Yet another positive for the iPad

There can be little doubt that the iPad has been taken up with a vengeance by all manner of people. It's more than a convenient alternative to a laptop...... Now researchers have concluded that use of an iPad by senior citizens can have positive benefits for the user. The Age reports:

Sharing photos online using iPads can reduce loneliness in elderly people who are socially isolated, a new study has found.

Researchers at Melbourne University believe the trial is among the first to assess how technology can ease social isolation in Australia's ageing population.

The university's Institute for a Broadband-Enabled Society created an iPad app that allowed a small group of people aged in their 80s and 90s to chat online and share photos.

Computing and information systems associate professor Frank Vetere said the study produced promising results with some participants forming relationships in the real world.

"As a result of being in the study some of them have become good friends,'' he said.

Professor Vetere said the study revealed that social media and technology could play a bigger role in alleviating loneliness once the national broadband network is extended into Australian homes and provides better internet access.

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Mahler's Prodigal Son

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