Lifelong learning for healthy ageing

Lifelong learning may be a key to remaining active and healthy as we age.

According to the World Health Organisation, active aging is defined as ‘‘the process of optimising opportunities for health, participation and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age’’.

People can stay active throughout their life by participating in social, cultural, economic, spiritual, and civic affairs.

That can include paid and volunteer work as well as regular physical exercise.

From the WHO perspective, ‘‘health’’ includes physical, mental and social wellbeing and encourages older adults to stay as active as possible to extend healthy life expectancy.

But what about education? Although attending school used to be seen as age-based, to prepare children and adolescents to become adults and begin a career, that has been largely replaced by the newer idea of lifelong learning.

Instead of ending education at a specific age, people are encouraged to continue learning throughout their life, whether on their own through self-directed learning or in adult education and continuing education classrooms.

To encourage that trend, many European countries launched University of the Third Age (U3A) courses for older adults.

Beginning in 1973 in France, U3A programmes have spread across the world and the sight of older adults attending classes along their younger classmates is becoming a familiar sight on many campuses.

While it is likely too soon to determine whether enriched learning and active ageing can delay dementia and other serious health problems that come with time, the older student movement is just beginning.

The rising number of older university students already attending classes and the increasing acceptance of these students in university settings is already under way.

That lifelong learning can help older adults remain active and healthy is just another benefit.

See www.u3a.nz/home.htm