Seniors & Social Networking

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Technology surrounds us. A lot of it has to do with keeping up-to-date with the rest of the world.  Instant messaging, email, video chat… they are all quick tools that have enabled many individuals to connect with the next person instantly.  As a result, there has been a paradigm shift in the networking realm – socializing.  Technology may read as “the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, esp. in industry” on Google definitions – but in simple terms, it’s all about how we stay connected.

Social networking is more popular, and probably more common than socializing face to face.  Don’t get me wrong, this still happens, and quite frequently, but, how did you find out about Dave and Sally’s barbecue? When were you invited?  And what method was used to bring you to this event?  A majority of the time these questions are answered with one word: Facebook. 

According to the article, Facebook 101: Seniors Learn To Use the Social Network by Jessica Tully, spurred by a desire to stay connected to their children and grandchildren, more seniors are diving into Facebook, and as a result, social-networking instructions are popping up in libraries and even community centers.

A recent Pew Internet study found that 53 per cent of American age 65 and older use the Internet or email; of which, 34 per cent use social networking sites such as Facebook, and from that, 18 per cent use it daily.  In a study by Statistics Canada, it was found that of a possible total of 26 online activities, seniors aged 65 and older averaged 7.6 of activities used.  One-half of online senior home users qualified as “intensive users,” at 47 per cent.

“Retirees who use the Internet regularly are 20 to 28 per cent less likely to be classified as depressed, according to a study published in March in the journal Computers in Human Behavior, by Shelia Cotten, a sociology professor at the University of Alabama-Birmingham,” Tully writes.  Cotten explains that this is because of the connection and sense of community that the Internet provides.

Social networking is a large portion of how society operates today and has quickly become an integral part of how we communicate, whether it’s good news, or bad.  SERC’s Business of Aging: Information Exchange Network (BA:IEN) feels it is an important asset to keep seniors integrated within their community, and is reaching out to invite you to an exciting event on Wednesday, July 25, 2012.

To learn more, click on the image below:

What's your niche?

Left, right, and centre: retirement homes that focus on a particular hobby, interest, or activity, are popping up in the United States, CNBC reports.  They are tailored to specific wants and needs for older adults, so that they can continue to immerse themselves into an every day activity. 

These “Niche retirement communities” not only encourage retirees to stay active, but they give them the ability to do so in a location that caters to their ‘expertise’ or growing interest.  They are able to fulfill their days with what makes them happy, within an environment that will support it.

In Franklin, Tennessee, the Country Music Association is planning a community with recording studios and performance venues, writes Harriet Barovick, in ‘10. Niche Aging,’ an article for Time Magazine. And in Santa Rosa, California there’s Fountaingrove Lodge - America’s first long term care facility for gay and lesbian retirees.

Andrew Carle, director of George Mason University’s senior housing administration program told CNBC that although these communities are in their “infancy stage, they offer lots of upsides.”

For example:  so-called university–based communities are located near a post-secondary campus, where residents can sign-up (for a nominal fee) and attend classes for pleasure.  “The Oak Hammock at the University of Florida in Gainesville has an in-house Institute for Learning in Retirement, developed with the University of Florida,” CNBC reports.

As the growing interest in these housing communities increase, so do the number of hobbyists.  The question remains – how will they manage to cater to everyone’s needs and interests?

Tell us what you think! What type of niche long-term care facility do you dream of?

To read more on the different retirement homes already available, click here.

Have you found your niche?

If you have yet to figure out what your interest/hobby is – have no fear! In honour of Seniors’ Month, SERCCA is hosting  “A Taste of the Arts” on Friday, June 22^nd, where we encourage you to come out and participate in our creative workshops.  For more information and how to register, please click the image below.  We look forward to seeing you!

Seniors helping seniors

There are two things in life that are important to me -- one is education and the other is volunteering… I think it's a privilege to be a teacher and I think it's a privilege to be a volunteer, and both of those activities give me a great deal of joy.

- Isabella Dryden (Winnipeg Free Press)

Sometimes it’s intimidating, never mind frustrating, when we have to learn how to do something new from someone who is younger than us.  You’re left wondering why you are unable to master a skill or technique, when it’s clear that it’s doable.  What tends to get “lost in translation” is that this is true for anyone at any age; someone else will always be better at one thing or another, and so on and so forth.  What you have to be able to do is take away from the experience and learn from them.  As a result, this will allow you to share your newly cultivated skill with others.

Isabella Dryden, 94, and Jean Johnson, 92, know what it’s like to have experienced both the learning and teaching role.  Three days a week, the tag-team spends entire days educating other seniors how to operate the computer: from turning it on, to navigating the web. 

Johnson joined Dryden, who has been teaching for almost 50 years, after she sat in on one of her classes 27 years ago. After the second class, Johnson felt she knew the material well enough to assist her.

"Strangely enough when I sat down with the computer, I knew how to work with it. It just must have been in me. After my second class, I was bold enough to go up and ask (Dryden) if I could help her with the classes and she agreed. We've been together teaching ever since," Johnson told the Winnipeg Free Press.

These women have taken on exceptional roles in their community. By giving back, the dynamic duo can help elevate a level of confidence in the seniors that attend their classes, showing them how they can further their independence while exploring a virtual reality.

A little something more:

4 Tips to Keep Seniors Surfing Safely Online  

Talk That Talk: Alzheimer's

A few months ago, in the post Living a full life, despite Alzheimer’s, we focused on bringing awareness to Dementia and the affects that Alzheimer’s has on an individual, such as causing problems with memory, thinking and behavior.  It’s a quiet disease with a progression that varies, but it’s affects on the individual and their family and friends are quite similar.   

Living with Alzheimer’s is not an easy feat, nor is watching a loved one suffer with it.  It changes the atmosphere of a home, or relationships that have been built.  And sometimes the person you once knew is no longer “present”.  Although there are research facilities that strive to find a cure, there are preventative measures and ways to cope with this life-changing disease.   

SERC is inviting you to ‘Acceptance and Adaptation’ (understanding Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementia) talk at Sheridan College on March 28 at 7 p.m..  This discussion, headed by Kim Fitzpatrick, will focus on what the disease is, how loved ones can manage the life-changes it brings, validation therapy and more. 

SERC Information for March 28

Arts Participation & Healthy Aging: Knowledge Exchange

On June 27th and 28th, 25 researchers, artists, and providers of services to older adults gathered from across Canada at SERC to discuss the state of research on the benefits of participation in the arts for older adults. After two days of very stimulating discussion, the participants from SERC - and hopefully all attendees - came away with renewed vigor for pursuing research into the health benefits of participation in the arts for older adults.

SERC would like to thank the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for their generous support for this meeting.

Event at SERC: NSERC CCI Launch

February 7, 2011

SERC's research team, our business partners in the NSERC CCI grant, the SERC advisory board, and Sheridan administration gathered at the Twisted Fork in Oakville, Ontario to celebrate the start of what will be a 5-year collaboration between SERC and area businesses to support aging well in place.

David Foot, noted economist and author of Boom, Bust & Echo spoke to the group about the importance of taking our aging population into account for businesses.


See below for some photos from the event!








Sheridan President and CEO, Dr. Jeff Zabudsky, with Dr. David Foot












SERC Advisory Board members Peter Broadhurst, Candace Fochuk-Barey, and Richard Finch, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Health and Community Studies








Karen Aikman from the Halton Region Services for Seniors, Francesca Abbruzzese from Sheridan Research, and Bob Kallonen from Schlegel Villages.

Dr. Darren Lawless, Dean of Research and Innovation, Karen Hamilton from PointerWare Innovations, and Susan Pratten, faculty member in the Social Service Worker program at Sheridan.

Event at SERC: Embrace the Moment: Why Creativity Matters to Our Health

Please join us for an engaging presentation by Susan Perlstein, founder of Elders Share the Arts (ESTA) in New York City and founder of the National Center for Creative Aging in the U.S. Susan will discuss the significance of "creative aging" in relation to everyday life. She will also present findings from a study she collaborated on with Dr. Gene Cohen that has provided evidence of positive health benefits associated with involvement in arts and cultural programs. Ms. Perlstein will discuss three developmental themes characterizing the field of arts and aging: arts and lifelong learning, arts and community engagement, and use of the arts in social service and health care settings. Susan will conclude with recommendations for moving the field of arts and aging forward in the coming decades.

Date: Thursday, October 28th, 2010
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Location: Sheridan Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning, 1430 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, ON
Room number: J102 (Sheldon Levy Centre)

Refreshments will follow the presentation. This event is complimentary but seating is limited.

Please RSVP no later than Thursday, October 21st to Pat Spadafora
Tel: 905-845-9430, ext. 8615, or pat.spadafora@sheridanc.on.ca