EUROPEAN PAPERS ON THE NEW WELFARE

5. The Presence of Educational Opportunities in the Country

An exploratory empirical study was carried out to analyse how effective the localisation of educational activities dedicated to the elderly was, especially those activities connected to the use of new communication technologies. These kinds of activities, if properly planned and well spread, can become crucial in stimulating participation on the part of people who enjoy a longer life span and within a service based economy in which information and communication through the new media are essential elements.

The field study was made up of two phases¹⁰:

• Qualitative research: semi-structured qualitative interviews with Public Relations Office operators in 9 Italian municipalities, equally distributed across Northern, Central and Southern Italy. The objective of this research phase was to explore, in the more general context the welfare policies adopted by the local authorities concerned, and their specific policies for adult education, initiatives for elderly education, among them those devoted to familiarisation with and use of the new media.

• Quantitative research: survey of the educational activities using a sample of Italian towns and the Universities of the Third Age (affiliated to the main Italian associations: Federuni, Auser, Unitre). The objective of this phase was to map (through the issue of a short questionnaire) the responses to the demand for education across Italy, produced by these institutions in the past year¹¹.

The sample was made up of 810 Italian towns (equal to about 10% of the total number of towns; for those chosen from each Region 40% was made up of towns with more than 20,000 inhabitants; 30% of those with between 5,000 and 20,000 inhabitants and the remaining 30% of towns with less than 5,000 inhabitants).

The University of the Third Age sample was made up overall of 220 universities distributed in such a way as to respect their territorial distribution by Region.

The questionnaire was sent by electronic mail to the Local Authorities and Universities and put by telephone where an email address was not available or was incorrect). There was a 63% response rate to the questionnaires issued.

From the interviews with the council operators it was found that over recent years there was, within the framework of policies directed at the elderly population, a kind of ‘third sector’ (Tramma, in Facchini ed., 2003) that related to the area of recreational, cultural and education needs. A sector, which, unlike the welfare, socio-sanitary or social assistance ones, is still not clearly delineated even today. This is partly due to the hard to identify and non generalisable needs, a subject which would require a more complete study of its own.

However, while on the one hand the interviewees reported a lack of adequate planning and operational guidelines and stated that recreational, cultural and educational programmes are inadequately structured, on the other the range of activities promoted in favour of the elderly seems fairly rich. Among the initiatives mentioned, either organised directly by the authorities, or sponsored or supported by them, it was possible to identify some main lines of action relating to formal, non formal or informal learning for seniors:

• Socially useful activities: the use of the elderly as volunteers (for example in environmental care projects).

• Activities of a cultural nature: film cycles (or free entry to film discussions) or theatre or music events.

• Management of or support for group activities:

• group recreation centres, social centres for the elderly;

• holiday trips;

• “Grandparents’ Day”, often associated with cultural initiatives with an intergenerational approach (grandparents-grandchildren).

• Courses:

• health related: motor activity, information sessions on prevention or on the correct use of medicines, information on home security;

• of a cultural-humanistic nature: courses on music, history of art, literature, decoupage, often held in the local public library;

• learning to use a computer and the Internet: usually series of meetings held in town council rooms or at the Universities of the Third Age or Auser. Their main objective is to teach a general digital literacy; some towns however, e.g. Desio, mention specific courses on how to use Public Administration online services.

Some initiatives mentioned by some of the Authorities are worthy of note. These typify the attention paid to digital literacy, particularly with reference to the elderly:

• the PAAS (public points of assisted access) found in towns in the Tuscany Region. In these a tutor assists individuals with their first computer experience;

• an awareness campaign to ensure that companies make redundant computers available to the elderly ( Tortona Municipality).

• The “Internet Saloon” project of the Associazione Interessi Metropolitani of Milan, a place where people over 60 have free access to workstations connected to the Web and are taught by tutors and university students how to surf the Net and use a-mail and various types of software.

From an analysis of the quantitative data, it is evident that there is room for the further development of the role of policies in creating activities that promote active ageing and support programmes for educating the elderly in, and familiarisation with, the new media. Of the total number of towns in the sample 67% of the authorities stated they had planned or promoted educational activities for the elderly. Of these 56% had also included periods of training in the use of the new technologies.

The panorama is marked by the presence of a variety of educational initiatives, but also by a strong territorial heterogeneity. While on the one hand it can be seen that they tend to be concentrated in the more densely inhabited areas (which can be interpreted as a positive factor), on the other they fail to cover less populated areas, small communities that lack the resources needed for independent action in this social field.

Figure 1

*Percentage of educational activities 100 being the total
*Percentage of educational activities for development of digital literacy 100 being the total

The clear differences between North, Centre and South also have to be pointed out. Considering the totality of learning activities for the elderly organised or promoted by the town councils in the sample it can be seen how 43.6% of these activities relate to towns in Northern Italy, 33.3% to towns in Central Italy, and 17.9% to towns in the South and the islands. The territorial differences across the peninsula are less marked however, if we consider the education programmes aimed at access to and use of the new communication technologies, in particular, on the part of the elderly. As can be seen from the map above, although the educational activities promoted by the public sector in Southern Italy are markedly fewer than those those in the rest of the country, many of them specifically relate to the development of digital literacy among the elderly.

From the Unified Conference (2000) between State and Local Authorities it emerged that an important role in planning educational programmes and analysis of the educational needs of the elderly population is played by the latter. For this reason the data obtained from municipalities have been grouped according to the Region to which they belong so as to to allow a more accurate view of the phenomenon.

Analysis of the data relating to programmes aimed at lifelong learning in general as well as to those relating specifically to educational programmes aimed at familiarising the elderly with the new media reveals that the territorial disparity referred to above is connected to the fact that the greatest part of those educational activities promoted by the public authorities in the sample take place in three large Northern Regions, Lombardy (12.1%), Veneto (12.1%) and Piedmont (7.3%).

Among Southern Regions (all of which report lower percentages relating to these activities) Sicily’s local authorities declared a relatively higher attention to educational activities aimed at the elderly population (6% of the total), and a considerable part of these initiatives concern the development of digital literacy¹².

With regard to the data gathered from the University of the Third Age sample some background should be given. Overall these institutions are very widespread across the country, though with significant differences: there are numerous universities promoted by Federuni in Veneto and Lombardy while Unitre has many in Piedmont and Lombardy. This phenomenon can be explained by the fact that Veneto, and more specifically Vicenza is where Federuni has its headquarters and where it began while Unitre was born in Turin where many of the universities affiliated to it began. It is then worthy of note that the universities affiliated to Auser are generally spread throughout Italy, many of them in the South. This confirms this association’s greater “popular” vocation. Its academic structures start life as small associations of the elderly which then join Auser in order to promote educational services such as the Universities of the Third Age¹³.

Students in the Universities of the Third Age generally have a medium-high cultural level and a feature common to all the universities is that many more women than men are enrolled. This last can be explained not only by the feminisation of old age, but also by other factors such as an educational need specific to women, the giving up of a cultural life when in their youth, and their current need for a more active social life (D’Ovidio in Facchini, 2003).

From our study on learning opportunities in the use of the new media directed at the elderly, it is interesting to note that most of the Universities of the Third Age declared that they had introduced courses in computer sciences and digital literacy development into their academic programmes in the last four years (from the 2003/04 academic year). Therefore they are relatively recent, but presumably have also come about because of the demand and interest, on the part of those enrolled, in knowing something ‘new’.

There is also, apparently, a perception, on the one hand that communication technologies have become a key factor in the society in which they live, and on the other that these tools may offer them benefits in functional, relational and identity terms.

The courses and educational activities offered by the Universities of the Third Age over these last four years have, however undergone some changes (in line with the speed of changes typical of the new media). They have gone from workshops and lessons on familiarisation with the computer and the main software, to internet surfing, and a wider application of new technologies, such as the use of the digital camera and photo management software, and e-commerce.

Figure 2

The above map confirms the already mentioned greater concentration of the Universities of the Third Age in some Italian Regions, but also the greater attention paid to the inclusion of education in the use of the new media within the range of training on, especially in Northern Regions (Lombardy: 24%, Piedmont: 12% and Veneto: 19%) and a relatively high level of attention on the part of the Universities of Central Italy (Lazio: 5.7% and Marche: 5.5%).

6. Concluding Reflections

According to the WHO active ageing “refers to the continuous participation in social, economic and cultural life and not only to the ability to participate actively in a work force. Active ageing sees the elderly as active participants in an age-integrated society” (2002). The above discussion allows us to approach new fields in education of the elderly and the lifelong learning experience. In this article lifelong learning has been considered a key element for supporting active old age and we have seen how the elderly have different knowledge needs, among them learning to use the new communication technologies, so as to make the most of the benefits they offer.

Some studies have shown that the elderly should not be considered more active or involved than adults: the extra time available to a retired person does not, of itself, make for a positive change in life style; nor, on the other hand is it true that ageing implies a systematic decline leading to a passive lifestyle. Much more consistent, instead is the role played by some individual variables such as the level of schooling, gender, the kinds of initiatives available in the territorial context (Facchini, 2003; 2005). Social policies, therefore must take an increasingly intergenerational approach, contributing thus to changes in the forms of co-existence between age groups, that can deeply affect the quality of people’s lives.

As previously observed, learning experience is possible even in advanced age, thanks to the plasticity of the elderly brain which is capable of cognitive strategies based on previous experience. Personal experience, which is often prejudicially considered a nostalgic attachment to the past, can, instead be of fundamental importance and be enhanced through education and training in active citizenship.

Information and communication technologies have been the mainstay of the new service economy and this enhances the value of work based on the management of knowledge compared with that based on physical strength. Welfare thinking and policies on the future of the double helix of education-work therefore, will have to consider, and reckon with, the impact of the social adoption of new technologies on citizen lives.

Precisely because of the speed of economic, social and cultural transformations the educational-training model must begin to change, moving towards the provision of education over a much longer period of time.

The importance of lifelong learning processes clearly emerges, as evidenced also by the growing interest shown at institutional level. Quoting Donati (2003) we can say the future perspective of social policies should also be framed in a pluri-social welfare model, greatly differentiated on the territorial level but firmly anchored in improving the competences and functions of the various spheres and players that interact in society.

From empirical studies (of an exploratory nature) it has been found that, although there are interesting initiatives in the promotion of education in the use of new technologies by the elderly, the provision by public authorities in creating and managing activities encouraging lifelong learning and stimulating an active ageing approach, is by no means uniform and is found only in some Regions. It has to be said, however, that data obtained in this way should not be read as completely negative. ISTAT data¹⁴ in fact suggest that within the country the number of people over 65 is higher in the Centro-North Regions, where the offer of educational initiatives for the elderly is actually concentrated.

In the above scenario the Universities of the Third Age take on a central role in offering educational activities for the elderly. They have shown very positive signs that in a society increasingly based on the use of technologies they keep up with the times when designing their courses. Even these universities, however, demonstrate a similar uneven territorial distribution that could certainly be improved.

Moreover, a general note of criticism on some of these institutions is that they favour the needs of a certain category of users at expense of others less literate (Ripamonti, 2005). In the case of these latter groups a more appropriate strategy would be to set up initiatives promoting cultural awareness, the pleasure of learning and the benefits that the use of the new media and the Web can bring to the quality of life of the elderly.

10 The choice of setting up an empirical study with primary data was due to the fact that the secondary elaboration would have related to data which, despite their institutional character, were not available, were elaborated at an aggregated level, and therefore not easily interpreted and/or obtainable.
11 The survey was carried out in the months from June to September 2008 and related to the previous ‘year’ in the scholastic-academic sense, often adopted for educational initiatives, which generally means from the month of September till the month of July.
12 This fact should be considered with due caution in that it does not refer to activities noted objectively but as a result of s survey of public authority operators, and could have been conditioned by a bias relating to their perceptions.
13 Some studies (cf. D’Ovidio, in Facchini, 2003) have shown the differences concerning the types of offer proposed in the Universities of the Third Age courses and the elderly who attend these services. The universities associated with Unitre and also some of Federuni’s have above all educational aims and favour courses and workshops accompanied by lessons in high cultural level traditional subjects. The Auser universities and many of those associated with Federuni, instead, carry out a more socialisation as well as cultural function and so they include manual activities and those linked to the eldery person’s free time.
14 On 1 January 2006 the old age indices are 161.3 for the Northwest, 155.4 for the Northeast and 161.8 for the Centre. These indices are lower for the South and the Islands where they are respectively 106.9 and 116.5. Source: ISTAT- www.istat.it/salastampa/comunicati/non_calendario/20070430_00/testointegrale.pdf

References

Adler, R.P. (2002): The Age meets the Technology Wave: Broadband and Older Americans, People & Technology, Seniornet (www.seniornet.com).

Allario, M. (2003): I nuovi anziani: interessi e aspettative, Franco Angeli, Milano.

Bosio, A.C. (1992): I nuovi anziani e la cultura della salute in Italia, Franco Angeli, Fondazione Smith Kline, Milano.

Cagiano de Azevedo, R. and Cassani, B. (2005): “Invecchiamento e svecchiamento demografico: ricadute sociali”, Quaderni Europei sul Nuovo Welfare, n. 2, pp. 47-63.

Cesa-Bianchi, M. (2003): Giovani per sempre? L’arte di invecchiare, Edizioni Laterza.

Cody, M.J., Dunn, D., Hoppin, S., and Wendt, P. (1999): “Silver Surfers: Training and Evaluating Internet Use among Older Adult Learnerst”, Communication Education, 48, pp. 269-286.

Demetrio, D. (2000): Introduzione, in L’educazione degli adulti, Tramma, S., Guerini Studio.

D’Ovidio, M. (2003): Le Università della terza età in Lombardia. Tipologie, caratteristiche, rapporto con il territorio, in Facchini (a cura di).

Donati, P. (2003): Sociologia delle politiche familiari, Carrocci, Roma.

Facchini, C. and Rampazi M. (2006): “Generazioni anziane tra vecchie e nuove incertezze”, Rassegna Italiana di Sociologia, n. 1, gennaio-marzo.

Facchini, C. (a cura di) (2003): Invecchiare: un occasione per crescere, Franco Angeli, Milano.

Facchini, C. (a cura di) (2005): Anziani e sistemi di welfare. Lombardia, Italia, Europa, Franco Angeli, Milano.

Fisk, A., Rogers, W.A., Charness, N., Czaja, S.J. Sharit, J. (2004): Designing for older adults: principles and creative human factors approaches, Hardcover, NY.

Fox, S. (2004): Older Americans and the Internet, Washington DC, Pew Internet and American Life Project, www.pewinternet.org.

Giarini, O. (2000): “An Ageing Society? No, a Counter Ageing Society!”, the Four Pillars, Geneva Association Information Letter, Ginevra.

Katz, J.E., Rice, R.E. (2002): Social Consequences of Internet Use: Access, Involvement and Expression, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.

Lenhart, A., Horrigan, J.B. (2003): “Re-Visualizing the Digital Divide As a Digital Spectrum”, IT and Society, 1(5), 23-39.

Livraghi, G. (2000): L’umanità dell’internet. Le vie della rete sono infinite, Hops Edizioni, edizione online: