The issue of the engagement of universities with civil society, and inevitably within this with their local communities, is a generic concern internationally. All over the world we observe a huge emphasis being placed on the encouragement of a new set of relationships between universities and their communities. However, whilst we may represent this as a global trend, accelerated perhaps by an exchange of experiences and processes of policy imitation, the form of engagement retains considerable variation.

We argue that adult and community learning provides untold opportunities across a range of parameters and locations to support optimal ageing – for societies, for organisations, for communities, families and individuals. We also argue that understanding the new demography and the impact of ageing societies in other areas such as public health, including opportunity and direct costs, will broaden and enhance the perspective of policy-makers and practitioners involved in adult and community learning.