Its good news for all the silver surfers out there as new research shows that the internet helps elderly people keep their brain active and stave from memory loss. The evidence also suggested that it makes the brain more flexible and reduces symptoms of anxiety, stress and depression. Marco Trabucchi, chairman of the Italian Association of Psychogeriatrics, which carried out the study, said: ‘It improves their cognitive performance and keeps their brains young, it stimulates their attention span, memory and perception.

The study took place in two different care homes in Northern Italy. The residents were provided with laptops and given tutorials on how to surf the web. The tutorial included setting up their own accounts on social networking sites Facebook, twitter and telephone service, Skype.

The pensioners who used the modern technology had a much better memory and were much more alert than those who did not use the Internet, the researchers said.

Mr Trabucchi said: ‘Facebook is a window to the world for our elderly residents. ’It allows them to keep contact with younger members of their family. It keeps them alert and on the ball. Around 1.5million elderly people have a profile on Facebook and regularly use Skype to stay in touch with friends and relatives.