Preparation for Aging

292 Pages·1995·10.837 MB·English

by  Harry R. Moody (auth.), Eino Heikkinen, Jorma Kuusinen, Isto Ruoppila (eds.)

Preparation for Aging
Preparation for Aging
Edited by
Eino Heikkinen
Jorma Kuusinen and
Isto Ruoppila
University ofjyväskylä
Jyväskylä, Finland
Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Pubhcation Data
On file
Proceedings of the 17th International Congress of the International Association of the Universities of
the Third Age (IAUTA), held August 12-14, 1994, in Jyvaskyla, Finland
ISBN 978-1-4613-5815-2 ISBN 978-1-4615-1979-9 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4615-1979-9
© 1995 Springer Science+Business Media New York
Originally published by Plenum Press in 1995
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1995
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written
permission from the Publisher
PREFACE
The challenges presented to society as a result of the demographic transition currently
taking place involve many concrete, multidimensional, and contextual issues that require
focused attention from both the multidisciplinary scientific community and society at large.
The social and educational movement "The University of the Third Age" (UTA), which
started in Toulouse in 1973 and was spearheaded by Professor Pierre Velas, represents a
phenomenon that indicates the need for new and creative educational and research activities
in attempting to improve quality of life among older adults.
In two decades the idea of the University of the Third Age has spread to all continents
and the number of UTAs has increased exponentially, amounting at present to several
thousand units with varying structures and programs. The International Association of the
Universities of the Third Age (lAUTA) connects the local universities under an umbrella
that, among other activities, sponsors international congresses.
The 17th International Congress ofIAUTA was held in Jyvaskyla, Finland, on August
12-14, 1994. About 800 people from 31 countries took part in the event. The purpose of the
meeting was to provide a forum for discussion on the broad theme of" Preparation for Aging."
The underlying idea was that the future grows out of our present and past.
In order to be able to prepare ourselves for the future we have to be able to answer a
number of key questions: To what extent is the quality of life in elderly people determined
by their earlier experiences? Given the fast pace of sociocultural change in modem society,
what sort of plans can people make for life in retirement? What chances do elderly people,
as subjects of their own lives, have to lead satisfactory and independent lives?
The presentations given at the congress examined both the theoretical issues related
to the meaning of life in old age and foundations of lifelong learning as well as practical
questions focusing on the utilization of the existing body of knowledge in developing
cultural, social and health services for older adults in order to help them grow old success
fully.
This volume consists of selected contributions to the 17th IAUTA Congress. Given
the broad theme of the meeting, the multidisciplinarity of the research interest, and the
diversity of the educational activities within different UTAs, this publication necessarily
covers the whole range of topics regarded as important for discussions focusing on the
preparation for aging.
It is hoped that this volume will carry forward the main ideas of the UTA, provide
stimulus for further research, and give new perspectives and practical advice for arranging
educational activities, creating communication and networks within the UTA movement. It
is understood that both aging and preparation for it are socioculturally constructed concepts
that should be made visible in order to gain insights into the ways in which the parties
v
vi Preface
involved understand them and to help us understand why programs for successful retirement
succeed or fail.
We wish to acknowledge the support of the Executive Committee of the International
Association of the Universities of the Third Age, who helped to arrange the 17th International
Congress in Jyvaskyla, Finland. We very much appreciate the collaboration with Dr. Hana
Hermanova from the WHO Regional Office for Europe in the planning and implementing
of the Congress.
The financial support received from the Ministry of Education, Finland, is also
gratefully acknowledged. Without this support the Congress could not have taken place.
Given the limited local resources in terms of both manpower and funding, the only
way of arranging big meetings is coordination and cooperation. The parties involved include
the City of Jyvaskyla, the Finnish Centre for Interdisciplinary Gerontology at the University
of Jyvaskyla, the Congress Office of the University of Jyvaskyla, and the University ofthe
Third Age, University of Jyvaskyla. Their contribution is gratefully acknowledged.
More than one hundred individuals participated in the planning and implementing of
the Congress, including the members of the organizing and program committees, the staff
of the various scientific departments of the University of Jyvaskyla, the personnel of the
Leisure Office of the City of Jyvaskyla, and the students of the University of the Third Age,
University of Jyvaskyla. We wish to direct our warmest thanks to all of them. Finally we
would like to thank Ms. Pirjo Koikkalainen for her skillful technical assistance in the
preparation of this volume.
Eino Heikkinen
Jorma Kuusinen
Isto Ruoppila
Jyvaskyla
CONTENTS
Life Long Learning and Retirement
I. Meaning and Late Life Learning ....................................... .
Harry R. Moody
2. The Third Age and the Disappearance of Old Age 9
Peter Laslett
3. Life after Work: Lines, Boundaries, and Spaces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 17
Tom Schuller
4. Emergent Challenges for Universities of the Third Age ...................... 27
Brian Groombridge
5. Retirement: A Truncated Rite of Passage ................................. 39
Christian Lalive d'Epinay, in collaboration with lean-Frant;ois Bickel
6. The Role of a Preparation for Retirement in the Improvement of the Quality of
Life for Elderly People ........................................... 55
Rene leanneret
7. In Search of the Meaning of Education: The Case of Educational Generations in
Finland ........................................................ 63
Ari Antikainen, Jarmo Houtsonen, Hannu Huotelin, and luha Kauppila
8. Lifelong Learning Experiences from Norway. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 73
Reidun Ingebretsen and Tor Endestad
9. IfI Had My Life to Live over Again... ................................... 79
T. 1. Tikkanen and 1. Kuusinen
Health and Quality of Life
10. The New Public Health Approach to Improving Physical Activity and Autonomy
in Older Populations ............................................. 87
John B. McKinlay
vii
viii Contents
II. Healthy Aging: Utopia or a Realistic Target? .............................. 105
Eino Heikkinen
12. Adding Life to Years! Promoting Quality of Life in an Aging Europe .......... 121
Chris Todd
13. Health Related Quality of Life as an Outcome Measure for Health Care of
Elderly People: The Emperor's New Clothes .......................... 129
Chris Todd
14. Health-Related Quality of Life in Old Age: How to Define It, How to Study? .... 139
Marja lylha
15. Health Related Quality of Life in Old Age: International Approach in Developing
the LEIPAD Questionnaire ........................................ 145
Anna-Mari Aalto, Arja R. Aro, Anu Hamalainen, and 10uko Lonnqvist for the
steering group of the LEIPAD -project
16. Disability and Quality of Life in Old Age ................................. lSI
Luigi Ferrucci, Stefania Bandinelli, Francesca Cecchi, Bernardo Salani, and
Alberto Baroni
17. Research and the Promotion of Quality of Life in Older Persons in the
Netherlands .................................................... 155
Dorly 1.H. Deeg
18. Does Work Stress Enhance the Rate of Aging? ............................. 165
Willem 1. A. Goedhard
Gender, Generation and Aging
19. Interrelations between Generations in Historical Perspective ................. 175
Birgitta Oden
20. Gender and Aging .................................................... 181
Christine Castelain Meunier
21. Gender, Aging, and Quality of Life ...................................... 187
Gerald E. McClearn, Pamela 1. Maxson, and Debra A. Heller
22. Collectivism, Individualism and Grandchild-Grandparent Relations ............ 191
Helena Hurme
23. Mid-Life: Opening Remarks on Prevention ............................... 195
Helene Reboul
24. Life-Style and Its Determinants in Two Cohorts in the Elderly ................ 199
Pertti Pohjolainen
Contents ix
Pension Systems and Attitudes to Retirement
25. Psychological Issues of Aging and Work ................................. 205
Pekka Huuhtanen
26. A New Concept for Productive Aging at Work ............................ 215
Juhani Ilmarinen
27. What If the Disability Pension Application Is Denied? ...................... 223
Raija Gould
28. How Will Finnish Pensions Be Working in the Future? ...................... 229
Simo Forss
29. Life Situation as a Factor Explaining Retirement ........................... 233
Jouko Lind
30. The Process of Early Retirement among the 55-Year Old Finnish Urban
Population ..................................................... 239
Aira A. Uusimaki, Ulla Rajala, Sirkka Keinanen-Kiukaanniemi, Hannu
Virokannas, and Sirkka-Liisa Kivela
Programs for Successful Retirement
31. Educating Health Professionals in Gerontology: A Canadian Perspective ........ 245
A. C. Beckingham
32. Preparation for Aging-the Role of the UTAs-Ten Reports ................. 265
33. Preparing for Retirement-Good Housing in Old Age? A Review of the Provision
of Housing and Care for Old People in 7 Systems ...................... 279
John William Murray
34. Aging Well: European Health Programme for Older People .................. 285
Sally Greengross
35. Retirement Preparation in Subjects of Working Age ........................ 289
Fiorella Marcellini and Norma Barbini
Index ................................................................. 293
1
MEANING AND LATE LIFE LEARNING
Harry R. Moody
Brookdale Center on Aging of Hunter College
New York City, New York
Let me begin with a semantic question: How do we describe the enterprise? What do
we call the subject of this conference for which we are gathered here in Finland? Several
labels suggest themselves.
First, there is "older adult education", a phrase that involves an euphemism "older
adult" (older than what?). The phrase is an evasion of the truth about the last stage of life:
not older, but final.
A second phrase suggests itself: "Third Age Education," the title of this conference.
But the phrase is evocative only because the idea of the "third age" is itself ambiguous. For
example, is there, as some have suggested, a "fourth age" (decrepitude)?
Finally, I come to "late life learning", a term I prefer because it designates at least
where learning and education fit in to the life course as a whole: namely, late in the sequence,
in the last act, in much the same way that "late style" refers to the distinctive style of artists
in their old age (Munsterberg, 1983).
LEARNING IN LAST STAGE OF LIFE
In approaching this subject there is a need for honesty. We need to be candid in the
matter of terminology in the same spirit as Confucius, who called for "the rectification of
names:" that is, to speak of things as they really are. Indeed, if we were honest about
describing this enterprise we would call it "end-of-life learning". But I will not use that
phrase because "end-of-life" unavoidably evokes the aura of terminal illness. And what is
of interest here is not so-called "death education"-yes, there really is a journal by that
name-but rather education for living during the last stage of life.
To grasp the truth about late life learning we must keep in mind the aphorisms of two
great philosophers, aphorisms which seemingly contradict each other. First, there is Plato:
"Philosophy is the preparation for death" And, second, Spinoza: "The Freeman thinks of
nothing less than of death". How can we reconcile these two perspectives on life and death?
The wise have said that we repair the past and prepare for the future by living in the present.
That spirit is surely what Spinoza was invoking in his statement. At the same time, Plato
was right to speak of philosophy-more broadly, the search for meaning-as an existential
enterprise, an activity of supreme seriousness, undertaken in the finality of death, as the
example of Socrates taught Plato himself.
Preparation!or Aging, Edited by E. Heikkinen et al.
Plenum Press, New York, 1995
2 H. R.Moody
Let me state agam, late hfe learmng IS not a meditatIOn about death but about hfe
At the same time, It IS learnmg undertaken when the clock IS tIckmg, learnmg, so to speak,
at the eleventh hour, m the last act of the play of lIfe
The Denial of Finitude
I have stated the matter so badly because I belIeve that most of what we thmk of as
"older adult educatIOn" today IS, on the whole, an evasIOn and a conspiracy of demal a
frUItless attempt to convmce old people that they can remam young forever What better way
to foster that IllUSIOn than to "keep up with the times" by bemg well-mformed? What better
way to relIve youth than to return to a college campus? What better way to be constantly
changmg and growmg than to learn new thmgs?
Let us not underestimate the problem We are dealIng here with a very powerful
IllUSIOn, all the more mischievous because It IS so Widespread and because It clothes Itself
m the garment of"humamstlc" self-fulfilment growth, change, openness to new Ideas, and
so on But at bottom, It remams an IllUSIOn It IS the persistent IllUSion of our youth-mtoxl
cated culture, which has convmced even the elderly that, to feel aiIve, they must feel young
And late hfe learnmg, mcludmg the work that you and I and others m thiS room have devoted
our hves to, contnbutes to that IllUSIOn
The psychologist Carl lung understood very well the danger of thiS IllUSIOn In hiS
claSSIC essay, "The Stages of Life" lung wrote
"Agmg people should know that their lIves are not mountmg and expandmg, but that an mexorable
mner process enforces the contractIOn of lIfe For a young person It IS almost a sm, or at least a
danger, to be too preoccuPIed with himself, but for the agmg person It IS a duty and a necessity to
devote senous attentIon to himself' (lung, 1971, p 17)
It IS thiS fundamental truth-fimtude--that must remam the baSIS for any questIOn
about "meamng" and late lIfe learnmg And It IS thiS truth about fimtude that IS so difficult
for the spmt of modernity to acknowledge Yet without remembenng It, I belt eve, It becomes
Impossible to Imagme the genume personal growth, the real transformatIOns that late hfe
learmng can make possible Jung speaks of such changes qUIte exphcltly
. The worst of It alliS that mteillgent and cultIvated people lIve their lIves without even knowmg
of the possibilIty of such transformatIons Wholly unprepared, they embark upon the second half
of lIfe Or are there perhaps colleges for forty-year-olds which prepare them for theIr commg lIfe
and ItS demands as the ordmary colleges mtroduce our young people to a knowledge of the world?
No thoroughly unprepared we take the step mto the afternoon of lIfe worse stIli, we take thiS step
with the false assumptIon that our truths and Ideals Will serve us as hitherto But we cannot lIve
the afternoon of lIfe accordmg to the programme of lIfe's mornmg, for what was great m the
mormng Will be lIttle at evenmg and what In the mornIng was true Will at evenIng have become
a lIe (Jung 1971 p 17)
The truths and Ideals of the mornmg of lIfe, alas, mclude our dommant conceptIOn
of what education IS all about Ifwe take lung serIously, we have to consider the possibilIty
that educatIOn Itself-mcludmg the much celebrated purSUit of "hfelong learnlllg"--can
Itself become a he The reason why the lIe perpetuates Itself IS that we have recycled our
eXlstmg mstttutlOns of higher learnmg-lectures, readmgs, diSCUSSions-to make them
acceSSible to the elderly What we have not done IS to thlllk through the ratlOnale--the
meanmg, If you wlll--oflate hfe learnlllg m the first place Thus, the educatIOnal enterprIse
still remams, not a college for seventy year aids or even forty year aids, but a college for
twenty year aids