Facebook isn’t just for the kids anymore.

That was the case a few years back, but these days, older generations are popping up left and right on the social-networking site. For Americans ages 65 and up, Facebook use has doubled over last year, according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

Seniors are using social networking sites like Facebook to connect with family and friends.

While younger generations (predominantly, 18-34) make up the biggest user base of Facebook and similar social networking sites, seniors are currently the fastest growing group of users.

“It’s surprising to see just how fast they are growing,” Pew senior research specialist and report author Mary Madden said.

The reasons for growth, we think, are simple: Facebook is an extraordinary way to connect to others and to find people from the past. You can view pictures of friends and family (including grandchildren, who you can bet are on Facebook).

Here are some other growth factors that Pew points to as reasons Facebook isn’t just for the kids anymore:

•  7 out of 10 people have used social networks to find old friends and colleagues
• Roughly half of adults ages 50 and over have been contacted by someone from their past through a social network.
• As people retire or change careers, social networks can be a way to stay in touch or get support.

Pew also cites Internet users who have chronic diseases – namely, older folks – are likely to blog about the experience or participate in online discussions revolving around the disease, and Facebook is a great forum to do so. Talking about diseases is an excellent method of coping with the pain that can accompany sicknesses.

At Home Instead, we’ve compiled numerous Senior Care Resources You Can Trust, which can guide you or your loved ones in treating such diseases and disorders.  For more information about Home Instead Senior Care, simply call our Richmond home care office at 804.527.1100.  We also have an office in Tappahannock.

Eons is one of many online communities for seniors.

We all know that “growing old is not for sissies.” The aches and pains, the medical issues, failing eyesight and hearing, fading memory – all these symptoms can make the aging process unpleasant.

When we think of the hurdles facing the daily lives of senior citizens, one that is often overlooked is that of loneliness. Currently, about one-third of people ages 75 and older live alone.

“One of the greatest challenges or losses that we face as older adults, frankly, is not about our health, but it’s actually about our social network deteriorating on us, because our friends get sick, our spouse passes away, friends pass away, or we move,” Joseph F. Coughlin, director of the AgeLab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

One way many seniors are overcoming the isolation brought on by aging is by turning to online social networks like Facebook for support and companionship. The social networking site Eons.com, an online community for aging baby boomers, can provide a place for seniors to contact, interact with, and provide some of the benefits of a group of friends, while being much easier to assemble and maintain.

Of course, there’s nothing quite like old-fashioned human contact, and a Home Instead CAREGiver can provide the social and intellectual contact missing from the lives of many seniors, and with a more personal touch.

For more information on how a Home Instead CAREGiver can provide companionship, help around the house and on outings, and non-medical care to help keep you or a loved one living independently at home, call our Richmond home care office today at 804.527.1100. You can also visit our website, view our digital brochure, and connect with us via social networking sites Facebook and Twitter ( @homeinsteadRVA and @TeresaSteinfatt ).

In the last five years, the number of seniors using the web has increased by 6 million. According to Nielson, as of November 9, there were 17.5 million seniors online! This is exciting news because the Internet has so much to offer seniors. From the comfort of their sofa, they can access email, photos of family and friends, the latest news, entertainment, and more.

One challenge that gets in the way seniors enjoying everything the Internet has to offer is fear — computers can be intimidating when you’re not familiar with how to use them. That’s why Friendship Manor, a senior community in Salt Lake City, invited some communications majors from a nearby college to teach computer and Internet classes on Friday nights. Besides teaching seniors how to navigate the web, the college students made the fonts bigger and put borders around windows to make it easier for the seniors to view the computer screens.

Messiah Village, another senior community in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, also offers Facebook classes to its residents. The teacher of the class, Jennifer Ebersole, emphasizes the opportunity to stay in touch with family and friends through Facebook. Many of these seniors might see family members – especially grandchildren – once a year at family holiday events. With Facebook, they are able to see pictures, read updates and exchange email on a daily basis.

Many seniors are taking advantage of Facebook — last year it ranked #45 on the most visited by seniors list — this year it ranks #4, along with YouTube at #3. Google Search and Windows Media Player ranked at #1 and #2, respectively. Seniors are doing what everyone else is doing. They’re looking at the weather, at maps, at their bank accounts, and they’re getting in touch with friends. There is even a large community of senior bloggers.

With all of the doors the Internet can open for seniors, it is a great idea to help them access a computer and learn how to “surf” the web. It can really broaden the horizon for a senior who might not be able to get out and about like he or she once did. Plus, being able to communicate so easily with family and friends is priceless.

If you’d like to read more about this subject, here are four articles to reference:

“Move over Facebook, here comes grandma.”  Deseret News

“Senior Citizen Internet Use Is On The Rise”

“What Do Seniors Do Online? Visit Facebook and YouTube, of Course”

 “Retirees join a new ‘senior’ class on Facebook,” The Mercury

And if you need help caring for or providing companionship to a senior loved one, please know that the CAREgivers at Home Instead Senior Care of Richmond are always available.  Simply call 804.527.1100 today.