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Second Chance for Seniors is a program designed to address the
literacy learning needs of older adults. Since May 1997, the Seniors’
Education Centre at University of Regina Extension has housed this
unique project. It is funded by a special endowment made possible
through a generous bequest of the late Eva Bassett (Pook) of Toronto
matched by the National Literacy Secretariat. Older adults ranging in
age from 50 to 85 years participate as learners and as peer tutors.
The tutor training provides information about special accommodations
for older adult learners who may have sight, hearing or memory loss,
as well as mobility challenges. Peer tutoring is just one component of
the Second Chance for Seniors program. The program staff are exploring
ways to address the gap between the large numbers of potential
learners in this age group and the low participation rate of older
adults in literacy programs. In Canada more than 1.6 million people
over the age of 65 perform at Literacy Levels 1 and 2 (low and very
low literacy skills) according to the International Adult Literacy
Survey (IALS), 1996. Many older adults do not identify literacy skill
development as a high priority. This may appear to be resistance to
learning or fear that they are too old. However, they may not realize
that they are not functioning at a level needed for them to cope with
everyday reading, writing and comprehension. Data from IALS indicates
that older Canadians overestimate their literacy skills. In fact, 67%
of seniors aged 65 and over who scored at Level 1 and 90.3 % who
scored at Level 2, believe that they possess good to excellent reading
skills. As a result, they may make serious mistakes by
misunderstanding important health or financial information. Through
Second Chance for Seniors, community learning groups have been
developed to reach older adults who are not accessing current peer
tutoring or other literacy programs, or who shy away from the term “literacy”.
The community learning groups focus on “keeping the mind active”
and creating a friendly relaxed approach to learning. In one
neighbourhood, at Al Ritchie Health Action Centre in the Regina Health
District, seniors gather for monthly potlucks. Their focus, besides
sharing good food and friendship, is the production and distribution
of their community cookbook entitled Tried and True Recipes from Al
Ritchie Seniors. In cooperation with Regina Housing Authority, monthly
community learning programs are offered at two seniors
income-subsidized high-rises. These programs, called Something Old,
Something New, involve reading together, discussing the content, and
checking for comprehension on a variety of topics of interests. The “Something
Old” portion involves the use of old objects and stories about
the past to stimulate reminiscing. “Something New” looks at
various aspects of the world today, through current events, learning
about the new technologies, etc. The older adults are wonderful
storytellers who often have a rich past of experience to draw upon.
They are being encouraged to record their memoirs, independently or
with assistance. Older adults are learning and keeping their minds
active by practicing the basic skills of reading, writing, listening
and speaking. The motivation of older adults to improve literacy
skills is different from young single mothers or unemployed workers
who have many years of possibilities and challenges ahead of them.
Older adults may feel that it is really too late for them to take on a
rigorous schedule of training. Second Chance for Seniors supports
older adults in the belief that they are never too old to learn. Their
needs, interests, learning preferences and pace of learning are at the
heart of the program. * Diane Mullan is the literacy program
coordinator for Second Chance for Seniors, Seniors’ Education
Centre, University of Regina. She has worked in older adult education
since 1991. Diane is the producer of several documentaries about the
lives of older people, including “Never Too Old to Learn”, a
video about older adults and literacy. For more information about the
literacy program or the video please contact Diane Mullan at (306)
585-5847 or E-mail diane.mullan@uregina.ca Diane would especially like
to share ideas and resources with others who are working in older
adult literacy. |
