scholarly journals The Boomers are Coming: Trends in Older Adult Education

2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon Thompson ◽  
Dennis Foth
Keyword(s):  
Adult Education ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Baby Boom ◽  
Educational Programs ◽  
Front Edge ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Baby Boom Generation ◽  
Older Adult Education ◽  
K 12

The front edge of the baby-boom generation cohort will reach age 65 in 2011. By 2027, when the trailing edge of this cohort reaches that age, people aged 65 and older will comprise 20% of Canada's population, twice as much as today. Boomers at age 65 will be healthier, wealthier, and better educated than the current 65-and-older cohort. They will also be more demanding, as society has been both shaped by and has had to respond to their needs and wants. In particular, the educational system has accommodated the boomers through K-12 and post-secondary institutions. Looking to the year 2030, the authors speculate that some universities will provide educational programs and support services to meet the needs of the boomers and others will not. They further speculate that boomers themselves may create their own learning organizations to meet their needs, particularly if universities are unresponsive.

scholarly journals Learning in Later Life: The Perspective of Successful Ageing

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-23
Author(s):  
Salomėja Šatienė
Keyword(s):  
Adult Education ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Psychological Resources ◽  
Successful Ageing ◽  
Older Adult Education

Abstract The integrated approach to the development of educational theory of later life learning should be informed by comprehensive knowledge of ageing as a social construct. Establishment of the role of later life learning in the context of successful ageing paradigm encompasses both sociological and educational perspectives taking into consideration the complexity of older people’s engagement in society and participation in education with regard to social use for the learning outcomes and personal growth. In the context of successful ageing, it should provide the answers to the questions related to the meaning and role of learning in later life. The present research aims to explore the role of learning in the construct of successful ageing and to analyze the characteristic features of non-formal later life learning in Lithuania in the perspective of successful ageing based on the review some recent literature on psychological and social aspects of successful ageing and older adult education and research in the fields of educational and psychosocial gerontology. It pursues answers to the questions as to “How can learning in later life contribute to successful ageing? What are the implications for the role of learning in the models of successful ageing? How is the role of third-age learning conceptualized in the perspective of successful ageing?” The answers to these questions provide better insight into the conceptual background of older adult education and suggests prospective research on the issue of the role of learning in older age. The multidimensional nature of the concept of successful ageing revealed by the literature review suggests that the role of learning in the construct of successful ageing is analyzable in relationship with health, psychological and social domains. The role of learning in later life is manifested through its impact on maintenance of cognitive function, psychological resources and social functioning. The positive impact of learning in later life on mental health through maintenance of cognitive function and the utilization of psychological resources through stimulation of personal growth and self-efficacy of older adult learners has been supported by findings of many recent studies. Education has been identified as one of the predictors of active engagement with life as an essential component of successful ageing.

Ronald J. Manheimer, Denise D. Snodgrass and Diane Moskow-McKenzie (eds.). Older Adult Education: A Guide to Research, Programs and Policies. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1995, pp. 245, $65U.S.

1997 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 390-392
Author(s):  
John Oussoren
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Adult Education ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Research Programs ◽  
Older Adult Education

RÉSUMÉOlder Adult Education: A Guide to Research, Programs and Policies est un guide complet et très bien fait sur le secteur de l'éducation des aînés aux États-Unis. Les auteurs, Ronald J. Manheimer, directeur exécutif du North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement de l'Université de Caroline du Nord, à Asheville (l'un des principaux centres d'éducation des adultes en Amérique du Nord) et Denise D. Snodgrass, directrice-adjointe du méme centre, avec l' aide de Diane Moskow-McKenzie, apportent une contribution importante à la documentation portant sur l'éducation des aînés. Dans ce volume utile mais coûteux, les auteurs tracent le bilan de 40 années de recherches, de programmes et de politiques dans le secteur de l'éducation des aînés. Les antécédents et l'expertise de Manheimer en philosophie (professeur associé de recherche à l'Université de Caroline du Nord) font également de cet ouvrage bien plus qu'un simple outil de recherche présentant les différents programmes d'éducation des aînés aux États-Unis. C'est également une analyse pertinente des hypothèses idéologiques non-vérifiées qui sous-tendent une grande partie des pratiques nord-américaines en matière d'éducation des aînés. Le lien entre les programmes d'éducation des aînés et l'épanouissement personnel ainsi que l'émancipation de même que les grands thèmes sociaux comme la justice, le racisme et les relations intergénérationnelles sont explorés de façon exemplaire.

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