• Prospective
    Students
  • Current
    Students
  • Alumni
  • Research
  • News &
    Events
  • About Royal
    Roads
Main menu
  • Prospective Students
  • Current Students
  • Alumni
  • Research
  • News & Events
  • About Royal Roads
 
    • Admin Login
    View Item 
    •   VIURRSpace Home
    • RRU
    • Student Research Collection
    • Dissertations & Theses @ RRU
    • View Item
    •   VIURRSpace Home
    • RRU
    • Student Research Collection
    • Dissertations & Theses @ RRU
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Computer use among seniors 80 years and older : narrative inquiry on the benefits and problems

    Thumbnail
    View/Open
    swartz_nancy.pdf (6.444Mb)
    Date
    2012-06-04
    Author
    Swartz, Nancy P.
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Subject
    computers; social participation; elders 80 years and older; social integration theory; narrative inquiry; narrative style interviews; narrative analysis
    Abstract
    This thesis examines the role of computer competence in elders’ well-being as they experience a reduced ability to communicate in very old age. My research question was “How do elders over 80 interact with computers? Employing narrative inquiry, I sought stories from 10 elders living in Victoria, B.C. Narrative style open-ended interviews were conducted one on one. Challenging stereotypes, these participants were computer literate people who happen to be very old. Depending on their relationships, learning from their children was a valuable resource. I found no evidence that they required any special senior friendly websites. These elders learned to use what interested them on the computer—no more. The computer is an extension of their ability to communicate their social messages as they age. The denouement of my narrative research is that computers give voice to elders; nevertheless, decision makers need to respect elders’ right to refuse computer uses.
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/10170/501
    Collections
    • Dissertations & Theses @ RRU
    • MA Professional Communication Theses

    Related items

    Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

    • Thumbnail

      A visual narrative inquiry of paramedic identity in Alberta 

      McIntosh, James Christopher (2021-12-20)
      Paramedics in Alberta have experienced several significant changes to their profession starting with the homogenization of municipal Emergency Medical Services (EMS) departments into a provincial healthcare model in 2009, ...
    • Thumbnail

      Identity (re)construction in an online environment : a qualitative inquiry of older adult Facebook users 

      Boydell, Alexandra (2013-08-13)
      Facebook offers users a mode in which to (re)construct their identity. Recent studies examining identity and Facebook explore how impression management is a major factor when participating in the site. However, a research ...
    • Thumbnail

      Masculinities and engaging older men at seniors’ centres through social marketing 

      Lockhart, Dustin John (2018-05-08)
      Older men are at risk for social isolation, which poses significant risks to their psychosocial health. Seniors’ centres offer opportunities for social support networks; however, older men attend far less than women. Social ...

    Browse

    All of VIURRSpaceCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

    My Account

    Admin LoginRegister
    back to top  
    Royal Roads University
    Our Location
    2005 Sooke Road
    Victoria, BC V9B 5Y2
    Canada
    •   Campus Map
    Get in Touch
    •   Phone: 250.391.2511
    •   Toll-free: 1.800.788.8028
    •   Email Us
    •   Directories
    @RoyalRoadsRRU FacebookRRU LinkedInRRU YouTubeRRU Pinterest
    • Contact Us
    • Send Feedback
    • Website Feedback
    • Privacy Policy
    • Academic Regulations
    • Copyright
    • Sitemap
    • ©2017 Royal Roads University
     
    DSpace Express is a service operated by 
    Atmire NV