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.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BRC.10170/501 |
| Date | 04 June 2012 |
| Creators | Swartz, Nancy P. |
| Contributors | Real, Michael, Skinner, James, Guilar, Joshua, Walinga, Jennifer |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Detected Language | English |
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