LIONEL JACOBS may have been born more than three decades before the first computer, but that hasn't stopped the tech-savvy Sydneysider from joining the social networking craze and becoming an online love doctor.
The 90-year-old from Double Bay, who still works as a urology consultant, is officially the oldest Australian on Facebook and leads a surge of silver surfers turning to the web to stay connected with the outside world.
Far from retired, Dr Jacobs is the medical director at the Advanced Medical Institute and still works from home. He used to be a senior urologist at St Vincent's Hospital and helps other Facebook users with their sex lives. "One or two of the people I've contacted [on the site] - one in France and a couple in America - have asked me urological questions and I've talked to them and helped them a bit," he said.
The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that 40 per cent more people aged 65 and over were using the internet at home in 2006-07 than in 2004-05. This increase was the biggest of all age groups surveyed.
Dr Jacobs, who has 27 Facebook "friends", is the fourth oldest using the site. The oldest, 102-year-old Ivy Bean, from Britain, signed up recently after hearing her carers talk about the site. She appeared in newspapers worldwide and her Facebook fan club has more than 10,000 members.
Dr Jacobs signed up more than a year ago to keep in touch with his grandchildren, three of whom live overseas. He recently returned from a trip to India and jumped straight on to Facebook to upload photos.
"I've got eight grandchildren and they're all on Facebook … so they talked me into doing something about it," he said. "It's interesting to talk to people from various parts of the world and find out what they're doing."
Despite the recent growth in usage, the number of people aged 65 or over who use the internet is still low at 21 per cent. The Bureau of Statistics said this might be due to physical constraints and limited opportunities for introduction to new technologies.
