Usage of Information and Communication Devices by Older Adult Couples During Covid19 Pandemic

Abstract

Information and communication devices played a great role in the lockdown period by helping to stay connected with people and maintaining the social order. Older adults (60+) were considered as one of the drastically effected populations during this pandemic. This enquiry studies about the usage of information and communication devices by older adults, those whose who are living alone, during the Covid- 19 pandemic. The study looks into the ability of using, entertainment, shopping, communication and service of older adults. The participants of the study were from Kondazhy Grampanchayath in the state of Kerala. A quantitative approach has been followed in the study.  The descriptive design helped to describe the usage of ICT enabled services by older adults during the Covid pandemic lockdown. Non-probability sampling technique has been used to obtain a sampling size of 60. Survey method was adopted as data collection method and a couple interview schedule has been used as tool for data collection. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The study helped to understand about the usage of information and communication devices by older adults and its effect on their life during the period of lockdown. The result would help us to conduct further studies in the area of skill enhancement of older adults.