1. Older and Online: Making and maintaining connections in Australian rural places
Helen Feist PhD | Deputy Director
Australian Population and Migration Research Centre, University of Adelaide
Life Impact | The University of Adelaide

2. Linking Rural Older People to Community through Technology
For older adults in rural regions of Australia the issues of distance, accessibility and social connectivity associated with rural living add another dimension to the physical and social challenges associated with ageing

3. The Information Age

4. Project Overview Four Stages of Data Collection:
2 Paper-based surveys, older community members (n= 859) and community aged care service providers (n=109)
Face-to-face in depth interviews with a subset of community members (n=201)
Pilot study with older people (n=48)
Pilot study with 4 rural aged care service provider organisations

5. Pilot Study Laptop or iPad 12 months 3G Internet
48 Participants
Laptop or iPad
12 months 3G Internet
Regular meetings over 7 months
Informal, self-directed learning
Advice and support available 7
days a week over 12 months

7. Changes in Comfort Levels
% Respondents very/moderately comfortable using select new technologies

8. Changes in Attitude

9. Changes in Attitude

10. Changes in Attitude

11. Changes in Attitude

12. Self-Rated Health

13. 89% say their access to community information has improved
72% say their ability to stay in touch with family and friends has improved
Perceptions of Community
Connectedness
% Respondents satisfied with their level of community involvement pre and post pilot

14. Pilot Participant Social Networks 9 months on....
The number if friend ties had increased in social networks by 83%
The number of social network ties kept using the internet and had increased from 51% to 83%

15. Pilot Participants 9 months on...
Internet
Games
Documents
Photos
Daily
55.3
21.3
51.1
8.5
2.1
2-3 times a week
19.1
31.9
14.9
4.3
Weekly
10.6
Fortnightly
6.4
As required
0.0
TOTAL
89.4
74.5
70.2
25.5
23.4

16. Support and Education
Preference for small groups, ideally less than 10
A mix of 1:1 in home training and group meetings
Ongoing informal, ‘drop-in’ approach to support
More formal course for specific programs and applications as proficiency improves

17. In Conclusion

18. THANKYOU For more information about this project: Dr. Helen Feist,
Australian Population and Migration Research Centre
University of Adelaide
Life Impact | The University of Adelaide