Background Advancements in science and various technologies have resulted in people having access to better health care, a good quality of life, and better economic situations, enabling humans to live longer than ever before. Research shows that the problems of loneliness and social isolation are common among older adults, affecting psychological and physical health. Information and communication technology (ICT) plays an important role in alleviating social isolation and loneliness. Objective The aim of this review is to explore ICT solutions for reducing social isolation or loneliness among older adults, the purpose of ICT solutions, and the evaluation focus of these solutions. This study particularly focuses on customized ICT solutions that either are designed from scratch or are modifications of existing off-the-shelf products that cater to the needs of older adults. Methods A scoping literature review was conducted. A search across 7 databases, including ScienceDirect, Association for Computing Machinery, PubMed, IEEE Xplore, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science, was performed, targeting ICT solutions for reducing and managing social isolation and loneliness among older adults. Articles published in English from 2010 to 2020 were extracted and analyzed. Results From the review of 39 articles, we identified 5 different purposes of customized ICT solutions focusing on reducing social isolation and loneliness. These were social communication, social participation, a sense of belonging, companionship, and feelings of being seen. The mapping of purposes of ICT solutions with problems found among older adults indicates that increasing social communication and social participation can help reduce social isolation problems, whereas fulfilling emotional relationships and feeling valued can reduce feelings of loneliness. In terms of customized ICT solution types, we found the following seven different categories: social network, messaging services, video chat, virtual spaces or classrooms with messaging capabilities, robotics, games, and content creation and management. Most of the included studies (30/39, 77%) evaluated the usability and acceptance aspects, and few studies (11/39, 28%) focused on loneliness or social isolation outcomes. Conclusions This review highlights the importance of discussing and managing social isolation and loneliness as different but related concepts and emphasizes the need for future research to use suitable outcome measures for evaluating ICT solutions based on the problem. Even though a wide range of customized ICT solutions have been developed, future studies need to explore the recent emerging technologies, such as the Internet of Things and augmented or virtual reality, to tackle social isolation and loneliness among older adults. Furthermore, future studies should consider evaluating social isolation or loneliness while developing customized ICT solutions to provide more robust data on the effectiveness of the solutions.

BACKGROUND The advancements in sciences and various technologies have resulted in people having access to better healthcare, a good quality of life and better economic situations enabling humans to live longer than ever before. Research shows that problems of loneliness and social isolation are common among older adults affecting psychological and physical health. Information and communication technology (ICT) plays an important role in alleviating social isolation and loneliness OBJECTIVE Thus, the aim of this review is to explore ICT solutions and the purposes of those ICT solutions for reducing social isolation or loneliness among older adults. This study particularly focuses on customised ICT solutions that are either designed from scratch or modifications of existing off-the-shelf products catering for the needs of older adults METHODS A systematic literature review was conducted. A search across seven databases including Science Direct, Association for Computing Machinery, PubMed, IEEE Xplore, PsychINFO, Scopus and Web of Science was performed targeting ICT solutions for reducing and managing social isolation and loneliness among older adults. Articles published in English from 2010 to 2020 were extracted and analysed RESULTS From the review of 39 articles, we identified five different purposes of customised ICT solutions, focusing on reducing social isolation and/or loneliness. These are ‘social communication’, ‘social participation’, a ‘sense of belonging', ‘companionship’ and ‘feelings of being seen’. The mapping of purposes of ICT solutions with problems found among older adults indicates that increasing social communication and social participation can help to reduce social isolation problems, whereas fulfilling emotional relationships and feeling valued can reduce feelings of loneliness. In terms of customised ICT solution types, we found seven different categories: ‘social network’, ‘messaging services’, ‘video chat’, ‘virtual spaces or classrooms with messaging capabilities’, ‘robotics’, ‘games’ and ‘content creation and management’ CONCLUSIONS This review highlights the importance of discussing and managing social isolation and loneliness as different but related concepts and emphasises the need for future research to design suitable outcome measures for evaluating ICT solutions based on their solution purposes. Even though, a wide range of customised ICT solutions have been developed, future studies need to explore the recent emerging technologies like the Internet of Things and augmented or virtual reality etc., to tackle social isolation and loneliness among older people. Also, future studies should consider evaluating the appropriate outcome of social isolation or loneliness while developing customised ICT solutions to provide more robust data on the effectiveness of the solutions

BACKGROUND Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a complex, non-curable and progressive neurological disease affecting different areas of the human nervous system. PD is associated with both motor and non-motor symptoms, which negatively affect patients’ quality of life and may cause changes in socialisation such as intentional social withdrawal. This may further lead to social isolation and loneliness. The use of Information and communication technology (ICT) plays an important role in managing social isolation and loneliness. Currently, there is a lack of research focusing on designing and developing ICT solutions that specifically address social isolation and loneliness among people living with Parkinson’s disease (PwPs). OBJECTIVE This study aims to explore the barriers experienced by PwPs regarding social isolation, loneliness, and technology usage. Further, this study also aims to investigate the social needs necessary for creating an ICT solution that can address social isolation and loneliness among PwPs METHODS Two phases of data collection were conducted. During the first phase, healthcare professionals and PwPs were interviewed to understand how PD affects social life and technology usage. During the second phase, focus groups were conducted with PwPs to gather insights into their needs and identify ways to manage social isolation and loneliness. Thematic analysis was used to analyse both datasets and identify key themes. RESULTS The results showed that the barriers experienced by PwPs due to PD such as ‘fatigue’, ‘psychological changes’, ‘social stigma’ and ‘medication side effects’, affect their social life. PwPs also experience difficulties using a keyboard and mouse, remembering passwords, and navigating complex applications due to their PD-related physical and mental limitations. To manage their social isolation and loneliness, PwPs suggested having a simple and easy-to-use solution allowing them to participate in a digital community based on their interests, communicate with others, and receive recommendations for social events. CONCLUSIONS The new ICT solutions focusing on social isolation and loneliness among PwPs should consider the barriers restricting user’s social activities and technology usage. Given the wide range of needs and barriers experienced by PwPs, it is more suitable to adopt user-centred design approaches that emphasise the active participation of end users in the design process. Importantly, any ICT solution designed for PwPs should not encourage internet addiction, which will further contribute to the person’s withdrawal from society.