Scoping review of ICT use among community-dwelling older adults implementing social participation

Abstract

Encouraging social participation among the elderly has a positive impact on reducing mortality, extending healthy life expectancy, and addressing psychological aspects. Rehabilitation professionals are expected to engage in promoting social participation, but active involvement is currently challenging. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) may offer a solution to this issue. Nevertheless, no review has been conducted to summarize the types of ICT communication that can enhance face-to-face social participation and the resulting effects. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore how older adults utilize ICT communication and to identify various influencing factors that promote social participation.The study employed a scoping review design. Mesh terms such as older adults, social participation, information science, communication, and interaction were used as search terms, and four databases, namely PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and ProQuest, were utilized.Out of 574 studies, 18 articles were included in the study. The subjects of social participation were family members and relatives, and the type of social participation involved face-to-face interaction without specifying a specific activity. The majority of the evaluations of social participation were objective, focusing on factors like frequency and time. In some studies, ICT communication was not explicitly categorized as either hardware or software. The observed effects included the prevention of cognitive decline, expansion of social networks, and reduction of loneliness.For rehabilitation professionals to effectively employ ICT in day-care centers, future studies should specifically investigate ICT communication with elderly individuals utilizing day-care centers.