A Double Burden of Exclusion? Digital and Social Exclusion of Older Adults in Times of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has excluded older adults from a society based on physical social contact. Vulnerable populations like older adults also tend to be excluded from digital services because they opt not to use the internet, lack necessary devices and network connectivity, or inexperience using th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Journals of Gerontology: Series B Vol. 76; no. 3; p. e99
Main Authors Seifert, Alexander, Cotten, Shelia R, Xie, Bo
Format Journal Article Web Resource
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Oxford University Press 17.02.2021
Subjects
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging - psychology
COVID-19
Female
Homes for the Aged
Humans
Internet Access - statistics & numerical data
Male
Nursing Homes
Social Isolation
Social Networking
Social Participation - psychology
COVID-19
Aging
Digital inequality
Internet
Exclusion
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Summary:The COVID-19 pandemic has excluded older adults from a society based on physical social contact. Vulnerable populations like older adults also tend to be excluded from digital services because they opt not to use the internet, lack necessary devices and network connectivity, or inexperience using the technology. Older adults who are frail and are not online, many of whom are in long-term care facilities, struggle with the double burden of social and digital exclusion. This paper discusses the potential outcomes of this exclusion and provides recommendations for rectifying the situation, with a particular focus on older adults in long-term care facilities.
ISSN:1758-5368
DOI:10.1093/geronb/gbaa098