Study: Going Online Helps the Elderly

(MYFOX NATIONAL) - Less than half of Americans age 65 and over use the Internet, but a new study indicates that it could be beneficial to their health if they they start going online.

LiveScience reports that a new study by the Phoenix Center for Advanced Legal & Economic Public Policy Studies , a non-profit think-tank in Washington, D.C., shows that spending time online cuts the incidence of depression among senior citizens by at least 20 percent.

The survey was conducted among 7,000 people age 55 and older who were retired and not working, but not living in nursing homes.

"Increased Internet access and use by senior citizens enables them to connect with sources of social support when face-to-face interaction becomes more difficult," said study co-author Sherry G. Ford, a professor at the University of Montevallo in Montevallo, Ala.

Depression costs the U.S. economy approximately $100 billion annually.

A separate study from the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA also found that older adults who learn to use the Internet for search purposes experience a surge of activity in key decision-making and reasoning centers of the brain.

The study suggests that Internet training can serve as brain training activity and enhance cognitive function in older adults.

"We found that for older people with minimal experience, performing Internet searches for even a relatively short period of time can change brain activity patterns and enhance function," researcher Gary Small, MD, told WebMD .