The use of electronic devices by the elderly in their own homes. This survey describes the use of electronic communication devices by elderly individuals in their own homes. A total of 1,026 individuals 65 years of age and older in three cities in the USA were interviewed by telephone. Thirty-nine percent of the respondents used a computer; 28% used a personal or home telephone and 15% used a pager. Only 15% had Internet access. A greater proportion of females (25%) than males (7%) had computer access. Among all respondents, 70% had a telephone and 41% had a pager; 47% of the elderly used both a telephone and a pager. Among the telephone users, 50% had Internet access; among the pager users, 46% had Internet access. There was significant variability among persons, from a low of 33% to a high of 83% for telephone use and from a low of 7% to a high of 56% for pager use. Thirty-three percent had both a telephone and a pager, and 25% had Internet access. Of all respondents, 35% had access to Internet in the form of email or instant messaging. Thirty-four percent of those who had Internet access reported accessing the Internet daily, and 26% reported accessing the Internet weekly. Results from this survey suggest that many older adults continue to use electronic communication devices and that there is considerable variation in their use. It would be worthwhile to more closely examine whether the use of electronic communication devices is associated with improved health outcomes among the elderly.