The Older Adult As Learner

The Older Adult as Learner

Lifelong Learning in Later Life

This first truly comprehensive interdisciplinary, international critique of theory and practice in lifelong learning as it relates to later life is an absolute tour de force. Alexandra Withnall, Universities of Warwick and Leicester, UK. This is a book that needed to be written: it provides a most thorough and skilful analysis of a comprehensive range of contemporary literature about learning in later life from many localities and countries of the world. Peter Jarvis, Professor Emeritus, University of Surrey Impressive in its scope this handbook seeks to describe older learning critically within the lifelong learning literature at the same time that it makes a strong and persuasive case for taking older learning seriously in our postmodern world. Kenneth Wain, University of Malta Lifelong learning in later life is an essential handbook for a wide range of people who work alongside older adults in varied contexts. This handbook 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. Brian Findsen is a professor of adult education, Faculty of Education, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand. His writings are usually constructed within a social justice framework such as The Fourth Sector: Adult and Community Education in Aotearoa New Zealand (edited with John Benseman and Miriama Scott in 1996) and Learning later (2005). Marvin Formosa is a lecturer in the European Centre for Gerontology, University of Malta, Msida, Malta. In addition to various articlesfocusing on critical educational gerontology, recent and forthcoming books include Social Class Dynamics in Later Life (2009) and Social Class in Later Life: Power, Identity and Lifestyle (with Paul Higgs, 2012).

What Matters for Health and Happiness Among the Older Adults in Asia

People want to live a healthy and happy later life. A large body of literature shows the close association between health status and happiness and between health and active engagement (in work, exercise, and social and religious activities). However, the causation between the two can run both ways, and it is difficult to determine the causal effect with cross-sectional data. Various authors have shown the significant influence of socioeconomic factors and human needs on older people’s health status and happiness. A better understanding of the factors affecting healthy and happy aging is essential for policymaking to improve the well-being of older people. The availability of data from HRS-family studies in several Asian countries (CHARLS in China, LASI in India, JSTAR in Japan, KLoSA in Korea, IFLS in Indonesia, HART in Thailand, MARS in Malaysia, and Longitudinal Study of Ageing and Health in Viet Nam) (see Gateway to Global Aging Data) provides an excellent opportunity for researchers to examine factors affecting health and happiness among older adults within and across Asian countries. This research topic aims to gather papers that investigate the socioeconomic, attitudinal, and behavioural factors affecting the health status and happiness/life satisfaction of older adults in Asia. The dependent variables may include physical health, mental health, disability (ADL/IADL), cognitive functioning), self-rated health, health expenditure, feeling of happiness and life satisfaction. The independent variables may be age, gender, marital status, place of residence, educational level, active engagement (work, exercise, social and religious activities), family and social relationship and support, outlook in life, smoking, drinking, and access to and utilization of healthcare services, etc. Manuscripts can be based on individual countries or cross-country analysis, preferably using the panel data to establish the causal effects of the independent variables on the dependent variables.