Comunicar 39-ingles - Revista Comunicar

194Comunicar, 39, XX, 20121. Introduction and review of recent historyThe aging of the population in the EuropeanUnion is an undeniable fact, with more and more peoplereaching pensionable age by the year. According tothe report «The elderly in Spain, 2006» (Institute ofMigrations and Social Services), the number of peopleaged 65 or over was approximately 7.3 million, whichrepresents 16.6% of the population. The forecasts ofthe United Nations for 2050 state that Spain will havethe highest number of elderly people in the world,with more than 16 million, that is to say, more than30% of the projected total population. In 2009, the lifeexpectancy of Spanish women was 84.1 years and77.8 years for men, making Spain one of the leadingcountries in longevity.As Montero argues (2005: 36), if the 19th centurywas characterized by an «excess of life» (high birthrateand high mortality), the 20thcentury has seen the endof the demographic transition, the revolution of longevityand aging. The challenge for the 2st century willbe to make longevity compatible with personal autonomyand social participation.This phenomenon of the aging population has notgone unnoticed in Spanish society, and in recent yearssocial pacts have been made at state and regionallevels (National Gerontological Plan, 1992-97; StateCouncil for the Elderly, 1995; Plan of Action for theElderly, 2000-05; 2003-07), projects and programs(University Programs for the Elderly), with the aim offomenting social protection, associationism and theparticipation of the elderly in society.The exhaustive exploration and study of the agingprocess (through biology, medicine, psychology andeducation) allows us to understand and promulgateold age as a stage of life, with all its possibilities andlimitations, like any other. In the aging process, attitudesare very important but so too are the actions topromote active aging. The World Health Organi -zation (2002) defines active aging as the process ofoptimization of the opportunities of health, participationand security with the purpose of improving thequality of life in people as they get older. Active agingnot only includes physical and mental health, but alsoparticipation in society and social integration, clearlyestablishing the rights of the elderly as citizens.Getting old is not confined to a specific moment inlife; aging is part of the sequence of human development,and so, considering old age as an on-going processpaves the way for action and breaks down prejudice.The environment in which people grow up, live,socialize and relate appears as a key element through -out life. Surroundings rich in stimuli and possibilitiesprovide a healthy lifestyle which in old age is a sourceof satisfaction and quality of life. For that reason, it isnecessary to create new models and action strategiesto promote the understanding of old age as just ano -ther stage of people’s lives, a period of growth andpersonal enrichment in which to learn with the help ofICT, which is an aspect for which the society must beprepared. As early as 1986 the European Com mission’s«FAST Report» warned of the dangers of technologicalinnovation without parallel social innovation.Social division between different countries and withinthen is a clear example of the consequences.Digital divide is the term used to express this idea.It quantifies the difference between countries, sectorsand people that have or do not have access to the instrumentsand tools of information and the capacity touse them. As can be observed, it is a wide-rangingterm with differences according to the context inwhich it is analyzed (economic, social, technological,etc.), but with the same intention: to explain whysome countries, people or groups have access to thetechnologies of information and communication whileothers do not. This multidimensional character thatdefines the digital divide shows that it is a phenomenonthat is neither quick nor easy to solve. However,there is absolutely no doubting the need to reducethese differences in favor of a society for all. ICT offerformidable opportunities for all members of society butit is necessary to know the needs and interests of all itscitizens regardless of age to bring people and technologytogether.Juncos, Pereiro and Facal (2006: 184-185) statethat the use of communication technologies by theelderly leads to great possibilities of intervention (Char -ness, Parks & Sabel, 2001).Both in normal aging andin exceptional cases, ICT allow us to design cognitivetraining programs relating language, attention, memoryand reasoning, and specific programs for speech therapy.ICT enable interactivity and feedback, offersecurity to the users due to their consistency, and manypossibilities for expansion through their versatility, allowingusers to enjoy a wide variety of visual and auditorystimuli. This favors the connection and the ap -proach of the elderly to the new subjects and phenomenaarising in society (social inclusion). Access toinnovation and the new technologies is essential toavoid generational distancing and so that the elderly donot feel ousted from today’s world.To age does not mean losing the capacity to adaptto change nor a desire to live in the past. Juncos,Pereiro and Facal (2006: 185) affirm that in the normalaging process access to computers and the Internet© ISSN: 1134-3478 • e-ISSN: 1988-3293• Pages 193-201