A Comment on the Councils on the Ageing (COTA) State of the (Older) Nation 2018 Report

The PASCAL International Observatory has a strong interest in learning in later life which was recently reflected in a report entitled Towards good active ageing for all in a context of deep demographic change and dislocation [1], produced by the PASCAL and PIMA SIG on Learning in Later Life.

While PASCAL welcomes the recent Councils on the Ageing (COTA [2]) report on the State of the (Older) Nation 2018 [3] which provides valuable information on the values and attitudes of older Australians to key issues involved in ageing, we are, however, concerned that education and learning has not been included in this analysis. The continued neglect of lifelong learning in policy for good active ageing poses a barrier to effective strategic responses to the main issues identified in the COTA survey: health, sense of identity and meaning in life, and employment in later years.

These questions have been taken up in the PASCAL/PIMA SIG report which is focussed on the twin challenges posed by demographic change with ageing populations and the looming Fourth Industrial Revolution with revolutionary changes in digital technologies associated with artificial intelligence, robotics, and biotechnologies. The cumulative impact of these radical changes is changing the world that older Australians have known, and which has given meaning and a sense of purpose to their lives. This points to the need for a new paradigm and policy framework for good active ageing which includes learning in later life, as well as the subjects given priority in your report: health, sense of identity and contribution to society, and employment in a context of on-going change in labour markets.

The PASCAL/PIMA SIG report attempts to open up these subjects for discussion while recognising the need for further analysis and discussion. A key point is that an ethical and moral framework is required for good active ageing that addresses the needs of older Australians while also building good sustainable communities that support and enhance active ageing. The report builds on the work on the World Health Organizationfgvghb on active ageing and adds inclusion, happiness, citizenship, and employability to the three pillars (participation, health, security) identified by the WHO.

The SIG report provides examples from Germany, Japan, Australia, UK, New Zealand, Korea, Beijing China, and Taiwan of approaches to providing learning opportunities for seniors.  These approaches range across community learning centres, dedicated institutions for seniors, and learning cities. While learning cities are growing strongly, in East Asia in particular, there is only one learning city in Australia as a member of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities.

The full COTA State of the (Older) Nation 2018 report, a summary and infographic are featured below and attached...

For more information, please visit the COTA website [2].

Peter Kearns
PASCAL International Observatory Board