The Correlation Among Social Interaction Activities Registered Through New Technologies and Elderly's Social Isolation Level

Abstract

Social isolation is a condition that endangers the physical and mental integrity of the elderly. To mitigate this problem, there are computational approaches that encourage socialization through social interaction activities based on elderly’s communication and mobility. However, few studies provide statistical evidence about the influence of the social interaction activities with the elderly’s social isolation level. Therefore, the goal of this research work is to identify social interactionactivities that have statistically significant association with elderly?s social isolation level. The results indicate that the social interaction activities based phone calls through the mobile phone have an inverse correlation with social isolation level. In contrast, the social interaction activities based on the time spent inside home have a direct correlation. From the identified activities, it is possible to develop computer systems capable of providing timely warnings of social isolation in older adults. This early warnings and appropriate interventions can reduce the risk of depression, cognitive impairment or impoverishment of the social network, thus improving the quality of life of elderly.