Community Never Ends for Elders
by
 Kali Lightfoot |
As we all know, learning never ends. But learning in community -- in schools, universities or senior centers -- does sometimes end for older adults who become isolated through illness, loss of physical mobility or lack of transportation options. Some of the most poignant conversations I have had with OLLI students have centered around how distressed they will be when they can no longer come to our classes. Thankfully, many of the people who have said that to me are still here at the university, doing just fine. But the threat of their world closing in is still very real to them. “Only a matter of time” is a frightening phrase.
The advent of new technologies has brought hope into this conversation. Included in this issue of The Older LEARNer are descriptions of several innovative programs that use a broad sampling of technological tools to create learning experiences for people who cannot gather for class in a traditional classroom.
Aging in America 2009
Those of you who wish to gather to learn about a vast array of topics related to aging need to mark March 15-19, 2009, on your calendar and buy a ticket to Las Vegas to attend the 2009 Aging in America Conference. In our particular areas of interest, the conference will feature programs on the future of lifelong learning, both within and outside lifelong learning institutes; new and disparate venues for learning; learning and civic engagement; public libraries as something other than homes for books; and arts programming to stimulate the mind and heart.
In addition to the regular sessions and networking activities, the gathering this year also will feature national forums designed as structured, in-depth, daylong learning experiences. One will be of particular interest to LEARN members: Set for March 16, “Older Adults as Agents of Change Supporting Purposeful Lives for the Good of Others” will help organizations improve their infrastructure to support civic-engagement activities for elders. The forum is sponsored by The Atlantic Philanthropies.
The conference is a learning activity not to be missed -- and then there’s Las Vegas! I look forward to seeing many of you there. To find more information about Aging in America and to register online, visit www.agingconference.org.
LEARN Leadership Council chair Kali Lightfoot is executive director of the National Resource Center of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Southern Maine, Portland. Contact her at lightfoot@usm.maine.edu.
Photo: Robert Levy/ASA
Copyright © 2009 American Society on Aging; all rights reserved. This article may not be duplicated or distributed in any form without written permission from the publisher: American Society on Aging, 71 Stevenson St., Suite 1450, San Francisco, CA 94105-2938; e-mail: permissions@asaging.org.
