Developing the Cognitive Abilities of Elderly People with the Use of IT Technologies: Presentation of the Project Assumptions and Description of the Research Concept

Abstract

Abstract The progress of digitization and the development of new technologies undoubtedly bring many benefits. However, they can also create or deepen problems related to the social exclusion of certain groups of people, such as the elderly, for whom modern technology is still largely unavailable, and even arouses a sense of uncertainty and fear (the so-called technophobia). The consequences of such a phenomenon become particularly evident in the situation of social isolation, whose unprecedented dimension is currently observed in the so-called COVID-19 pandemic era. In particular, the occurrence of the phenomenon of social exclusion combined with a pandemic situation has contributed to the development of the assumptions of the project entitled “Developing the cognitive capabilities of older people through information technology.” This project was developed by the INNOVATOR Student Science Club at the Faculty of Organization and Management of the Silesian University of Technology, and its goal is to develop a tool to support the acquisition of competences by seniors in the field of technological content, operation of electronic devices and the implementation of daily and routine activities using the Internet, e.g. shopping via the Internet or using tele advice services. The proposed tool is also to support the stimulation of the development of cognitive abilities of seniors using e.g. logical games. In the course of project implementation, a survey will be conducted in selected Nursing Homes, Retirement Homes, online forums for the elderly and through direct contact, the results of which will allow to learn the needs and possibilities of developing the abilities of the examined people, and assess the effectiveness of the designed tool in the process of transferring content and shaping competences. An element encouraging seniors to participate in the planned research will be their active participation in lectures and/or talks, workshops and discussions. The assumed result of the project will be to reduce the negative effects of isolation of seniors, improve their communication with their loved ones and reduce the generation gap. A complementary research task will be to develop a way to assess project results in qualitative and, where possible, quantitative dimensions.