Page 17 - Seniorstoday March 2024 Issue
P. 17
Education
How Age-Friendly Universities Can
Improve The Second Half Of Life
David R Buys and Aaron Guest have studied how Institutions of higher
education play a unique role in shaping our ageing world
By 2030, more than 1.4 billion people According to the National Center for
across the globe will be at least 60 years Education Statistics, more than 550
old. This number will shoot up to 2.1 U.S. adults 50 and older were enrolled
billion by 2050. At this point, there will in college undergraduate and graduate
be more people age 60 or older than programs in 2021. Their reasons for going
people between 10 and 24. back to school range from learning new
These dramatic demographic shifts skills to wanting to get ahead in their
prompted the United Nations and World careers to achieving long-held goals.
Health Organization to declare the 2020s Institutions of higher education play a
the decade of healthy ageing. unique role in shaping an aging world. In
The creation of a more age-friendly 2012, a group of interdisciplinary scholars
world includes basic things like met to establish the 10 principle of an age-
improving health care access. But one friendly university. These include things
critical component is often overlooked: such as career development for older
taking college courses in your 50s, 60s or adults pursuing second careers, increased
beyond. These opportunities to learn later access to health and wellness programs
in life have been associated with a host of at universities and opportunities to learn
positive health outcomes. These include alongside younger students.
being less socially isolated and staying In 2014, these efforts expanded to
sharp mentally. become the Age- Friendly University
Many older adults know as much. global Network, a collective of more than
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #57 | MARCH 2024 17
