Being There, Without Leaving Home
http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/03/being-there-without-leaving-home/excerpt: below:
“How do you keep homebound seniors engaged with life?” Mr. Asen said. “Their social networks are shrinking. They tend to be more isolated, perhaps depressed or anxious.” But with cameras installed at the Rosenthal center, some stationary and some rolled around on carts, he added, “seniors at home can sign in and participate in a class, converse with the other students — it’s as if they were there.” ....
Some comments at the bottom of the article say:
Many of my homebound patients who are not able to participate in social day programs would benefit from interacting within a virtual community. Soap operas and judge shows often provide their only source of interaction with the outside world until their family members return home from work.
I am interested in seeing future research conducted to examine whether these virtual communities can have an effect on depression rates among homebound seniors. Perhaps one day online providers will start offering senior discounts
http://blogs.vnsny.org/
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