The role of the older adults' education in the processes ofreducing their social exclusiveness

Abstract

Education of the older adults has an important role in the processes of reducing their social exclusiveness. Through education the number of social support sources would increase and at the same time education would encourage different dimensions of social support, for it offers the elderly social companionships, emotional, instrumental and informational support. The authors state that the offer of education for the elderly in Slovenia has improved in the last two decades while the participation of the elderly has declined between 1987 and 2004. The data of three researches show fewer barriers that would deter elderly from education in the year 1998 and even fewer in the year 2004 in comparison with the data in the year 1987 – which could mean that their participation in the education process would increase with the various educational offer. Education for the elderly will have to be designed differently; this presumption is based on findings from 2004 research which show that the elderly would most frequently enrol in education because of companionship.