The use of information and communication technology in improving the quality of life of the elderly during COVID-19

Kako svjetska populacija brzo stari, poboljšanje kvalitete ţivota starijih osoba i omogućavanje aktivnog starenja za mnoge zemlje postaje sve veći izazov. Tijekom demografskih promjena, dolazi i do pojave pandemije COVID-19 koja je značajno promijenila ţivote mnogih ljudi. U tom se kontekstu naglasak sve više stavlja na informacijsko-komunikacijsku tehnologiju (IKT) koja moţe imati značajnu ulogu u poboljšanju kvalitete ţivota starijih osoba. Stoga je cilj ovog istraţivanja bio ispitati korištenje IKT-a u poboljšanju kvalitete ţivota starijih osoba za vrijeme pandemije. U istraţivanju je sudjelovala 31 osoba u dobi između 65 i 75 godina s područja Međimurske ţupanije. Prikupljanje podataka provedeno je popunjavanjem anonimnog upitnika, a obrada je izvršena pomoću statističkog paketa SPSS v24. Rezultati pokazuju da ispitanici u prosjeku koriste IKT jedan sat dnevno, najviše za komuniciranje, te se na internet najčešće povezuju putem pametnih mobitela. Što se tiče upotrebe društvenih mreţa i aplikacija za razmjenu poruka, postoji apsolutna dominacija Vibera i Facebooka, a dobiveno je i da su ispitanici prije pandemije putem interneta komunicirali manje u odnosu na razdoblje tijekom pandemije. Iz navedenog se zaključuje da je IKT pomogao starijim osobama da ostanu u kontaktu sa svojim prijateljima i obitelji te im je uz komunikaciju donio i druge benefite.As the world’s population ages rapidly, improving the quality of life of older people and enabling active aging is becoming an increasing challenge for many countries. During demographic changes, the COVID-19 pandemic, which has significantly changed many people's lives, occurred. In this context, the emphasis is increasingly on information and communication technology (ICT), which can play a significant role in improving the quality of life of older people. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the use of ICT in improving the quality of life of the elderly during the pandemic. The study involved 31 people aged between 65 and 75 years from the area of Međimurje County. Data collection was performed by filling out an anonymous questionnaire, and processing was performed using the statistical package SPSS v24. The results show that on average the examinees use ICT one hour a day, mostly for communication, and most often connect to the Internet via smartphones. As for the use of social networks and messaging applications, there is an absolute dominance of Viber and Facebook. It was determined that before the pandemic, the respondents communicated less via the Internet than in the period during the pandemic. From those findings, it can be concluded that ICT has helped older people to stay in touch with their friends and family and has brought them other benefits in addition to communication