Never too old to learn

There are huge benefits for the elderly to keep on learning

You’re never to old to learn. Certainly you shouldn’t be

However, there are not enough opportunities for older people receiving care for different kinds of learning

This is in spite of the hugely positive effects that keeping mentally stimulated can have for people of all ages

There are huge benefits of informal learning for older people receiving care and L4A (Learning for the Fourth Age) is an innovative model of delivery

If we see learning as ‘the broadening and deepening of knowledge’ then we can include as learning everything from reflecting on what happened in the past through to taking lessons in Japanese

For some people, the learning challenge is to adapt to life with care, while for others it is to enrol at the local adult education centre.

A report from NIACE about Informal Adult Learning in Care Settings (Aldridge, 2010), demonstrated that increased learning in care settings is necessary, for wellbeing and the UK’s longer term financial welfare

This report explains how learning as we age can prevent, or delay the onset of dementia (Sorensen, 2011) and that it improves physical mobility

Leisure activities that may help include: dancing, card playing, adult education and learning a foreign language (Sorensen, 2011)

Learning also helps people to feel fulfilled, productive and useful, to be more confident and sociable, and to feel an improved sense of independence, choice and control in their daily lives

Moreover, engaging in learning could increase continence levels, and decrease the usage of anti-psychotic and anti-depressant drugs (Aldridge, 2010)

In short, older people can maintain healthier minds by being mentally stimulated, and this is in everyone’s interest

The report Together But Alone (Residents and Relatives Association, 2010) showed that as many as 40,000 people in care settings receive no visits, letters or phone calls. This isolation and the impact it has on mental health is something we must tackle, and is an issue that learning could positively influence

Learning in care settings

Learning for older people in care settings falls between both health and social care policy priorities, and education priorities

Health and social care sees learning as a peripheral need, which falls under the often neglected area of ‘activities’ along with visits from local faith groups and the chiropodist; education policy favours qualifications for those who can contribute back financially to society with improved job prospects or higher earning power

As an example, Care Quality Commission inspection criteria fails to even mention mental stimulation

L4A recruits, train and supports a network of volunteers who visit and provide one-to-one learning for older people

This includes showing people how to use the internet, running arts and crafts clubs, helping people to improve their foreign language skills, creating family trees, discussing current affairs, and making life story DVDs

All of the learning is chosen and directed by the service users and their needs.

L4A operates in Leicestershire and works with over 150 older people weekly. L4A has been operating for over five years and is currently piloting ways to take the service from care settings in people’s own homes when they are receiving domiciliary care

The services L4A provide to care settings have four key benefits:

• They are one-to-one and personalized to the needs of each individual person
• They are mentally stimulating
• They offer a wide choice of possibilities
• They provide social interaction with people from the local area, who are usually under 25 years old. This promotes increased intergenerational and intercultural understanding

If you are not based in Leicestershire, there are still ways of taking learning into care homes or to people who are in their own homes and receiving care

Services available vary across the country but most areas have mobile library services, adult education services, volunteering bureaux to find people with similar interests and domiciliary care agencies able to provide ‘sitting visits’ that are focused more around development and stimulation

There are also a wealth of resources online from courses through to websites like Google Art Project

The charity NAPA (National Association for Providers of Activities) also has a resource that is focused on engaging, interesting activities and conversation starters to use when visiting an older person receiving care

More information about L4A is available at www.l4a.org.uk