Examining communication technology usage among older adults with aphasia within the context of Socioemotional Selectivity Theory
A. Dinh, J.A. Brown
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AbstractBackground: Stroke mostly occurs in adults aged 65 and above and often results in aphasia, a language disorder characterized by impaired linguistic comprehension and/or expression. Having aphasia can negatively impact one’s social relationships, so identifying new means of aiding this effort is needed. According to a prominent social gerontology theory, Socioemotional Selectivity Theory (SST), as one’s perceived future time lessens, one tends to focus on maintaining and nurturing emotionally meaningful relationships, rather than acquiring new ones. This shift in emotional goals may be hindered by stroke-induced aphasia. Currently, there is no study that examines the emotional needs of older adults after acquiring stroke-induced aphasia through a gerontological lens. Research aims: The purpose of this paper is to examine the current literature on communication technology usage among older adults with and without stroke-induced aphasia. Methods PUBMED and Google Scholar were used to identify articles that had keywords including “older adults, communication technology, aphasia, Socioemotional Selectivity Theory, socialization.” Results Communication technology use among the general older population has increased and is mostly for socialization. Older adults with aphasia also use communication technology for socialization; however, there is limited research on their usage. Current research suggests that there are numerous barriers as well as opportunities for communication technology usage among older adults with aphasia. Conclusion: Using SST as a theoretical framework, communication technology has the potential to play an important role in meeting the changing emotional needs of older adults with aphasia. More studies are needed that examine the usage of different types of technology by older adults with aphasia as well as their role in meeting the changing emotional needs of these individuals.Keywords: Older adults, technology, aphasia, communication, relationships
A. Dinh, J.A. Brown (2019). Examining communication technology usage among older adults with aphasia within the context of Socioemotional Selectivity Theory. Gerontechnology, 18(4), 223-230
https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2019.18.4.004.00