Only two of the 28 individuals (7%) in this group owned an electronic device with access to the Internet: one laptop and one smartphone. Another participant reported she had bought a computer, but when she found it did not have Internet service, “I packed it back up” and returned it. The remainder said they had no access, but wished they had. When asked, they reported that transportation to the county library where computers are available was possible but limited and difficult. Several thought their building should make computers available for resident use. A major source of health-related information for many in group 1 was a monthly call by a nurse employed by their Medicare Advantage plan. “You can ask her anything”, they said. The nurse would remind them of blood work that needed to be done and would ask if they needed transportation to their next appointment. They also received information related to diagnosed problems from the same source by mail. Four said they read everything they received; others said they read most of it. One saved all of these mailings in a binder, another in a large box. Other sources of health-related information mentioned were family, friends, drug inserts, and their healthcare providers. It was added that not all providers share much information. “You need to ask,” they said. When asked about radio, television, or newspapers as sources of health-related information, there was little response. When asked about the best way to get health-related information to them, the response was “mail it!” |