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"Formosa, Marvin"
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Lifelong learning in later life : a handbook on older adult learning
\"This book is an essential handbook for a wide range of people who work alongside older adults in varied contexts. It brings together both orthodox approaches to educational gerontology and fresh perspectives on important emerging issues faced by seniors around the globe. Issues discussed include the social construction of ageing, the importance of lifelong learning policy and practice, participation in later life learning, education of marginalised groups within older communities, inter-generational learning, volunteering and 'active ageing', the political economy of older adulthood, learning for better health and well-being, and the place of seniors in a learning society.\" Publisher's website.
Book
Four decades of Universities of the Third Age: past, present, future
This paper discusses the origins and development of Universities of the Third Age (U3As) whilst also forwarding suggestions for possible roles, opportunities and directions in the future. The U3A has been rightly described as both an idea and movement, as each centre has a local foundation and relatively unique features. Whilst some U3As are attached to traditional universities and colleges, others are sturdily autonomous and wholly dependent on the efforts of volunteers. One also finds a variety of ethos, ranging from the provision of a traditional type of liberal-arts education, to the organisation of interest-group activities conducted through peer learning, to showing solidarity with vulnerable sectors of the older population. Academic commentaries on the U3A movement have been both supportive and critical. Whilst U3As have been lauded for leading older learners to improved levels of physical, cognitive, social and psychological wellbeing, other reports emphasise how many centres incorporate strong gender, social class, ageist and ethnic biases. One hopes that in future years the U3A movement will continue to be relevant to incoming cohorts of older adults by embracing a broader vision of learning, improving the quality of learning, instruction and curricula, as well as a wider participation agenda that caters for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive challenges.
Journal Article
Building Evidence for the Impact of Older Adult Learning on Active Ageing
Lifelong learning constitutes one of the pillars of active ageing on the basis that learning reinforces wellbeing and enables older people to stay healthy and engaged in society. This paper reports on a pretest-posttest study carried out at the University of the Third Age in Malta that measured the impact of late-life learning on levels of active ageing. The findings demonstrated that participation in older adult learning has a strong positive impact on the participants’ levels of active ageing and constitutes a resilient source of social capital in later life, and that people who presumably have had positive early experiences of education are more motivated to engage in late-life learning. The paper concludes that lifelong learning in later life acts as a possible mitigation to the social isolation, cognitive impairment, and age discrimination that people tend to experience in later life.
Journal Article
Building Evidence for the Impact of Older Adult Learning on Active Ageing
Lifelong learning constitutes one of the pillars of active ageing on the basis that learning reinforces wellbeing and enables older people to stay healthy and engaged in society. This paper reports on a pretest-posttest study carried out at the University of the Third Age in Malta that measured the impact of late-life learning on levels of active ageing. The findings demonstrated that participation in older adult learning has a strong positive impact on the participants’ levels of active ageing and constitutes a resilient source of social capital in later life, and that people who presumably have had positive early experiences of education are more motivated to engage in late-life learning. The paper concludes that lifelong learning in later life acts as a possible mitigation to the social isolation, cognitive impairment, and age discrimination that people tend to experience in later life.
Journal Article
Responding to the Active Ageing Index: Innovations in Active Ageing Policies in Malta
Malta is no exception to the unprecedented demographic changes that are being experienced by industrial countries. In the first rankings emerging from the 2012 Active Ageing Index, Malta fared in the 19th place in the overall index. In reaction, in March 2013 the newly elected Government took note of the diverse issues facing the ageing of Maltese population by positioning the responsibility for ageing policy under a ‘Parliamentary Secretariat for Rights of Persons with Disability and Active Ageing’ (previously ‘Parliamentary Secretariat for Elderly and Community Care’). The fact that the Secretariat also migrated from the ‘Ministry of Health, the Elderly, and Community Care’ to the ‘Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity’ spoke volumes about the novel direction that ageing policy is taking in Malta—namely, a shift from the long-held focus on ‘elderly care’ to ‘active citizenship’ issues. This article presents current developments in Maltese public policy related to ageing. Given the increasing numbers and relative vulnerability of this group, there is hardly any policy ‘programme’ in greater need of thorough inspection. The Maltese government has in recent months launched, and commenced the implementation process, of the National Strategic Policy for Active Ageing, National Dementia Strategy, and the Minimum Standards for Care Homes for Older Persons. Whilst the
Commissioner of Older Persons Act
has also been ratified by the Maltese Parliament, the
Protection of Vulnerable and Older Persons Act
- which will make possible a preventive, ameliorative, remedial, and punitive role for the justice system, so that the human rights of vulnerable citizens are also catered for - has also been finalised.
Journal Article
Active ageing in the fourth age: The experiences and perspectives of older persons in long-term care
Aim: This article reports upon a research study whose aim was to evaluate the running of an active ageing programme for older persons residing in a care home for older persons in Malta. Method: The research study opted for a multi-method research design. The first phase consisted of carrying out observation of the active ageing programme over a two-month period. The second phase was conducting semi-structured interviews with participants and facilitators. Results: First, that for active ageing programme in care homes to be successful the activities must be meaningful to residents. Second, that active ageing programme in care homes has the potential to improve the levels of social and emotional wellbeing, whilst also having benefits for facilitators. Finally, that active ageing programmes include a number of challenges - namely, further training for all staff in gerontological and geragogical principles, overlooking family relatives, and enabling even frail residents to join in the activities. Conclusion. Active ageing policies should go beyond a ‘third age’ lens in their endeavour to improve the quality of life of incoming and current older persons and focus more assiduously on frail and vulnerable elders. The key factor in organising active ageing programmes in a care home that are successful in enabling good quality interaction is the ability of planners to have insight on the subjective world of residents so that they gain the sensitivity and skills to coordinate activities that are meaningful to residents.
Journal Article
Older men learning through religious and political affiliations: case studies from Malta
This article examines two case studies from Malta that focus on older men learning through informal channels. The first case study investigated the role of a community-based organisation - namely, a religious confraternity dedicated to 'Our Lady of Immaculate Conception' of the village of Mqabba - as an avenue for informal learning activities for older men. The second case study investigated the connection between affiliation in the Labour Party Veterans' branch of the Labour Party (Malta) and informal learning. The case studies were carried out by employing a qualitative-methodological framework whereby data was collected through semi-structured interviews. The intent was to reveal the perceived interests and expectations regarding what would be considered a satisfying lifestyle in the context of membership of older men in both organisations. Findings reveal the benefits that older men enjoy through participation in such organisations, including increased levels of independence, improved social participation, and positive effects on participants' self-esteem and personal confidence. Informants report that membership also contributed to their mental and physical health and to increased activity. Many underlined how participation aided them in escaping boredom and keeping in touch with the outside world. Findings also reveal that only a few informants were simultaneously involved in organisations and activities not related to their religious and political affiliations, which highlights the importance of both informal learning channels in helping older men lead successful and active lives.
Journal Article
Lifelong education for older adults in Malta: Current trends and future visions
With European demographic developments causing a decline of the available workforce in the foreseeable future and the unsustainability of dominant pay-as-you-go pension systems (where contributions from the current workforce sustain pensioners), governments need to come up with strategies to deal with this upcoming challenge and to adjust their policies. Based on a study carried out between September 2009 and May 2010, this article evaluates the policies guiding late-life education in Malta, as well as the local plethora of learning opportunities for older adult education, and participation rates. The Maltese government is committed to supporting the inclusion of older persons (aged 60+) in lifelong education policies and programmes, to the extent that local studies have uncovered a recent rise in the overall participation of older adults in formal, non-formal and informal areas of learning. While the present and future prospects for late-life education in Malta seem promising, a critical scrutiny of present ideologies and trends finds the field to be no more than seductive rhetoric. Though the coordination of late-life education in Malta does result in various social benefits to older learners and Maltese society in general, it also occurs within five intersecting lines of inequality – namely an economic rationale, elitism, gender bias, the urban-rural divide and third ageism. This article ends by proposing policy recommendations for the future of late-life education.
Journal Article
