Smartphone use surges among seniors

Nearly two-thirds of American adults (64 percent) now own a smartphone, nearly twice as many as in 2011. For those aged 50 to 64, more than half now own a smartphone, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center.

The survey of 2,188 smartphone owners also revealed that 92 percent of those aged 50 or more use text messaging, 80 percent use their phones to access the internet and 87 percent use email capabilities. In addition, 39 percent in this age bracket use their phones to access information about a health condition, and 34 percent use them to do online banking. Fifty-five percent of those aged more than 50 use their smartphones for social networking, whereas another 55 percent use their phone’s features for entertainment.

With numbers widening on phone-based text and email messaging and Internet/social media use, the oppportunities also widen for using smartphone platforms to disseminate wellness information, medication reminders, treatment plan updates and other person-specific information.