Colección: La Educación
Número: (114) I
Año: 1993
POSSIBILITIES AND CONDITIONS OF INTEGRAL EDUCATION
FOR OLDER CITIZENS: A PEDAGOGIC PROPOSAL
Norma Liliana Tame
The purpose of this study is to discuss, from an educational perspective, the problem of the progressive aging of the population, in terms of the increase in the ratio of elderly people to the total population. The complexity of the demographic—political, economic, and sociocultural—implications and repercussions of this problem affects not only the over-sixty age group, but society as a whole. The study addresses the situation of older people in Argentina—particularly the subgroup of healthy or competent seniors who can continue to live independently and participate in social life—by demonstrating that: this subgroup represents a considerable proportion of that population; it is on the increase, according to the marked trend towards longer life expectancy at birth and at 60 and over; the full complexity of its current needs as a group has been neglected; people who manage to resolve their situation generally do so on their own; although it is recognized as a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary problem, a strictly educational approach has been lacking in the policies adopted. The working hypothesis applied is therefore that if life expectancy increases (to 75-80 years), there are 15 to 20 years of life “after 60” in which it is not only justified but essential that there be “spaces” where healthy elderly people can participate, reflecting a new approach to senior citizens based on multidisciplinary research (gerontology, psychology, sociology, and education).