Animism (erroneously believing inanimate objects are alive) is present in older adults (McDonald & Stuart-Hamilton, 2000). However, it is unclear if animism arises in later life or middle age. The current study tested 34 middle-aged adults (mean age 48 years) on Piaget's animism task and found a significant level of animism. Strength of…

This paper describes the delivery of action learning sets to students on the peer educator course provided by the Dementia Studies Department at University of Bradford. Our understanding of action learning sets is laid out together with our rationale for their use on this course. Feedback is presented that described a conflicted, even confused…

There has been recent international concern that the teaching of geriatrics may be in decline. Research has suggested that support for geriatrics in national undergraduate curricula is the key to effective delivery of teaching in the specialty. We set out to determine the geriatric medicine content in the U.K. generic curriculum, reviewing this in…

A survey of 322 British women found some uniformity of opinion about aging and coping with age-related changes. Their attitudes were largely pragmatic rather than pessimistic and they saw positive as well as negative aspects of aging. (SK)

Gerontology emerged as a discipline in America in the 1940s and 1950s. Since the 1950s, it has developed much more slowly in Britain. The study of gerontology generally aims to improve the knowledge base about the aged and the aging process in order to provide better qualified personnel and develop a more efficient delivery system to serve the…

The idea of the University of the Third Age (U3A) in the UK was originated from France. However, the British formed their own model of U3As, which is different from that of French U3As. What are the reasons that the British U3As developed in a different way? The purpose of this article is to interpret and criticize in-depth the reasons why British…

Includes "Education and Training for an Ageing Society" (Glendenning); "The Beth Johnson Foundation (BJF) and Beth Johnson Housing Association" (Flynn); "The BJF: A Quarter of a Century of Research with, for and about Older People" (Bernard); "The Foundation as a Learning Organisation" (Granville); and…

The elderly are a significant proportion of the population of the United Kingdom and have as much right to learn as any other age group. Therefore, their needs and interests must be understood in order that an appropriate response may be made. This research highlights some of their needs. (SSH)

A survey of older students received responses from 4,461 people aged 60 or over in four European countries: United Kingdom, West Germany, France, and Belgium. The questionnaire had three sections: students' background; information on study methods, time spent, organization of work, and use of study aids; and Approaches to Study Inventory (ASI).…

A 3 and a half year project explored the effectiveness of education in preparing nurses in the United Kingdom to meet the needs of older people and their carers within a multi-disciplinary, multi-agency context. It was comprised of comprehensive reviews of the relevant literature; an empirical study involving 781 student nurses and 855 qualified…

The special needs of older learners, rates of participation in learning by older adults in the United Kingdom, and areas in which older adults are in particular need of learning opportunities were examined, and 24 recommendations were developed to assist learning and skills councils across the United Kingdom in meeting those needs. The following…

This book contains nine papers on the development of education for older adults in the United Kingdom and Canada against the background of an aging population and the challenge of lengthening life expectancy. "Foreword" (David James) presents an overview of the book's contents and underscores the importance of motivation to learning in…