Growing Old in a New Age Growing Old in a New Age
Tips: Use the Telecourse in Different Settings
Contents
Individuals and families report that viewing the series on cable or via PBS programming has increased their understanding of aging. Older adults have viewed the series with friends and discussed segments that apply to their own lives. Baby boomers seeking to anticipate the needs of their parents and understand more about their own aging process report that the series helped them in these goals. Because each program is dense with information, viewers often tape the episodes in order to review interesting sections at a later time. Viewers with a general interest in the demographic aging revolution have gained background information with which to greet the 21st Century. Our lives, our family's lives, our businesses, our nation, and most aspects of society will be affected by the demographic changes that are upon us.
The series is designed for college and university use, however, the programs on Myths and Realities of Aging, Learning, Memory and Speed of Behavior, Family and Intergenerational Relationships, and The Future of Aging could be appropriately used in high school social studies courses. At the college/university level, the series is used as a telecourse with distance or asynchronous learning. Faculty and students may communicate electronically only or instructors may introduce in-class sessions as well. The keys to successful telecourse instruction are organization of the material and effective communication between faculty and students. Some instructors use the series to provide audiovisual components in their standard in-class teaching of aging. Individual programs have provided a base for workshop development for non-credit courses and continuing education programs. Reports from faculty indicate that the series is used at the lower- and upper-division undergraduate levels, at the graduate level, and for professional certification programs. Contact Annenberg Media (telephone: 1 800 LEARNER) for information about licensing Growing Old in a New Age as a college-level telecourse for distance learners.
A variety of community agencies, including retirement complexes, assisted living settings, senior centers, Area Agencies on Aging, State Units on Aging, and other community agencies providing services to older adults have used the telecourse. Uses range from discussion groups in retirement complexes to workshops in senior centers and training of staff in community agencies. Groups often tailor their presentations to their own settings using some suggestions from the telecourse text, study guide, or faculty guide.
The American Association of Retired Persons, a non-profit organization, used the series to train personnel their national office in Washington, DC. AARP developed workshops and associated materials to accompany each video and scheduled a 16-week series that personnel were invited to attend. Evaluation research showed that the series was well-received by staff and that participants showed significant shifts in increased positive attitude toward elders as a result of the workshops and videos.
Many businesses are now interested in the older adult market as the population of individuals with increased discretionary spending potential increases. The series could offer training of staff in businesses dealing with older adults such as banks, retail establishments, and insurance agencies. Nearly every business will be affected by growing numbers of older adults. Corporate executives seeking to retain and retrain experienced employees and better understand the potential of their older staff members for full or part-time emploment could gain valuable information from the series. Corporate preparation of employees for retirement programs that employ selected programs in Growing Old in a New Age would aid in opening doors to a successful retirement.
The series has been viewed in Malaysia and New Zealand and used academically in Australia. Feedback from these users suggests that much of the series content is universal to the aging experience and therefore relevant to their culture (less true for Malaysia). For English-speaking countries and nations where English is a second language, the series provides much salient information about aging. Aspects of the series that are strongly based in American culture and government systems provide interesting discussion and comparison to the culture and government systems of the home country. Because aging is a worldwide phenomenon sweeping both developed and developing countries, many segments of the series are relevant to most nations. Ageing International (September 1993) suggested that the following programs were especially appropriate for international use: Myths and Realities of Aging, How the Body Ages, Maximizing Physical Potential in Older Adults, and Love, Initmacy, and Sexuality. For further information on international distribution of the series, contact Annenberg Media (telephone 1 800 LEARNER).
Telecourse Team
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