create many friends on the internet who share similar interests. Most of the older adults even end up finding a life partner through the internet with whom they can consider spending remaining life.
Sharing Knowledge
The internet also offers seniors an opportunity to share their knowledge and experience with other people thorough blogs or YouTube channels. They can create videos or text content on the internet that will help readers to know about them. There are stories of several seniors who have millions of followers on their YouTube channel. They share their knowledge and ideas on a regular basis. By following these kinds of techniques older adults will not only keep themselves busy but they will feel like making difference to the lives of others.
Motivational Blogs & Case Studies
With high-speed internet services in hand, you can open any website in a matter of seconds to read something productive on a daily basis. Seniors who are going through emotional distress can consider reading some motivational blogs available on the internet to avoid depression. There are several famous personalities who have shared their experience and thoughts on their blog; this will act as an example for older adults who are going through similar kinds of problems. By reading case studies of others you will learn with an idea to tackle different kinds of issues in your life. Then you can try to overcome those without creating any physical or mental distress. Seniors can also consider reading motivational quotes, images, poems of famous personalities to keep themselves motivated in everyday life.
Entertaining Video Contents
If you are finding reading the blogs, articles or news on the internet extremely boring then videos are there for your rescue. You can tune into YouTube or any other video sharing platform. There you can find tons of videos related to the field of your interest. Whether it is philosophy, travel, meditation, yoga, exercise, diet, financial planning, health education, creativity, laughter sessions or any other topic, you will find content in video form on the internet.
Online Consultations
Most of the older adults find it tough to visit their doctor on a regular basis; they find it difficult to reach a clinic because of physical disability or mental illness. This is exactly where the internet will come to your rescue; you can get in touch with your doctor within a few seconds through video calling and seek necessary advice at the right time. Most of the medical practitioners and doctors also prefer to advise their patients through chatting or video-calling when they are out of station or unavailable to attend a patient at the clinic.
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Online Jobs
Financially, post-retirement is considered as one of the tough times for most of the seniors. They have to rely on other people to meet their financial expenses. The internet can help older adults to achieve financial freedom; they can consider working from home on online jobs in order to support their expenses. This will boost the monthly income of seniors; they can also feel more confident as they have a job in hand to keep themselves busy throughout a day.
Online Travel Guides
Most of the older adults prefer to fulfill their travel fantasies after retirement as they have a significant amount of time to plan their journey. Sometimes, things won’t go according to plan and they feel depressed as their expectations are shattered within minutes. The internet can offer them a great helping hand. They can take the help of several online travel guides to plan the itinerary with the utmost flexibility. Knowing about a particular destination in advance will help seniors to get ready in prior time. They can keep themselves well prepared physically and mentally to overcome any challenge coming on their way while traveling.
Social Media
Recent research has demonstrated that social media platforms help to boost positivity amongst seniors; they feel connected with their loved ones all the time. Older adults can create dedicated groups on Facebook, WhatsApp and other social channels to keep in touch with their childhood friends and colleagues from a remote distance. Social media websites also help seniors to send messages to their companions, friends, relatives, and colleague in case of an emergency. They can send bulk invitations to people if they are planning to organize any get-together or any other social event, especially for older adults. Sharing images and videos of some epic moments with their loved ones on social media channels will help seniors to stay excited in everyday life.
Online Video Games
Playing video games on the internet is another offbeat experiment that older adults can try. Online video games can keep themselves energetic during their post-retirement years. There are some dedicated video games which are designed only for seniors to keep their mind and body active. Old adults can also take help of modern game consoles. These come with high-end accessories that demand players to participate physically. If you are finding it difficult to maintain your daily exercise schedule then you can try this experiment to keep yourself active while having some entertainment.
Internet-based CCTV Cameras
Seniors who are physically disabled or mentally ill often feel insecure as they are vulnerable to attacks from robbers. With the advent of high-end technology devices such as security cameras help old adults to create protection around them. Today, most of the advanced CCTV cameras offer online streaming; it can be viewed from any device with the help of the internet. This creates a strong feeling of safety for seniors. They believe that somebody is watching them and they are there for assistance. This way they can spend every moment of their day with the utmost freedom without feeling any kind of hesitation.
Therapy Apps
There are several internet-based therapy apps available for seniors that help you avoid or get rid of depression. These are designed for people of different ages; older adults can follow the advice of these apps to make every moment in their life extra productive. A depressed adult can follow the routine given by these apps to lift the mood.
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The Bottom Line
The internet is an incredible tool that can make a huge difference to the lifestyle of seniors. But it doesn’t mean they should remain online a whole day and ignore something important in their life. If older adults can use the internet in moderation and work on productive things then in the long term, they will definitely start experiencing positive changes in their health and mental well-being. It all comes down to how you, in your senior age, exploit this fantastic resource on the internet for the betterment of your life to avoid and overcome depression and do something creative in your life.
