Senior catching on for shopping season.

• Position: Technology - Brief article

Holidays are the most wonderful time of the year to many but, if you are a senior, it also is one of the most challenging. However, many older individuals finally are embracing online shopping and increasingly are willing to experiment with Internet-based technologies, according to Senior Helpers, Holly Springs, N.C., a national in-home senior care provider. "The holidays can be tough on seniors, especially those who aren't able get out and do things like they used to," says CEO Peter Ross.

No wonder so many of them now are finding help through the use of technological devices. For instance, 53% of American adults age 65 and older use the Internet or e-mail, while one-third of these Internet users employ social networking sites such as Facebook--and 18% do so on a typical day.

E-mail still remains the main source of online use for seniors, however. Eighty-six percent of Internet users age 65 and older utilize...