About Chat Rooms for Senior Citizens

Chat rooms create new social contacts for seniors.

According to SeniorJournal.com, those age 70 to 75 are the fastest growing group of Internet users. This, combined with the decreasing cost of home computers, has opened a new sense of community to seniors through the use of Internet chat rooms. Chat rooms afford seniors the ability to develop friendships and a sense of community when it is difficult for them to get out in the "real" world.

Significance

Chat rooms can give seniors a sense of community.

Senior chat rooms are available for older people looking to find friendships, romance, advice and general information. The contact with others helps a senior to not feel so isolated. The knowledge that they gain through learning to operate a computer and their new online friends may help ward off cognition problems by keeping their brain stimulated. Chat rooms grant seniors the opportunity for social interaction that they might not otherwise have.

Types

Chat rooms dedicated to health conditions can help seniors understand treatment options.

There are many types of chat rooms dedicated to senior citizens. An older person may find a heath-related website that will have chat rooms dedicated to such certain medical condition as arthritis. A religious organization website may have chat rooms dedicated to seniors of the same faith. A non-profit organization may feature chat rooms exclusively for seniors looking to connect with other seniors and learn about retirement issues.

Features

If typing is difficult, some sites have built in software to help.

Many chat rooms for seniors have different features to help their members compensate for the disabilities brought on with advancing age. Adjustable font and font sizes can help if the reader suffers from declining eyesight. An intelligent text features will finish typing a word based on selecting commonly used words that start with the same letters as well as assist those with manual dexterity problems. Some sites offer the ability to have the text read aloud.

Warnings

Keeping your personal information safe will prevent predators from finding you.

Seniors should take precautions when joining and participating in online chat rooms. Choose a username that is different from your own name. Never give out your address or phone number to members of the chat list in order to safeguard information that could be used to locate you. There are people who will prey specifically on seniors.

Potential

Many sites dedicated to seniors have lists of websites with chat rooms and other resources that will help an older person find a chat room dedicated to their interest. Be it romance or politics, information on Alzheimer's or heart problems or just a community to share the events of their lives, seniors can find it through an online chat room.

References

• Senior Journal: Fastest Growing Internet Users are Ages 70 to 75 as Online Demographics Get Older
• WebMD:Computer Use, Exercise May Save Memory
• ChristiaNet:Chat Rooms for Senior Citizens
• Relazine: Chatrooms And The Dangers It Can Pose For Boomers

Resources

• SeniorMag: 50 Plus-Community, Senior Chat and Forums