The aged form the fastest growing subgroup of Australian society, a fact which is placing increasing strain on federal, state and individual resources. Education appears to have the potential for allowing older people to cope more successfully with their changed circumstances and, perhaps, the possibility of minimising or delaying some of the depredations frequently associated with old age. This paper presents a rationale for an increased emphasis, in Australia, on the development of educational opportunities for the aged, and discusses two programs of national importance, the University of the Third Age and the College for Seniors.
AndersonR.E.DarkenwaldGordon G. (1979). Participation and persistence in American adult education: Implications for public policy and future research from a multi-variate analysis of a national data base (Direction Papers in Lifelong Learning). New York: College Entrance Examination Board
2.
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). (1988). Projections of the population of Australia, States and Territories. Canberra: AGPS
3.
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (1989). Year book Australia. Canberra: AGPS
4.
BaltesP.B.SchaieK.W. (1982). Aging and IQ—the myth of the twilight years. In ZaritS.H. (Ed.), Readings in aging and death: Contemporary perspectives (2nd ed.). New York: Harper & Row
5.
BattersbyDavid (1985). The greying of campuses and the ‘Third Age’ revolution: A critique. Paper presented at the HERDSA Conference. Auckland, 1985
6.
BradyM.E.FowlerM.L. (1988). Participation motives and learning outcomes among older learners. Educational Gerontology, 14, 45–56
7.
CampC.J.MarkelyR.P.KramerJ.J. (1983). Spontaneous use of mnemonics by elderly individuals. Educational Gerontology, 9, 57–71
8.
ClarkR. (1983). Participation studies: Areas for investigation. In BagnallR. (Ed.), Canberra Papers in Continuing Education (New Series 3, pp. 21–33). Canberra: Australian National University, Centre for Continuing Education
9.
CrossK. Patricia (1979). The state of the art in needs assessment. Paper presented at the Conference on Lifelong Learning. Akron, OH. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 181 032)
10.
DayAlice T. (1985). We can manage: Expectations about care and varieties of family support among people 75 years and over (Monograph No. 5). Melbourne: Institute of Family Studies
11.
Economic Planning Advisory Council. (1988). Economic effects of an aging population (Council Paper No. 29). Canberra: AGPS
12.
EvansJ. (1984). Some statistics on older students in Australian tertiary education. Australian Journal of Adult Education, 24 (3), 21–27
13.
FailesA. (1980). Transition loss and growth: Process of positive adaptation. Educational Gerontology, 5, 315–329
14.
GayferM. (1985). Implications for lifelong learning of the emergence of ‘the age of aging’. Convergence, 18 (1–2), 1–4
GroombridgeBrian (1982). Learning, education and later life. Adult Education, 54, 314–325
17.
HarwoodE. (1988). Retirement of operation retirement (David Wallace Memorial Address). Proceedings of the 23rd Annual Conference, Australian Association of Gerontology, pp. 4–9
18.
HarwoodE.EnticknapL.E. (1983). Relation between formal learning in retirement years and retardation of intellectual decline. Proceedings of the 18th Annual Conference of the Australian Association of Gerontology, pp. 23–27
19.
HavighurstR.J. (1976). Education through the adult life span. Educational Gerontology, 1, 41–51
HoffmanE. (1980). The federal role in lifelong learning. New York: College Entrance Examination Board
22.
KendigH.L.McCallumJ. (1986). Future impacts of population ageing. Canberra: AGPS
23.
LangerE. J. (1989). Minding matters: The consequences of mindlessness-mindfulness. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 22, 137–173
24.
LangerE.J.BeckP.Janoff-BulmanR.TimkoC. (1984). An exploration of relationships among mindfulness, longevity and senility. Academic Psychology Bulletin, 6, 211–226
25.
LatonaK. (1986). The Life-Long Learning Project. Sydney: Department of Technical and Further Education
26.
MidwinterE. (Ed.). (1984). Mutual aid universities. London: Croom Helm
27.
MorrisD. (1984). Universities of the Third Age. Adult Education, 57 (2), 135–139
28.
NeugartenB.L. (1980). Our future selves: A research plan towards understanding aging. Report of Panel on Behavioral and Social Sciences Research at the National Advisory Council on Aging in the USA. Washington, DC: Govt Printing Office. Periodical on aging 85. (1986). New York: United Nations
29.
PetersonDavid A. (1985). A history of education for older learners. In LumsdenD. Barry (Ed.), The older adult as learner: Aspects of educational gerontology. New York: Hemisphere
30.
PictonC.J. (1985). Still learning: Universities of the Third Age and lifelong education. Transactions of the Menzies Foundation, 8, 113–118
31.
PraterR.J. (1985). Adult education participation on the north coast of New South Wales. In DukeC. (Ed.), Canberra Papers in Continuing Education (New Series 5). (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 270 602)
32.
RadcliffeD. (1982). U3A: A French model for the later years: Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society, New York City, 18–21 March. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 228 134)
33.
RussellB. (1985). Leisure education for ages 45 and over: The case for the over 60s. Transactions of the Menzies Foundation. 8, 157–166
34.
SwindellR. (1988). Self-help adult education for the older learner. In ClarkR.J.RoothS. J. (Eds.), Case Studies in Australian Adult Education. Armidale: NSW Board of Adult Education and University of New England, Department of Continuing Education
35.
SwindellR. (1990). Characteristics and aspirations of older learners in an Australian University of the Third Age program: Part 2, Educational implications. Educational Gerontology, 16 (1), 15–26
36.
TimmermannS. (1985). Lifelong learning for self-sufficiency: A theme for the 1980s. Convergence, 18 (1–2), 28–36
37.
ToughA. (1977). Major learning efforts: Recent research and future directions. Toronto: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
38.
VernerC.NewberryJ.S. (1958). The nature of adult participation. Adult Education (USA), 8, 208–220
