Staying connected online may help older adults who provide unpaid care to family or friends to feel less lonely and manage caregiving stress, researchers report. The study, published in JMIR Aging, focuses on informal caregivers in the United States and uses data from the 2019-2020 California Health Interview Survey. The team, led by Xiang Qi of NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing, identified 3,957 participants aged 65 and older who provided unpaid care.
Key findings include that about 12% of these older caregivers reported physical or mental health problems because of caregiving, and those with such problems tended to experience greater loneliness. The analysis showed that more frequent internet use was linked to lower levels of loneliness overall and appeared to reduce the additional loneliness reported by caregivers with health issues. The survey recorded only how often participants used the internet, not what they did online, which limits conclusions about which activities are most helpful.
Qi and his colleagues noted that different online activities may have different effects. They suggested that social, interactive activities—such as joining a virtual support group or video chatting with friends—might reduce loneliness more than passive browsing, but they called for further studies to confirm this. Based on their results, the researchers encourage older caregivers to use the internet to stay in touch, find support, learn caregiving skills, and access reliable health information. Additional authors are affiliated with NYU and the University of Texas at Austin, and the work received partial support from the National Institutes of Health.
- Sample: 3,957 caregivers aged 65 and older
- Data source: 2019-2020 California Health Interview Survey
- Finding: about 12% reported physical or mental health problems
Difficult words
- caregiver — person who gives care without pay to someonecaregivers
- unpaid — not paid for work or services given
- loneliness — feeling of being socially isolated or alone
- affiliate — to officially connect a person or groupaffiliated
- link — to show a connection between two thingslinked
- passive — involving little or no active participation
- virtual support group — online group where people meet for emotional help
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Which online activities do you think would help older caregivers feel less lonely, and why?
- What practical barriers might stop older caregivers from using the internet, and how could those be addressed?
- How could virtual support groups change the experience of providing unpaid care for an older adult?
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