An Evaluation of State and County Area Agency on Aging Web Sites

Update Item Information
Identifier 2001_Rose-Jarmin
Title An Evaluation of State and County Area Agency on Aging Web Sites
Creator Rose-Jarmin, Lesele
Subject Older people; Internet; Information Dissemination; Access to Information; Consumer Health Information; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Life Expectancy; Activities of Daily Living; Health Services Needs and Demand; Health Systems Agencies; Caregivers; Stress, Psychological; Aging Populations; Independent Living
Description The baby boom generation, those people born between 1947 and 1964, is nearing retirement age. As the income producers retire, there is a loss of revenue available to the government. Simultaneously, there is an increased demand upon the government for health and human services. This combination creates an unprecedented strain upon government resources. Government Aging Services are not alone in struggling to meet the needs of the elderly. Younger workers and family members are also recognizing the stress in their own lives as they are faced with the additional responsibility of caring for their elderly loved ones. The Older Americans Act authorized $1,097,718,000 in 2002 to be used for support services to the elderly. The need for more services will increase dramatically from the year 2010 through 2050 as the baby boom generation reaches the sunset years of life. Government needs to plan for the additional cost of providing needed services. This research study examines the use of the Internet as a means of providing informational support for the elderly and the people who care for them. The study looked at all two levels of Area Agency on Aging web sites, each state and territory, as well as sixty five of the most populated counties in the United States. The research design was primarily qualitative in nature, using multiple method content analysis to evaluate each web site. The study found that an enormous disparity exists among the web sites of Agencies on Aging. While a few of the agencies utilize the Internet as a resource for the elderly and their caregivers, the majority of agencies severely under-utilize the Web as a medium to provide services. A brief analysis of each site is presented, as well as suggestions for presenting web sites targeted to the elderly and their caregivers. This study reveals the need for further research into the use of the Internet as a resource for America's aging population.
Publisher Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library, University of Utah
Date 2001
Language eng
Rights Management Copyright © Lesele Rose-Jarmin 2001
Holding Institution Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library, University of Utah
Name Lesele Rose-Jarmin
Type Text
ARK ark:/87278/s6d53k78
Setname ehsl_gerint
ID 179459
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6d53k78
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