USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKS AND ACTIVE AGING IN SENIOR ADULTS

Abstract

In the case of older adults, these resources help promote active aging by staying socially active, reducing social isolation. The percentage of older people immersed in technology is very low, sometimes this happens due to fear and ignorance of how to use the communication tools that the Internet offers us, for this reason, it is important to consider this issue to increase their physical, mental and social. This descriptive and correlational study, developed with 50 older adults, aimed to determine the impact of the use of social networks on active aging in the Association of Retirees, Pensioners and Retirees of the Pujilí Canton. For the execution of the research, a quantitative approach was used, the data was collected using the Internet Survey in the Elderly (INMA) with 9 items and the Successful Active Aging Inventory (SAI) with a total of 20 items with a Likert scale of 0 to 4, where active aging measures score from 0 to 80 points. The research findings determined that the use of social networks does not influence the active aging of the older adult population, these results can be related to the fact that there is an adaptation to the digital age and its use is not frequent, it can also be It should be noted that a third of the elderly have not used communication tools, while almost half learned to use them "alone" and with the help of family members, and finally a quarter learned in courses, workshops or with technical help, manuals, guides or videos, regarding active aging, 40% of the elderly have “bad” active aging. 28% have "medium" active aging, and 32% "high". These figures reveal the existing problems in the Association of Retired, Pensioners and Retirees of the Pujilí Canton, where 4 out of 10 elderly people do not reach a state of physical, mental and social well-being