Cecily O'Connor
RedwoodAge.com

Boomers' familiarity with the Internet could help them avoid the depression that tends to pain many elderly Americans.

The Internet is much more entrenched in boomers' lives - they use it at work and home - compared to older generations who left the work world before Web access and related necessities such as e-mail at work became ubiquitous.

Increased Internet access and use by senior citizens would enable them to maintain relationships with friends and family at a time when mobility can be limited to due chronic illness or other conditions.

The trouble is, broadband adoption among the elderly population is relatively low, according to a white paper by the Phoenix Center, a nonprofit group studying public policy issues.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has earmarked more than $7 billion to expand broadband Internet availability and adoption in the US.

The ideal target for some of that funding is the elderly population, according to Phoenix Center researchers, who studied 7,000 retired adults over 55 to evaluate the Internet's role on their mental well-being.

"Increased Internet access and use by senior citizens enables them to connect with sources of social support when face-to-face interaction becomes more difficult," said Dr. Sherry Ford, Phoenix Center visiting scholar and study co-author.

Happier surfers
What Ford discovered is that spending time online reduces depression by 20 percent in retirement, according to the Phoenix Center.

Reducing the incidence of depression could trim the nation's health care bill. Depression is estimated to cost the US about $100 billion annually, factoring in direct medical costs, suicide and mortality, and workplace expenses.

But Internet adoption rates among Americans aged 65 are far below those of other age groups, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project. But once they do go online, they are pretty enthusiastic about e-mailing or searching for news and information.

Currently, about half the adult Internet population is under 44, while approximately 35 percent of boomers participating between 45 and 63 are surfing the Web.

"Efforts to expand broadband use in the US must eventually tackle the problem of low adoption in the elderly population," said Dr. George Ford, the Phoenix Center's chief economist and study co-author.