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Researchers found most of those in the study who had the hardware and know-how to use social media felt less isolated and had improved cognitive capacity. Photograph: PA

Training older people to use social media improves cognitive capacity, increases a sense of self-competence and could have a beneficial overall impact on mental health and physical well-being, according to a study carried out in the UK and Italy.

During the two-year project, 120 elderly and vulnerable people from two regions renowned for the longevity of its populace the south west of England and the Marche region of central Italy were given specially-designed computers, broadband connections and training in using e-mail, Skype, Facebook and other social media tools. A control group simply received their usual care.

Researchers found most of those who had the hardware and the know-how reported feeling less isolated because of the connections they could make with relatives, friends and people with shared interests. More surprisingly, they also found those who had begun to use social media performed better in tests to gauge cognitive capacity and personal identity. Some reported that they were mentally and physically healthier than before while, in general, those in the control group steadily declined.

Margaret Keohane, a 70-year-old mother of six and grandmother of 23 from Somerset, said she had been amazed by the transformation she had noticed in herself since she had begun to use social media as part of the study. Its brought fun into my life again. Its changed my life, she said. Everyone will tell you, Im a different person. Ive lost weight. My hair was grey. Its blonde again now. Ive started taking care of my appearance again. My life feels bigger now. I was slipping away into a slower pace of life. I feel invigorated.

Thomas Morton, of the University of Exeters psychology department, who led the Ages 2.0 project in the UK said: Human beings are social animals, and its no surprise that we tend to do better when we have the capacity to connect with others. But what can be surprising is just how important social connections are to cognitive and physical health.

Keohane has multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair. She lives in a flat in a complex run by Somerset Care and lost her husband, Mike, six years ago. Some members of her family live abroad. But now they are all floating there on my computer all the time, even my husband. I can give him a kiss when I want.

Her Facebook profile picture is a motto: Dream Big...Believe in Miracles. Her likes include the vintage television series Dixon of Dock Green and (possibly influenced by her grandchildren) the films Finding Nemo and Up. Among her friends are her son, Tim, who is living away in the Gulf region and dozens of younger relatives who are scattered around the UK.

The study found that around three quarters of those given the computers and training found e-mail and Skype useful. Actually, fewer less than a half found Facebook worthwhile. But Keohane finds its an excellent way of keeping watch over her younger relatives. My grandchildren are all over Facebook. I can keep an eye on them and tell them off when they do something I dont approve of.

The ageing population is one of the major challenges facing society. It is expected between 2010 and 2060, the number of people aged 65 and over across Europe will grow from 17% to almost 30% of the total population.

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Study finds social media use beneficial to overall health of elderly

Source: The Cap Times

The state's health care program for public employees could face changes, pending the results of a study conducted by an Atlanta-based consultant.

Gov. Scott Walker's administration has contracted with the Segal Co. to study potential cost-cutting changes to the state's health insurance plans, including moving to a self-insured coverage program, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Wednesday.

That news came the same day the conservative MacIver Institute and National Center for Policy Analysis presented a report calling for changes to the state's health care benefit program for public retirees, based on the strengths of the state's pension fund.

The think tanks offered recommendations for both the pension system and the state's post-employment health benefit program. Their health coverage recommendations included higher premiums for retirees, closing the current program to future employees and those below age 45 and shifting those employees to a pre-funded plan, particularly one with a health savings account.

Asked about the MacIver and NCPA suggestions, Walker spokeswoman Laurel Patrick said in an email that the governor's priority is to continue to provide high-quality benefits at a good value to both current and retired state employees.

"According to PEW, Wisconsin is the only state in the nation with a fully funded pension system and the only state rated a solid performer in both pension and OPEB liabilities that include retiree health insurance," Patrick said. "Governor Walker will continue to look at ways to control costs and provide quality care."

The Segal study will explore several potential changes with the goal of saving taxpayers money on health coverage for state employees. One such change a shift away from private health maintenance organizations was floated by Walker last year, but no decision was reached.

Under the current model, state employees choose between private HMOs, which forces competition in the marketplace. Under a self-insured model, the state would pay benefits directly and assume the risk for losses rather than paying premiums to HMOs.

The study will take a broader focus than assessing the move to self-insurance, unlike two previous studies conducted by the consulting firm Deloitte.

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Media Contact

Viacom chieftain Philippe Dauman isnt waiting to see whats under the Christmas tree.

The media honcho has sold nearly $140 million worth of Viacom stock since just before the Thanksgiving holiday, gifting himself some $87 million in net proceeds after the cost to exercise stock options, according to The Posts calculations.

Daumans accelerating share sales are fueling speculation on Wall Street about the future of Viacom considered an eventual takeover candidate for another media rival as well as his own place atop the company.

Speculation has been in high gear since early November, when 91-year-old chairman and controlling shareholder Sumner Redstone sounded frail during a November earnings call.

The question of who will succeed Redstone and control a media empire that includes Viacom and CBS has changed depending on whos in Redstones good graces.

His daughter Shari was long seen as his successor before a falling out, at which point Dauman was believed to be the frontrunner.

Now, media watchers are wondering if Daumans rapid-fire share sales indicate his power within the Redstone firmament is waning.

The company said the sales were made for normal financial planning purposes and denied any connection to changes at the company.

Mr. Dauman sold for financial planning purposes and remains among the most invested CEOs in the media industry, said Viacom spokesman Carl Folta.

Dauman began unloading shares on Nov. 24. After exercising stock options, he turned around and disposed of 300,000 shares, raising $22.3 million.

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Viacoms CEO stock dump has Wall Street buzzing

The trial of George Zimmerman for the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin continued into its second week. On Monday, jurors heard the defense's account of the night of the killing. According to the defense, Martin was the initial aggressor and was reaching for Zimmerman's gun when Zimmerman killed him.

Trayvon Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton testified on Friday that screams from a 911 call were those of her murdered 17-year-old son. The call is a point of dispute in the case against George Zimmerman who has pleaded self-defense in the murder trial. Identifying which of the two men were screaming could be a key piece of evidence in determining who was the aggressor at the time.

The case against George Zimmerman brought a lot of attention to Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law. Other states have similar laws, but just one sentence could have changed the outcome of the case dramatically.

George Zimmerman's defense attorneys on Thursday released information from 17-year-old Trayvon Martin's cellphone that include the teen texting with a friend about fighting and smoking marijuana and photos that show a gun and what appears to be a potted marijuana plant.

Prosecutors in the Florida murder trial of neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman will reveal a star witness for the first time on Tuesday, the girl Trayvon Martin was talking with in the last minutes of his life.

The defense wrapped up its case for George Zimmerman on Wednesday afternoon, without Zimmerman testifying on his own behalf. He's on trial for second-degree murder for the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin last year. Since the state retains the opportunity to call rebuttal witnesses, closing statements are still down the road.

First came an opening argument full or profanity from the prosecution. Then a knock-knock joke from the defense that didnt evoke much of a response. George Zimmerman said he was defending his life against 17-year-old Trayvon Martin when he shot and killed the unarmed teen in Sanford, Florida last year. The prosecution said this 911 call said it all. Listen carefully when the screaming stops. Its right when the gunshot goes off. Trayvon Martin was silenced immediately, said John Guy.

Today is the first day of George Zimmerman's trial for the murder of Trayvon Martin. Martin, an unarmed 17-year old, was shot and killed last year. Zimmerman, 29, claims he shot Martin in self-defense. George West, Zimmerman's attorney, opened the defense... by telling a knock-knock joke.

Lawyer Daryl Parks speaks with WGN anchors about the progress of the trial against George Zimmerman who allegedly murdered Trayvon Martin.

Today, the prosecution moved through witnesses and we heard what it was like when first responders first saw Trayvon Martin. The gun George Zimmerman used to shoot and kill the 17-year-old and Sgt. Anthony Raimondos first-hand account of that night. All part of day two of the George Zimmerman murder trial. Neighborhood watchman, George Zimmerman claimed it was self-defense when he shot and killed Martin last February in Sanford, Florida. Prosecutors said he murdered an unarmed teen.

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George Zimmerman: Trayvon Was the Aggressor (Video)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- Their sons -- Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice and Eric Garner -- have become symbols of a raging national conversation about police brutality and racial injustice.

The mothers of these four unarmed black men and boys felled by bullets or excessive police force have no doubt their sons would still be alive if they were white. No question, they say.

"I think absolutely my son's race and the color of his skin had a lot to do with why he was shot and killed," Sybrina Fulton, Martin's mother, told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Friday. "In all of these cases, these victims were unarmed. These victims were African-American. That needs to be our conversation."

In their first interview together, Fulton was joined by Brown's mother, Lesley McSpadden; Tamir's mother, Samaria Rice; and Garner's mother, Gwen Carr. They spoke of reliving the horrific final moments of their son's lives with each controversial death, of gaining strength from protesters and other supporters, of the importance of coming together to effect change.

"It seems our kids are getting younger and younger," Fulton said. "They're killing them younger and younger. There is no regard anymore for human life. There has to be somewhere where we draw the line and say, 'Listen, our kids want to grow up, too.'"

Carr said she had confidence in a federal investigation into whether her son's civil rights were violated. A Staten Island grand jury last week refused to indict a white police officer in the death of her son, was put in a fatal chokehold by the officer as he tried to arrest Garner for illegally selling cigarettes.

"If Eric Garner was a white man in Suffolk County doing the same thing that he was doing -- even if he would have been caught selling cigarettes that day -- they would have given him a summons and he wouldn't have lost his life that day," she said. "I believe that 100 percent."

Fulton's son was shot and killed in Florida in February 2012 by George Zimmerman, a volunteer neighborhood watch captain. The case quickly drew national attention as weeks went by without formal charges.

"We have to change mindsets," Fulton said. "We have to let people know that our children matter. Our sons and our daughters matter. We are hurting. This country is hurting."

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'Our kids want to grow up, too'