Internet Use – Why It Is Good for Old People

Statistics affirms that individuals who are 55 years old and above are the fastest growing group who use the internet in the North America. For many older people, the Internet is introducing a whole new environment, specifically for those who are housebound or who live a long away from loved ones and friends. The internet has bridged this gap for them and offered new ways of fighting the normal effects of aging.

As we age, we normally experience anatomical and physiological decline. In the human brain, what happens is that cellular and structural activities weaken and lessen resulting to impairment in its functioning. Luckily for us, research in the past has proven that brain training activities like simple jigsaw puzzle completion help reduce the rate of cognitive degeneration.

Good news is that the advancement of technology will not leave out older individuals after all. New studies explain that older adults who use the internet to search for information experience rise of brain activity in the rational part of the brain – the part which controls decision-making and reasoning.

This discovery proposes that simple internet use may qualify as a type of brain training activity which will augment cerebral functioning among older people. How is this so? Researchers explained that when aged individuals search for information online, they utilize their capacity to hold data in the working memory and extract important information among other words, graphics or perhaps background music that causes distraction to the reader.

Crossword or jigsaw puzzles are interesting; however these are already very old tricks. To help the older population battle the negative effects of aging in the brain, try introducing a whole new different and a more interesting approach. Help them use the internet. The human brain is very sensitive that no one is too old to learn something new. Once they will learn to incorporate internet use with their day to day lives, they will be undergoing daily brain exercise without much effort.

Other than promoting cognitive training, there are several other reasons why it is rightful to claim that the internet is good for older people.

As mentioned, our bodies will normally weaken and its functionality will naturally decrease. This also makes older people become more susceptible to illnesses. As a result, the most common condition they experience is mobility impairment and this impedes normal daily functioning. However, the internet is now here to remove those barriers and allow them perform ordinary activities once more such as sending mail and looking up news and information. The internet is even more convenient because it is available for use at anytime.

If you think that’s about it, there is actually more! The internet has allowed older people to pursue many other endeavors and transactions without much effort. Shopping, banking, paying bills, arranging for adventure travel for safari holidays to experience africa safari or simply catching up with friends are just some of these.

Whoever says that the internet is only for young people is completely misinformed. The reality is that it makes much more sense for older people to be online, than it is for the young.