CARE home bosses should do more to get residents online to ensure they feel "fully included" in society, a think-tank has said.
The International Longevity Centre-UK said that having access to the internet is important for the "intellectual and emotional" wellbeing of people in homes.
The organisation made its comments after a poll by website carehome.co.uk found that only a fifth of care homes in the UK have internet access. The website, which lists all care homes in the UK, found that only 2720 of 16,000 care homes have set up the internet for their residents to use.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that only a third of elderly people have been online.
Whether for shopping, banking or catching up with news, just 33% of over-75s have browsed the internet.
The figures show that 7.1 million adults in the UK have never been online - 45% of whom are over 75.
Baroness Sally Greengross, chief executive of the International Longevity Centre-UK, said: "This is an area that really needs to be addressed. Technology can stimulate creativity and trigger reminiscence.
"It is so important for the intellectual and emotional wellbeing of older people, enabling them to connect with friends and family. It is a vital part of residential care."
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