Examination of the effect of technology use on social life participation and successful aging in the elderly

This research aims to examine the effect of technology use by the elderly on participation in social life and successful aging. The research was carried out in a relational screening model in quantitative design. The population of the research consisted of individuals over the age of 65 who are members of non-governmental organizations operating in the field of elderly welfare in Turkey, and the research was completed with 191 participants. The sociodemographic questionnaire, Successful Aging Scale, Community Integration Questionnaire, and Technology Usage Scale were used to collect data. The data were analyzed in SPSS 22.0 program using appropriate statistical methods. 55.5% of the participants are females, 62.3% are married, and 80.1% have children. The mean age is 69.56±6.1years. 39.3% are university graduates and 22.5% work full-time. 82.7% of them live with their families and 61.8% of them have lived in the city for the longest time. 95.29% of the participants have a technological device, 90.1% have internet access and 57.6% have at least one social media account. 40.8% stated that they used the internet for 1-3 hours a day. The average score of the participants in the Community Integration Questionnaire was 4.32 ± 3.26 and it was determined that they obtained scores below the average. The successful Aging Scale means the score is 53.42 ± 11.10, and the scores are above the mean. The mean score of the Technology Use Scale was determined as 37.24 ± 9.08 and these scores were found to be above the mean. There is a positive correlation between technology use scale scores and successful aging scale scores. There is no statistically significant relationship between technology use scale scores and social life participation inventory scores. As a result, it is seen that encouraging the use of technology by the elderly can have positive effects on successful aging. In the successful aging process, social work interventions are needed to ensure adaptation between the elderly and technology. It may be suggested that social workers take on roles as consultants, trainers, and resource developers in the development of age-friendly technological hardware and software and in adapting the elderly to technological developments.