ELDERLY PEOPLE AND THEIR INFORMATION NEEDS

This study is aimed at exploring the information behavior of the elderly people amongst us. A survey research design was adopted. Four objectives were set for the study and the interview was used to elicit information from respondents. Findings showed that 63% were male while 37% were female. Findings also reveal that the information needs of elders covered health conditions (98%), pension/finance (92%), government policies (34%), current affairs (53%), and transport (63%) among others. The most preferred source of information as revealed by the study is the use of family members (98%). This is followed by radio/television (92%). Use of information to solve health issues (92%) topped the list of the use of information by the elderly. Factors affecting information seeking behavior of the elderly include, problem of equity in information materials (97%), inadequate fund (91%), lack of access to information (35%), and lack of suitable reading material (80%). The paper concludes that publishers should take into consideration the elderly population amongst us, thereby publishing suitable reading (bold print) materials. Recommendations were put forward to enhance access to information by the elderly