The starting point of all thinking about the past and our relation to the past must be that it is irreversible. This sounds almost ridiculously self-evident. Nevertheless it is exactly this fundamental characteristic which is creating the problems as well as the possibilities in the use of history. 

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.