A Study On The Digital Integration Dilemma And Support Measures For The Elderly In Nursing Institutions

According to the Bulletin of the 7th National Population Census of Sichuan Province,there are 18 million people aged 60 or above in Sichuan Province,accounting for 21.71% of the total population,which shows that the degree of aging in Sichuan is particularly serious.With the aggravation of aging,the elderly in pension institutions have always been the prominent subject of social contradictions.They grew up in an era of weak digital technology and lived in the gap between the rapid development of digital.The outside world often focuses on their physical and safety needs,but ignores their emotional needs.The elderly also have their own needs for digital integration,especially the elderly who do not have children often accompanied by pension institutions,need more attention and care.Pension institutions are not only a place for people to enjoy their old age,but also an important field for the state to provide social welfare.The elderly are an important part of society and their needs are increasing.With the development of technology,the elderly also need to master and utilize digital technology to meet their needs.Wang et al.found that elderly people living in nursing homes felt the highest degree of loneliness,followed by those living in rural areas and those living in cities and towns.Through the investigation of the nursing home,they found that the elderly people in the nursing home are guaranteed materially,but they are relatively lacking in spiritual life.Therefore,this paper selects three nursing institutions in Sichuan Province as the research and investigation sites according to different economic levels,sizes and sources of funds.The in-depth interview method and participatory observation method are used to conduct field surveys on the elderly in X nursing home in Longchang County,Y nursing Center in Longchang County and Z nursing Center in Chengdu.Among them,X nursing home is a welfare institution.Y nursing center is a middle-end nursing institution,and Z nursing center is a high-end nursing institution.The time range from the selection of topic to the completion of field notes was from April to May2022,and from July to December 2022.The whole period lasted for 6 months,and 24 elderly people,2 relatives and 4 staff members were interviewed in depth.From the perspective of digital divide,this paper explores the dilemma of digital integration of the elderly in pension institutions.Through field investigation,the author finds that the dilemma of digital integration of the elderly in pension institutions is manifested in the following aspects: "Access" is the basis of digital integration.The wrong stereotypes of the public,the lack of selfefficacy of the elderly,the low level of education and economy,and the poor network access environment of institutions hinder the access of the elderly to digital equipment and the Internet.After crossing the "access gap",the elderly encounter many difficulties in the process of using digital devices and improving digital skills.The construction degree of smart devices suitable for aging is low,peer communication is reduced,and institutional management is strict,which leads to the slow improvement of digital skills of elderly people in pension institutions.In the face of the third digital divide--knowledge gap,the elderly living in pension institutions encounter difficulties in improving media literacy,such as weakened cultural feedback,low attention paid by institutions to the digital needs of the elderly,and insufficient learning resources provided by institutions and families.In view of the dilemma of digital integration of the elderly in pension institutions,the author relies on the empowerment theory and analyzes the digital integration path of the elderly in pension institutions from the individual level,family level,social level and government level.Through the empowerment of individuals,families,society and government,the elderly in pension institutions can participate in the digital society more easily and efficiently.So as to gain more convenience and well-being,and also help promote the development of the digital economy.From the individual level,the elderly should know themselves correctly and improve their sense of self-efficacy.From the family level,the children should strengthen the cultural feedback,and the children and grandchildren should take time to visit the elderly in the nursing institution as much as possible.Face-to-face digital feedback can promote the communication between the elderly and the young,and also improve the quality of family digital feedback.From the social aspect,it needs the full cooperation of institutions,enterprises and media.Institutions should pay attention to the digital needs of the elderly in the hospital and develop scientific management system.Companies should optimize their products for aging and donate smart devices to nursing homes.The media should reshape the media image of the elderly in pension institutions and correct the stereotype of the elderly.From the government level,the government should guarantee the access and use of smart devices for the elderly in institutions and improve the policy of aging adaptation.