Radio engagement and older adult well-being

“Oh, I’ve been listening to your show on the radio/ And you seem like a friend to me” - Charlie Dore, “Pilot of the airwaves” Given the radio is accessible and broadcasts a wide variety of content, it is well placed to contribute to the promotion of well-being. However, compared to the arts and music listening in particular, less is known specifically about how engaging with radio facilitates the well-being of older adults. In this presentation, I will detail findings from three recent studies focused on older adults’ everyday radio engagement and associated explicit and implicit well-being benefits. It is notable that both radio personnel and listeners regard the purpose of radio as multi-faceted: it is to stay informed (e.g., news and information), for entertainment (e.g., music), and for perceived social purposes (e.g., communion, social connection, company, and companionship). Through consideration of its purpose, the implicit and explicit ways in which radio facilitates well-being in older age are highlighted. Importantly, it is the perceived relationships individual presenters, programs, and stations built and sustained over time through repeated engagement that underpin radio’s ability to support older adult well-being. Radio’s capacity to create a sense of company and companionship suggests that it can function as a social surrogate, or substitute for social connection when direct social interaction is not possible. Additionally, while the radio is not considered a “new” technology, its versatility in technological access supports its continued use – especially amongst older adults and those living in residential aged care. Based on how radio engagement can support individual and community well-being, I will also discuss how the radio may function as a cultural immunogen to promote quality of older life.

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Sound, Nature and Wellbeing in Ageing Conference

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