Information needs about public and social services of Portuguese elderly

Abstract

In a society increasingly attentive to the problems faced by seniors it is essential to promote their independence and autonomy. Providing these citizens with adequate information to support daily decision making processes and to be alert about situations of disadvantage and inequality is a concern of several entities seeking to promote elderly empowerment. A number of gerontechnologies aimed to "add quality years to life" have appeared to stimulate healthy, active and independent life. In line with this, it is being developed the +TV4E interactive TV platform, which aims to promote the info-inclusion of Portuguese seniors through the exhibition of informative contents about public and social services on TV. This paper aims to assess the public and social services Portuguese seniors feel most in need to access information about. Findings of this exploratory study showed that the information needs of elderly are organized in the following macro-areas: health care and welfare services;