The image of passive elderly people is a thing of the past. At the University of Cologne, researchers are investigating how elderly people learn. Whether in university programs for senior citizens or in self-organized groups – when it comes to learning new things, people in later life are much more self-determined than they used to be.
There Is No Age Limit
A new language, soft skills or an entire study program: people can learn until old age.
by Sebastian Grote
Barbara Maubach could simply enjoy her free time, looking back on a successful education and an even more successful career. And yet, she often reserves Sundays for studying in her schedule. »On Mondays I go to the university and I want to be informed for the discussion,« she says. Maubach lives in Cologne and is retired. In 2003, she enrolled at the university as a senior citizen student for the first time. Currently she is attending a working group and a project group on images of aging in literature and film. Students decide for themselves what they want to read and discuss. But a certain amount of pressure can arise when they decide to make a protocol of their discussion results to post on the project group’s website. »Still, today I no longer have to prove anything to anybody and there are no exams that I have to pass,« says Maubach. »The only person I have to prove anything to is me.«
Last winter semester, 875 guest auditors over the age of 50 were enrolled at the University of Cologne. Their motives are quite diverse. Some would like to try something entirely different after their professional careers: after spending many years in the laboratory, a biologist is discovering her passion for art history. A retired teacher of German is learning about the challenges the globalized economy is facing today. Some participants use this opportunity to pursue the hobbies and passions of their youth in a more professional way. For Barbara Maubach, however, the subject matter is not entirely new. In her first university career, she majored in literature. She finds that a lecture on the literature of the twentieth century today is not entirely different from what it was in her day. What has changed, however, is the way she learns. »In seminars, I used to sit all the way at the back and hardly ever spoke,« she recalls. »Today I enjoy exchanging sophisticated ideas with others and discovering new things. I perceive myself in an entirely different way.«
Intelligence develops until old age
Maubach’s experience is typical of a new understanding we have of learning in later life. »In society, an image of active and productive aging is becoming more and more prevalent,« says Dr. Miriam Haller, the academic coordinator of the university’s senior citizen study program and an expert in aging sciences. She emphasizes that today, many older people play an active role in society – in professional and in private life. The hypothesis that intelligence decreases in later life has been refuted. Looking at the development of our learning potential, we have to distinguish between fluid and crystallized intelligence. Fluid intelligence reaches its peak in early adulthood and determines, among other things, how fast we can process information. Crystallized intelligence, in turn, develops until old age like a patina. It encompasses our experiences and the knowledge we gained over the course of our lives – things like social intelligence or languages that we learned. In that sense, the increase in one form of intelligence compensates for the loss of the other. The old saying »You can’t teach an old dog new tricks« turns out to be wrong. People can learn new things until old age. Haller is convinced: »There is no age limit.« What changes in many cases, however, is error tolerance. »Older people are often very critical toward themselves. They take it much more seriously when they make a mistake than a younger person would. That is why it is didactically important to encourage them and to create an atmosphere in which errors are acceptable. «
Aging research is no longer just research about older people. Rather, they are actively involved in the development of new models. Today we have a large proportion of older people, so developing new ideas for how we can live together is more important than ever. Demographic change makes it necessary for us to learn new things – independent of our age. Among other things, people should learn in order to get involved in their communities – by volunteering or organizing neighborhood activities. Demands such as these are increasingly also being voiced by policy makers. One problem they hope to allay is isolation and loneliness in old age. When family members move away and people do not have hobbies they share with others, community networks can fill the gap. This sounds very promising for all involved sides. But social expectations may not entirely match what individual people are interested in learning. In the Immigrath neighborhood of the German town Langenfeld, around thirty women and men meet at the Café am Wald. They are here for a meeting of their ZWAR group. ZWAR stands for »Zwischen Arbeit und Ruhestand« – Between Work and Retirement. It is a kind of bazar for pastime activities, bringing together people aged 55 and over. They meet to play cards or to learn a language, but they also organize political activities in the community. Today, everyone is looking at a blackboard on which different notes are pinned: one informs about upcoming bowling dates, another one about a planned field trip to a shoe factory. People are engaged in lively discussion. Someone calls from a corner: »I still need at least six people for archery.« His voice is lost in the general bustle. At the other end of the room, the list for the summer party is being passed around. The two volunteer moderators call for quiet and ask if anyone else would like to offer an activity. After an hour, everyone leaves with a full schedule. Some go on for a drink together.
Avoiding the stuffiness of clubs
Researchers at the University of Cologne analyzed 103 ZWAR networks in North Rhine-Westphalia. Anne Löhr from the Center for Aging Studies (CEfAS) sums up the results: »These groups overcome the image of elderly people as passive recipients of offers. Members of these networks are called upon to organize themselves, which is, in fact, something many people have to get used to at first.« That is why the central ZWAR coordination office in Dortmund offers workshops on topics such as moderation and conflict resolution. What is special about these groups is that they are generally not affiliated with any institution. Municipalities support the founding of ZWAR networks, but then they are on their own. The concept does not envision anyone who organizes a program that participants can passively consume. In contrast to clubs, there is no set of rules and no board or assembly. Participants democratically decide what they want to do with the network. That way, ZWAR networks also reach out to people who do not care to join religious congregations or bowling clubs. But does this concept really create more community involvement? How does this sort of network change the people who participate in it? And since there are no clear-cut rules – what happens when conflicts arise?
With the help of surveys and group interviews, the researchers involved in the study found out how ZWAR networks affect the participants’ personalities. »We noted that people developed new social and communicative skills,« says Löhr. By becoming actively involved in the group, they developed a more positive image of their age. Participants found it easier to organize activities, resolve conflicts or speak in public. Many were surprised that they developed the courage to do things they never would have done before. Thus the important thing is not only what participants learn, but also how they learn it.
ZWAR networks neither have hierarchies nor statutes. It is easy to overcome one’s inhibitions and offer an activity. On the other hand, this openness and lack of rules can also lead to conflicts. Löhr thinks: »For many people it is difficult at first to deal with the plethora of opinions. In some cases, they decide not to get involved after all.« But the study shows that most people accept the risk of conflict and, in the end, get along fine with others.
A second neighborhood
The question remains whether ZWAR networks do, in fact, encourage people to get involved in community or volunteer work. »We cannot unequivocally confirm this,« says Löhr. At the beginning, the reasons for joining a network are generally hedonistic: most people simply want to enjoy other people’s company and the various activities. »Still, ZWAR networks do promote community involvement beyond the network,« she adds. The study shows that networks tend to attract people who are already involved in volunteer work in the first place. Participation in the ZWAR network simply amplifies this involvement.
The success of ZWAR networks certainly depends to a large degree on the members’ exceptional willingness to help. In the survey, many people said that they often support each other – for example driving each other to appointments, offering technical help or simply enjoying another person’s company. In contrast to traditional courses or lectures, people continue to exchange ideas outside the offered events. Participants who would otherwise not have come in contact now support each other. However, this community involvement tends to stay in the group. Thus, the ZWAR networks are like a second neighborhood – a neighborhood that is independent of geographical boundaries. A neighborhood based on voluntariness. A neighborhood in which people are willing to learn new things. In other words: nothing is a must, but everything is an enrichment.