About Learning for Older Adults

Older People’s Desire to Learn

Older people want to see themselves as active, healthy members of their families and the larger community. This perception represents the idea of consciously aging. According to Boulton-Lewis (2010), being vigilant in maintaining one’s fitness, being physically and emotionally fit, investing in studying, living in healthier environments, serving, and positively participating in family and community life. Acquiring an education in old age can include the formation of personal life analysis and reflection, which may arise in a spasmodic and unstructured way, but may result in improved self-awareness and self-understanding. Older people motivate others to learn with the aim of gaining pleasure and attaining self-fulfillment (Boulton-Lewis, 2010). The majority of the older adults choose to learn for the primary reasons of reaching goals, stimulating the mind, exercising the brain, keep progressive thinking and to sustain the process of learning (Boulton-Lewis, 2010).

Reasons for Older People to Learn

Studies regarding this topic aim to answer the question of “why” older people desire to learn. For instance, acquiring education can be explained as imposed, unanticipated, or incidental like when an individual experiences illness or a key change in life and needs to survive. Learning may alternatively be required by one to obtain knowledge and new skills like for paid work or volunteering. Alternatively, it may be inspired by the wish for a mental challenge, an improved life or a chance for deliberation and understanding (Kaufman, 2017). Learning constitutes one form of keeping older people active and engaged. Older individuals with the category of the rich highly educated mainly desire to learn relentlessly to enjoy self-satisfaction and sustain their contribution to society. Learning and education encourage involvement in the community. Consequently, older people manage to embrace change and address issues. Study findings indicate that engaging actively in significant undertakings minimizes the cost of diseases and encourages life-fulfillment, better health, and longevity. Mental stimulation and learning have been discovered to lead to good health, life-fulfillment, and improved mental functions (Kaufman, 2017).

Factors Influencing Older People’s Learning

Studies conducted to establish the reasons behind older people wanting to learn reveal a remarkable deal of disparity between conventional or formal and standard or informal arrangements, with those supporting legal methods mainly being working women or ex-professional employees. Numerous individual, social, and educational aspects seem to impact how a particular category of older people might wish to engage in learning. An analysis of varieties and global examples provides a range of own materials, community inventiveness, programs, and institutions providing opportunities for learning for older adults. These opportunities comprise technology-related arrangements which utilize personal learning and training by peers or children (Kaufman, 2017).

Topics of Interest for Older Adults’ Learning

Boulton-Lewis (2010) asserts that very few studies have been done to explain what older adults want to learn; however, there is a lot of literature on what others think should be taught to seniors. One research mentioned technology, transportation, safety, and health as most crucial. Nonetheless, older people lacked the confidence to be taught about technology. Physical restrictions were perceived to be the biggest hurdles to engaging in learning. Elsewhere, a list of topics was provided in which “new talents and new things’ were popularly chosen. In this research, seniors aged 50-64 indicate more likelihood of wanting to be taught about technology compared to those in higher age brackets. Other studies revealed that seniors who failed to show interest in being informed about technology displayed that feeling because technology had no relevance to their lives and wants (Kaufman, 2017).

Understanding Older Adults’ Learning Needs

It is clear that learning is beneficial to older adults; nonetheless, there is a need to discover what seniors themselves perceive of learning and undertake more to comprehend what they need as the foundation for subsequent development growth of learning opportunities. Additionally, not much is known, and further studies are required regarding the source of motivation for older adults to engage in learning if they come from a poor background, have limited education, or belong to minority groups (Kaufman, 2017).

References

Boulton-Lewis, G. M. (2010). Education and learning for the elderly: Why, how, what.

Educational Gerontology, 36(3), 213-228. doi:10.1080/03601270903182877

Retrieved on 27/6/2017

Kaufman, D. (2017). Ageism And The Older Learner. Simon Fraser University,

Surrey, British Columbia.