Social isolation is common in the growing population of older adults and better strategies are needed to counter its negative consequences—loneliness, unhappiness, and despair. Thus, researchers Dr. Renate Ysseldyk (Carleton University, Canada), together with Dr. Alex Haslam (University of Queensland, Australia), Dr. Catherine Haslam (University of Queensland, Australia), Dr. Thomas Morton (University of Exeter, UK), and Dr. Jen Boger (University of Waterloo), are striving to investigate how online social networking may offer a creative solution to this problem. This project received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), and is in collaboration with the University of Waterloo – Research Institute for Aging (RIA) and the Elder Technology Assistance Group (ETAG).
For more details regarding this study, see the Ongoing Research Projects page.