TY - JOUR
T1 - Bridging the Digital Divide for Older Adults via Intergenerational Mentor-Up
AU - Lee, Othelia Eun Kyoung
AU - Kim, Do Hong
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors are grateful to the seniors who participated in this study and the staff members who helped us recruit the study participants. We would also like to express our thanks to research assistants Emma Sheedy, Susanna Pantas, Erica Alford, Aayla Alexander, and Morgan Miller. The authors declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study is funded by Chancellor’s Diversity Challenge Fund and the Scholarship in Teaching and Learning grant at University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2018.
PY - 2019/10/1
Y1 - 2019/10/1
N2 - Objectives: The effectiveness of Intergenerational Mentor-Up (IMU), an innovative intervention that engages college students in tutoring older adults, was examined with regard to eHealthy literacy and social isolation. Method: A total of 55 older adults (mean age = 73.82) participated in the six-session IMU tutorials. In this mixed methods study, quantitative and qualitative data were collected in a parallel fashion. Participants were interviewed after participating in the IMU. Results: Older adults presented significant improvement between pre- and postsurveys in various outcomes such as eHealth literacy, technophobia, self-efficacy, and interest in technology. Intergenerational interaction brought about by IMU helped to decrease social isolation among older adults. Qualitative data revealed that individualized training, modifications, adaptations, and intergenerational interactions can decrease their anxiety and boost their confidence. Discussion: Study findings enable the identification of the training needs to help close the digital divide and allow these older adults to reap the benefits of technology use.
AB - Objectives: The effectiveness of Intergenerational Mentor-Up (IMU), an innovative intervention that engages college students in tutoring older adults, was examined with regard to eHealthy literacy and social isolation. Method: A total of 55 older adults (mean age = 73.82) participated in the six-session IMU tutorials. In this mixed methods study, quantitative and qualitative data were collected in a parallel fashion. Participants were interviewed after participating in the IMU. Results: Older adults presented significant improvement between pre- and postsurveys in various outcomes such as eHealth literacy, technophobia, self-efficacy, and interest in technology. Intergenerational interaction brought about by IMU helped to decrease social isolation among older adults. Qualitative data revealed that individualized training, modifications, adaptations, and intergenerational interactions can decrease their anxiety and boost their confidence. Discussion: Study findings enable the identification of the training needs to help close the digital divide and allow these older adults to reap the benefits of technology use.
KW - eHealth literacy
KW - health information technology
KW - intergenerational learning
KW - social isolation
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U2 - 10.1177/1049731518810798
DO - 10.1177/1049731518810798
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85059250845
SN - 1049-7315
VL - 29
SP - 786
EP - 795
JO - Research on Social Work Practice
JF - Research on Social Work Practice
IS - 7
ER -