Around 20% of Austrian Population are 65 years or olderand the trend is rising. People of this age are increasingly taking part in educational opportunities, but the likelihood of participation decreases with age. And almost one in three people in Austria between the ages of 55 and 75 has an interest in education, but does not put it into practice (see Report “Ageing, Learning and Education 2030” PDF). So what does it take for older people to participate in learning and educational opportunities?
Who is “Education in Older Age” aimed at?
The definition of “old age” is varied. Gerontology distinguishes between the terms “old age” and “aging”. While “aging” describes an ongoing, irreversible process of biological, psychological and social development, “old age” refers to a phase of life whose beginning is determined by society and society. This phase of life typically begins with retirement from working life and the transition to the post-working phase of life. The UN and WHO often mean people over 60 or 65 when they talk about older or old people.
Even though continuing education opportunities for older employees are becoming increasingly important due to the shortage of skilled workers, the term “learning in old age” is usually used when educational opportunities are aimed at people in the post-professional phase of life.
Old people are also adults
Even if there is no generally applicable limit as to the age at which one can speak of “education in old age”, one quickly thinks of certain learning and educational offers – such as memory training or exercise courses. Often the focus is on the best possible retention of skills or on dealing with health problems, and not on the (further) development of skills. These offers have proven their worth and are justified. Nevertheless, the focus on the deficits can give the impression that a separate didactics and methodology is required. Education in old age is first and foremost adult education, which is implemented in the same didactically as work with younger adults. So work with older people is also about participant orientation, taking into account experiences and living environments, and the question of the usability of what has been learned (see also “Principles of adult-appropriate teaching and learning”). Education with older people is therefore also about the connection with interests and life situations.
Questioning your own age images
Age is often associated with negative connotations and deficits. For teachers in adult education, it is therefore necessary as a first step to question their own images and ideas of “age”. The typical societal images of age are contradictory and often serve more as a means of differentiation than identification. This is shown, for example, in attributions such as “fit old people” versus “old people in need of care” or “rich old people” versus “old people at risk of poverty”. These clichés not only influence one’s own image of older people, but also the educational work with them. It is therefore important for teachers to reflect on their own image of old people and to break away from stereotypes (see also “Didactic Guide for Educational Work with Ageing Women and Men” – PDF).
When it comes to stereotypes and images of age, it is also important to consider when to explicitly address an age group in educational offerings. If you advertise an offering as one for the 60+ age group, this can motivate participants, but it can also discourage them from taking part. It can motivate people if they are looking for an educational offering to network with their own peer group. But it can also discourage people from taking part in an offering if they interpret “being old” in a negative and deficit-oriented way.
Personal motivation is crucial
If we look at the respective phase of life of the learners in the post-professional phase, one difference to other age groups can be seen in the fact that retired people generally participate in educational events voluntarily. Of course, there are exceptions and borderline cases, such as educational events for caring relatives, where it is questionable how voluntary the involvement with the subject really is. In any case, retired people are no longer forced to undertake further vocational training. Personal motivation therefore plays a decisive role in educational participation and learning success.
Consider experiences
Another point in which older learners differ from younger ones is life experience. Older people have more lives behind them than ahead of them and have gained a lot of life experience in the process. Working on one’s own biography and taking experiences into account in educational events therefore becomes more important as one gets older.
Educational offerings that take these experiences and biographies into account can encourage older people to participate in learning and educational opportunities. One example of this is a continuing education course on autobiographical writing at the University of Graz: against the background of personal experiences and memories, the older participants dealt with the 1950s. The result was a book with eleven contributions from participants in the course about the 1950s.
This example makes it clear that participation in educational work with older people can go beyond simply encouraging them to take advantage of educational opportunities. Participation of older people in educational work can also mean giving them a formative, binding role.
Accessibility is becoming more important
Accessible educational opportunities benefit everyone. However, accessibility is particularly important for older people. Because the likelihood of a disability or health impairment increases with age. In groups with people in need of care, disabled people or those suffering from dementia, a differentiated design of the learning settings is necessary. Small groups, short events, a quiet atmosphere and breaks are particularly important here (see also “Didactic Guide for Educational Work with Ageing Women and Men” – PDF).
However, taking illness into account in educational settings does not mean that only the experience of being ill must be taken into account; other experiences can also have a place. This is shown, for example, by the event “Suitcase of memories“ of the Museum Kunsthaus Graz. This offer for people with and without dementia focuses on the stories of the participants. The “memory suitcase” contains pictures and objects on various topics that relate to the real lives of museum visitors. Dealing with the objects is intended to awaken memories in museum visitors with dementia and encourage joint conversations and exchanges.
Like other educational work, educational work with older people corresponds to the characteristics of adult education – it is about reflection on the part of the teachers, about taking into account experiences and life situations and about promoting active participation.
