Lifelong Learning for Elderly pdf file

Lifelong Learning for the Elderly - Paper

Lifelong Learning for the Elderly

Paper based on a presentation made at

18^th AISCCON National Conference, Hyderabad 29^th-30^th Nov 2018

By DR P Vyasamoorthy

<vyasamoorthy@gmail.com>

1.Scope of the paper

In this article we will discuss WHAT is Lifelong learning, how it is different from formal learning in an academic set up; also find out advantages of LLL for senior citizens and why we should be interested in it at all in the first place. Then we will explore various sources – resources – and online platforms available for LLL; Only site names will be given – we won’t go into details of each resource. Therafter the Concept of U3A, its origin and history in India ,  U3A  groups etc  will be seen in the context of LLL.  Just to inspire and motivate you, examples of a few lifelong learners and what they have done will be mentioned. If you are motivated enough to go ahead and do something tangible to promote LLL what is it that any of us can do?  This question is answered in a brief list.  Finally it is emphasized that  we are interested in the elderly, retired people, pensioners or simple put 60+ age group only. We are not concerned with LLL for students, Teachers, Workers, Women or others.

2. What is Lifelong Learning?

It is, simply put, learning all the time without restriction of age. Imagining that learning stops after school or college is incorrect. It happens all the time in invisible ways. As far as senior citizens are concerned we are thinking of learning for learning sake. No certificate, no monetary gain or employment in expected. Learning to keep brain cells active is the only motive. It is purposeful organized learning. It may be informal, online, or typical classroom sessions. Any organized learning activity either for one-self or for a group of elderly persons would fall under our scope.

3. Why LLL is important for Senior Citizens?

•      First of all LLL improves cognitive skills and prevents or delays the onset of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

•      Secondly, it is a remedy for boredom, loneliness and depression.

•      Thirdly, LLL improves cognitive health – prevents / delays dementia

•      LLL improves self confidence, employability, usefulness to self / others

•      It puts you in company of other learners – motivation to live longer, happier and healthier are possible.

•      LLL, according to SH Subrahmanyam,

•      Broadens your horizon

•      Helps understand ourselves better

•      Improves native / hidden talents

•      Helps ignore  or forget age related issues

•      Gives a purpose to go on

What else do you need? If interested read his full paper here:

https://vyasa-kaaranam-ketkadey.blogspot.com/2016/11/benefits-of-lifelong-learning.html

4. Resources for Lifelong Learning

Now that you know how LLL is useful or the Why of it, you would like to know where you can learn. One great source is Internet or the web. There are a large number of learning sites. Some notable examples are: Udacity, Udemy, Coursera, Mental Floss, Learnist, MIT open courseware, Future Learn are important platforms for online courses, mostly free.  In Google simply type site name fragments, you can locate the URL.  Not yet motivated? See this three minutes video: https://youtu.be/uZqJN2-qHjQ

Are you interested In FaceBook? Learn what, when and how to use FB by seeing these videos:

https://youtu.be/H3qwHWeqqNY?list=PLW-mS_oyLAKWCBBrw6tZ-sa5cgUw0rW81
 
​​ https://youtu.be/PmFgng2fjSg?list=PLW-mS_oyLAKWCBBrw6tZ-sa5cgUw0rW81

​​

https://youtu.be/dZRva6eIzXA?list=PLW-mS_oyLAKWCBBrw6tZ-sa5cgUw0rW81

​​https://youtu.be/_khV5i4ArI0?list=PLW-mS_oyLAKWCBBrw6tZ-sa5cgUw0rW81

5. University of Third Age OR U3A

U3A stands for University of Third Age. Usually it is a small group of interested learners, learning as a group as against individuals. They meet often to listen to some lecture or learn something practical, see a demo etc.  For example there is one U3A group called Sthree Gyan U3A in Hyderabad. It is a group of 12 ladies. They meet regularly on Third Friday of every month. The purpose is to learn something useful and interesting. Some of the things they learnt or activities they did are like: Knitting, making tote bags, making liquid soap, new recipes for cooking, lectures on spirituality, women specific health issues, caring for the sick elderly etc. Another U3A group conducted a Smartphone usage course for senior citizens for getting hands on experience.

In India U3A activity is about 8 years old. There are more than thirty u3a groups and some 1200 plus senior citizens in U3A in India. All those interested in U3A activity are members of an all India body called Indian Society of U3As based in Udaipur. You may get more details from the following links:

ISU3A discussion group

ISU3A website

Couple of years ago, some 150 members, mostly belonging to Karnataka, formed a group called: U3AIndia. http://u3aindia.com/about.php It is a splinter group or a break away group with a confusingly similar name.

6. Other Sources / places to learn

Apart from U3As there are many other websites that help you learn. Swaya..gov.in gives plenty of courses to sign up. Another website http://epgo.inflibnet.ac.in helps students of College and PG level books presentations course notes exam papers are aplenty. There is one Dr YN Rao who is ready to send one Sanskrit lesson by email every week and help anyone learn Sanskrit – you can enjoy bajans, music, vedic texts by appreciating them more if you know Sanskrit.

MHRD has put in place with the help of IIT Kharagpur a very useful site called National Digital Library of India.  You get access to softcopy of several Lakh of books Thesis, Presentations, Question Papers & Solutions, Reports, Manuals, Albums, Audio and Video, Data etc from NCERT NPTL Krishikosh INFLIBNRT LIBRIVOX and others. What these acronyms mean, please look up if interested. That will be a learning in itself. https://ndl.iitkgp.ac.in/

7. Some Examples of Lifelong Learners

·        Ms Peng Nan from China, at the age of 97, took ten new topics to learn this April 2018. She, after retirement, for the past 32 years has completed some  twenty courses!

•      Kerala  is proud of  Mrs Karthiyayini  in Cochin who is 96 year old lady  who completed adult literacy exam  last month scoring 98% – one among 76 senior citizens who completed literacy program. Proves to the that age is no bar to start learning!

•      Lifelong Learners  whom you may know:  

•      MK Raina, SV Ramana, A Suryanarayana, Avinash Lakare, Vyasamoorthy have done a number of online courses in the last one year.

•      Sarojini Narasimhan (84) is one of the several senior Citizens doing the course in Sanskrit  

•      I was inspired by one Sri T Thillainayagam. I was 28 and he was 42, Div Engineer, my boss, when I was Library Assistant in Highways Research Station Madras.  At that time he had more than a dozen degrees and diplomas in civil, structural and highway engineering, statistics, social welfare and library science!  He was instrumental in my getting a seat in BLibSc in Madras University!

•      My current inspiration is Sri RN Mital. He is 92. He is an experiential learner. He glorifies every moment of his living. Last month he organized a two day National Conference in Hyderabad where 2000 delegates participated all including mobilizing funds, scheduling the event, getting speakers, guiding registration accommodation food etc!!! He is the chief patron of ISU3A and once asked me to locate some online course in electronics to brush up what he learnt seventy years ago in his B Tech course

8. What can we do to promote LLL among the elderly?

•      Set up U3As and nurture them. Even a handful of interested individuals is enough. Just enthuse them to learn

•      Join ISU3A and take part in discussion forum. Keep yourself updated.

•      Influence universities to start courses for seniors exclusively; especially IGNOU, distance, open, correspondence based ub\niversities. Ask them to start courses for retired people

•      Conduct learning sessions in SCAs. Such courses may be just for a few days. Chennai is doing very well – they have already conducted more than ten smart phone courses

•      Spread awareness by writing to media, in SCAs etc

•      Encourage Learners by recognizing them; institute and give awards / certificates.

•      Fund causes given above

•      Lastly, Be a regular learner yourself and set an example

Lifelong Learning for the Elderly - Talk in AISCCON Conference

I gave a ten minutes talk on the topic Lifelong Learning for the elderly on the  first day of 18th AISCCON National Conference held during 29th-30th November 2018 in Classic Gardens Secunderabad. The brief talk, with the help of a power point presentation, explains what is lifelong learning, why this is essential to senior citizens, examples of resources available if you wish to learn, some living examples of lifelong learners for providing inspiration etc

The link to ppt is given below:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1NyuSTzGCb_KyT1MeVubIFfTZwBGS-_QkDUeNzC983dk/edit?usp=sharing


The following YouTube video starts with my talk. You may close or continue after watching my talk!!

Turkey's elderly keep sharp at Senior Citizens University

Very interesting story from Turkey.

They have a 10% of population as seniors; Due to efforts of a single enthusiastic senior, the university   for seniors has come up. Already having many campuses. The response from senior community is amazing. We need at least one or two dedicated people like Tufan to promote LLL in India vigorously. I am still dreaming that some day someone will enthuse IGNOU to take up LLL among senior citizens seriously. I am including the photos as an exception you may also see the enthusiastic seniors as students in a formal class.

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Turkey's elderly keep sharp at Senior Citizens University

MIRAÇ GEYIK

ISTANBUL

Published 20 hours ago

Two elderly men knit sweaters as a part of one of the classes taught at the Senior Citizens Univeristy in Antalya.

With an ageing population, Turkey is now focusing more on its senior citizens' life after retirement with the Senior Citizens University, founded by the head of Turkey's first gerontology department, Professor İsmail Tufan

Once having Europe's youngest population, Turkey is now growing old. Projections made by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) show that the elderly population will increase to 10.2 percent by 2023 and is expected to rise even further in the following decades.

When we are young, advanced ages seem like they are ages away until you discover your first wrinkle. With a population over 80 million, Turkey is now thinking more about the future and focuses on its senior citizens, especially about their care and place in society.

Within this scope, gerontology - although it is a new branch of science and unknown to most - gains crucial importance. Gerontology is the comprehensive study of aging, the problems of the elderly and a multidisciplinary study that incorporates biology, psychology and sociology.

The first Department of Gerontology in Turkey started with a small room with four grey walls. However, from this room, Professor İsmail Tufan, the founder of the department, created a movement that inspired hundreds of senior citizens around Turkey.

Professor Tufan founded Turkey's very first gerontology department within the body of Akdeniz University in Antalya. After struggling with various obstacles (lack of academicians, academic publishes, budget etc.) for three years, Professor Turan who has been focusing on gerontology studies since 1992, managed to gather up a team to start up Turkey's first academic initiative solely focusing on the elderly.

In fact, the science gerontology can be seen all around the world. Each department is shaped by the culture of the country they are founded in. Professor Tufan and his team first started with the motto "lifelong learning" and reached out to elderly citizens though workshops and finally founded GeroAtlas60+ Senior Citizens University in May 2016. At first, the department initiated the Senior Citizens University as a pilot program that continued until November 2016.


Senior Citizens University students plant trees during a field trip.

"We thought the program would not attract much attention and expected 100 applicants at most," said Professor Turan and continued: "However, 847 applied to the first program. Suddenly, we realized that this program - Senior Citizens University - is something that this society is in need of. By the time the first program ended, we received more than 1,300 applications. Last year we had around 5,000 students and right now, we have more than 11,000 students waiting to be enrolled to the program."

The university accepts people between ages 60 and above. Currently, the university has 2,572 enrolled students and 866 of these students attend classes regularly.

The Senior Citizens University has a variety of classes shaped according to the demands of the students including anatomy, medicine, psychology, law and physiotherapy and many more. However, students cannot get away with easy classes: To pass, men have to learn how to cook and knit while women have to learn to repair things. There are several courses at the Senior Citizen University including field trips. They acknowledge how to make their time worthy while learning new skills to help them in this period of their lives.

Professor Tufan said the students of the Senior Citizens University love all the classes and show the same attendance to each of the classes.

"All the lessons are the favorites of the senior citizens. I sometimes have chance to observe them during classes. They have a will to learn more than the young students. If you have a chance to see their notebooks, you would be amazed."

What makes the Senior Citizens University unique is that all the instructors who are guiding and teaching the students are volunteers.

"Our instructors are doing it without wanting anything in return. They can spend this time with their families and friends but they choose to spend with the elderly. In the end, they are making history and break new grounds through this university," said Professor Tufan.

The science of gerontology is gathering pace in Turkey. Currently three universities have gerontology departments and the interest in this science grows with the accomplishments of the Senior Citizens University. The Senior Citizens University also has campuses in Alanya, Nişantaşı, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman and Ege universities besides the groundbreaking campus at Akdeniz University. Moreover, Adnan Menderes University is currently working on opening another campus in the future.

It seems like the trend of lifelong learning will continue to grow in Turkey and senior citizens will continue to enjoy retirement while learning new skills.

Dr P Vyasamoorthy
040-27846631 / 09490804278