Mass media's role in coping moving into a retirement home

Abstract

Postmodern society is labeled as fading out traditional role models and increased geographical dispersed living. Therefore, senior citizens are confronted with a rather dramatic change: moving from their own apartment into a retirement home. This change is associated with an experienced decrease of healthiness and a loss of social and financial capabilities. In this situation the media might be potential catalyzers for social capital. They provide information on the world affairs, strengthen the residents’ social identities and provide a low cost joint action. We investigated with a survey among 195 senior citizens living in German retirement homes whether media use influences subjective well-being and changes when retirement home residents have coped their moving into their new home. The results indicate that the power of the media as socialization instance lies within their lifelong socialization rather than in their short term assistance in coping with social change.