Newfoundland - Learning Options for Seniors

Newfoundland - Learning Options for Seniors

Notes from the SC 2007 Conference - Atlantic Canada Seniors’ Learning Models

by Del Evans - Seniors College of PEI, board member

Presenter: Elaine Healey - NFLD (MUN)

Various organizations are involved with life-long learning and have programs for seniors including the Seniors Resource Centre of Newfoundland & Labrador that offers a variety of general interest programs. Older adults prepare programs consisting of small classes on varied topics, i.e., weather/climate, archaeology, land settlement, computers. Facilitators are retired teachers/professors. Duration is 8-10 weeks at a charge of $80/course. Cost recovery programs are necessary. College of the North Atlantic is also offers a continuing education program .

Memorial University offers Life Long Learning by utilizing a Student-Senior Connection program. Students, either with degrees or seeking one, are paired with seniors for a one-on-one instruction, particularly in computers. They visit seniors at home, set up computers and instruct in use of programs. Courses also offered at Senior housing. Promotes social interaction as well as knowledge sharing.

Fabulous at 50+Program (many participants are 70+) offers a variety of day courses: photography (digital and film), bridge, art classes, rug hooking, accordion, fiddle, singing, languages (French, Spanish and Chinese) among others.

Courses offered to seniors are primarily in the St. John’s area. They are now seeking out-reach programs.

New Brunswick - Learning Options for Seniors

Notes from the SC 2007 Conference - Atlantic Canada Seniors’ Learning Models

by Del Evans - Seniors College of PEI, board member

Presenter: Beth Paynter - NB (UNB)

Programs for 50+ are community-based. There are:

• Service groups,
• Resource groups, and
• Senior organizations

who promote healthy living by improving quality of life by staying active through physical and mental exercise.

UNB has a No Limits Program which offers a variety of courses, (some in the evening), workshops, seminars and travel. The NB Museum offers guided tours. Kits of interest are loaned to those who are house-bound. Bounty of the Bay offers courses in marine sciences through Huntsman Marine Institute in St. Andrew's as well as UNB.

NB universities are varied in the tuition costs for 65+ seniors, from pay per course, to no course charge, to others offering rebates and bursary programs.

Stepping Stone Senior Centre in Fredericton, is under the umbrella of New Horizons which offers affordable programs. Talent and experiences are shared through book groups, games, exercise, dance, music, sociology, drama and computer learning.

The Université du 3e âge du Sud-Est Inc. (UTA) is a non-profit organization whose main objective is to help seniors acquire and maintain a good quality of life. While being self-governing, UTA is affiliated with Université de Moncton where its office is located. Its Board of Directors is made up of elected seniors, councillors from the Université de Moncton and representatives from seniors’ organizations.

Université du 3e âge was established in 1978, has 5 chapters and is both a Provincial and National Association. They promote informed discussions, research, advocacy, education and senior helping senior. Although senior enrolment is rising, they realize ‘Boomer’ needs are different, so have developed a 5 year action plan (strategy). ’Move or Rust’ is a training for exercising program. It was developed to encourage exercising by promoting aqua training and a physical education program. Two sessions are offered at $100/year which includes membership.

Nova Scotia - Learning Options for Seniors

Notes from the SC 2007 Conference - Atlantic Canada Seniors’ Learning Models

by Del Evans - Seniors College of PEI, board member

Presenter: Linda MacDonald - NS (St. Mary's University)

Described three models of learning:

• Formal,
• In-formal, and
• Non-Formal

Formal: University learning toward degree.

• St. Mary’s no longer offers free tuition for seniors (65+).
• All audit or credit courses are $600.00.
• Many other NS universities do not charge a tuition to seniors (65+) participating in audit or credit courses.
• Various Life-Long Learning partnership exist with universities in Nova Scotia.
• Leadership provided by a board.
• For most seniors, learning is primary and socialization is secondary.
• Indications are that ‘Boomers’ will demand more course selection.

In-formal: Incidental/casual learning from others.

• Halifax public library offers monthly lectures free to the public.
• Love of learning is gained by offering a variety of topics, i.e., current events or timely subjects of particular interest to seniors.
• Bus tours are part of the socialization for seniors.

Non-Formal: Centered around needs of individual communities and often structured for creativity, i.e., performing and/or visual arts and variety of crafts.

• Moderators are often volunteers.
• Elder Learners is a monthly, Saturday morning, three hour lecture series offered during fall and winter on St. Mary’s campus.
• Lectures are current events, civic education, culture, heritage, science.
• There is a membership fee and a charge for lectures which includes parking and lunch.

Life long learning is a investment in human capital development. Individuals help each other by building relationships. Statistics indicate that more women, (feminization of aging is primary cause), than men participate in formal classes with percentages as high as 90%=females, 10%=males. That said, other statistics indicate many men seem to be more comfortable in In-formal and Non-formal settings. Opportunities to meet and learn from other men by participating in hands-on courses, i.e., computers, repair/restore items and work in metal or wood shop projects are successful.

Closed with a description of the Three Domains of Learning:

• Cognitive = Head;
• Affective = Heart;
• Psycho-Motor = Hand

History of Seniors College of PEI by Olive Bryanton

SENIORS COLLEGE OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
CONCEPT/MODEL
Presented at Seniors College Conference – August 26 to 28, 2007
By Olive Bryanton


THE CONCEPT
The concept of a Seniors College was introduced by Dr. Thomy Nilsson Professor of Psychology and Principal Investigator for the PEI Centre for the Study of Health and Aging. He advanced the idea of a Seniors College as a component to a longitudinal cohort study, on how education affects cognitive decline, health care costs and the quality of life experienced by persons over the age of sixty‑five.

Thomy contacted me (Olive Bryanton) to discuss the idea, and in my position as Coordinator of the PEI Senior Citizens Federation I was able to bring a focus group of seniors together to see if there was interest in such a concept. This group confirmed there was indeed interest and enthusiasm so we began working on a funding proposal.

The proposal was submitted to the Knowledge Economy Partnership seeking financial support to conduct the study and to develop the Seniors College idea. The Centre on the Study of Health and Aging provided the lead with support from Health and Social Services, the PEI Association on Gerontology, the PEI Senior Citizens Federation and Veterans Affairs Canada. Thomy and I were invited to meet with a committee from the Knowledge Economy Partnership to provide more clarity and to answer any questions I responded to their questions around the Seniors College and Thomy responded to the questions around the proposed study.

Unfortunately we did not receive funding to enable a clinical trial study, but we were granted $20,000. to do a survey and develop a business plan, and to begin the process of establishing some kind of learning opportunity for older adults if the business plan indicated that such a concept would be viable.

THE PROCESS
Our first step was to learn as much as we could about starting a learning centre, so in April 1997 Thomy, myself (Olive Bryanton), 2 Board members from the PEI Centre on the Study of Health and Aging (Joan Walsh and Debbie Connolly) and one Board member from the Seniors Federation (Mary Gallant), attended the Northeast Regional Conference of “Institutes for Learning in Retirement” in Amherst Massachusetts.

This conference was sponsored by Elderhostel Institute Network and hosted by Five Colleges Learning in Retirement. The topics included:

• How Adults Learn: Many Roads to Success,
• Getting Members Involved and Encouraging New Leaders,
• How to Develop a Good Course for the ILR Setting, Courses That Work!,
• Who Does What?: Volunteer and Staff Roles (one of the presentations for this category was given by Carolynn Rafman & Joan Walker, MILR, McGill University),
• Appreciating Peer Learning,
• Membership and Marketing,
• The Goldilocks Debate: What size is "just right" for an ILR?.

This conference proved to be extremely beneficial because many of the sessions dealt with how to start an Institute for Learning in Retirement and others dealt with course development, marketing, etc. We each attended different sessions and between us we gathered a lot of information and returned home armed with supportive materials, enthusiasm and motivation.

In May 1997 we hosted an information meeting about Institutes for Learning in Retirement and approximately 20 to 25 people attended the meeting. From that meeting seven people indicated an interest in helping to explore the possibility of establishing some type of learning opportunities for seniors on PEI.

On June 23, 1997 our first formal Steering Committee Meeting was held with 10 people in attendance. Following a discussion and agreement on process the following people were selected as the Executive:

• Olive Bryanton as Chairperson,
• Ron and Daphne Irving as Recorders, and
• Thomy Nilsson as Treasurer.

Others involved at that first meeting were: Bernice Bell, Roger Black, Jim Fraser, Pat Malone, Carl Mathis and Libby Smith. This group grew at the second meeting with the following people adding their expertise Connie Auld, David Boswell, Mary Gallant and Henry Purdy. A discussion by the Steering Committee around a name resulted in the name Seniors College of Prince Edward Island being agreed upon.

The need for the assistance of a staff person had been identified at the first meeting and a draft of the job description, hiring criteria and suggested questions for applicant interviews were adapted. Thomy met with university personnel to establish procedures for advertisement of the position on the campus. In December 2007 we hired Anna MacDonald for two days per week and she worked out of the office of the Centre for the Study of Health and Aging on Tuesday and Thursday’s.

To help with the process a business plan was required and consultant Gerry Gallant was hired to conduct a survey to gauge the interest of seniors and the viability of establishing the Seniors College. The information gathered would also be used to develop a business plan. The Executive work closely with Gerry during the process. A telephone survey of 200 seniors within commuting distance from UPEI indicated that such a concept would be a viable venture and a business plan was developed.

The most popular subject areas were computer, hobbies and special interests, followed by health, history and cultural studies. The most convenient times of day, days of week and season of the year for respondents were as follows: Winter/fall were equally most preferred semesters as first choices, and fall was preferred as second choice. Monday and Tuesday were preferred first day choices, with Thursday and Tuesday as second choices. Fifty-one percent had no preference for which day of the week. There were no strong preferences for time of day with 28% preferring morning between 10:00 AM and noon. The second choice revealed lunch time between 12 Noon and 2 PM as most preferable.

The survey attempted to identify any barriers that might prevent participation by seniors at a Seniors College. Eighty-two percent indicated they would have no barriers and 18% indicated a variety of barriers. Hearing was the highest barrier noted with a 30% mention. Transportation was noted by 17% as a barrier.

The Business Plan recommended that a logo be developed creating a unique identity for the College and should be designed to be utilized in all College literature, brochures, mailings, course materials and membership kits. A logo designed by Ron and Daphny Irving was adopted by the Steering Committee.

A brochure was developed describing the College and its programs and was utilized in the direct mail outs and distributed through out various medical offices and facilities, government offices, community centers, recreational facilities, libraries, and other public locations. The Business Plan suggested that a key factor in the launch of the College would be the interest generated in its first course offerings, thus, the Curriculum Committee were very diligently. The plan also provided governance suggestions.

The objectives for the first year were:

• To establish an administrative and partnership relationship with the UPEI
• To have an active and functioning Board with productive committees.
• To establish 1998 fall and winter sessions with a minimum of two course offerings each semester
• To recruit 100 members in the first full year of operations.
• To become a recognized and visible entity on Prince Edward Island.
• To become a recognized and visible entity on the UPEI campus.

Long Term Objectives were:

• To develop and maintain three semesters of course offerings to 200 members.
• To establish outreach programs
• To become fully self-sustaining without reliance on sponsorship.
• To establish linkages and networks with other similar colleges and institutes.
• To collaborate with UPEI when appropriate to host a summer program inviting Prince Edward Island visitors to be participants.
• To collaborate with UPEI when appropriate to sponsor an educational conference with a focus on seniors education.

In early August I was interviewed on CBC’s Maritime Noon about our desire to establish a Seniors College which resulted in Sheila Laidlaw from the Third Age Centre at St Thomas University in New Brunswick contacting me. She shared with us a report they had just completed entitled “Seniors Education Centre Report”

In August 1997 a day was set aside to formulate a mission statement, and to develop goals and objectives for the College. This day was facilitated by Morley Pinsent. To further help us we invited Sheila Laidlaw from the Third Age Centre at St. Thomas which brought another perspective to our thinking.

Other activities that were occurring simultaneous including meetings with Vice President John Crossley regarding affiliating the Seniors College with UPEI, meetings with the Director of Extension and Summer Sessions, Bill Robertson to develop a working relationship with UPEI and to help forward our Memorandum of Understanding. Ongoing research around other learning opportunities for seniors was helping us decide the model we wanted for our Seniors College. One of our contacts was the Elderhostel Institute Network (an affiliate of Institutes for Learning in Retirement) to inform them of our plans and to seek assistance. Their reply was enthusiastically welcoming and included valuable information and materials.

After much deliberation it was agreed that the Seniors College of Prince Edward Island would be affiliated with UPEI but would be an autonomous membership based, peer governed organization. A Board of Directors would be the governing body and courses would be facilitated by peers. By-Laws and Constitution was developed and the Memorandum of Understanding was reviewed and revised and presented to the University by Bill Robertson our liaison.

We signed our first Memorandum of Agreement with the University on July 8, 1998. This agreement includes responsibilities for both the Seniors College and the University and they are in part as follows:

The responsibilities the University agreed to include:

• The services of a part-time (1/3 person year) Coordinator to provide general management and administrative support.
• Adequate classroom space and associated facilities for study groups and classes.
• Recognition that the members of the Seniors= College are non-credit students of UPEI
• Appropriate marketing and promotion services through the Department of Extension
• Space for Seniors College Board and committee meetings and social events.
• The cooperation and assistance of the Director of Extension and other personnel at the Department.
• Liability insurance coverage under the UPEI insurance program for Seniors College and University jointly sponsored on-campus and off-campus activities.

The Responsibilities the Seniors College of Prince Edward Islands agreed to include:

• To provide UPEI with an education program and forum for older adults to share mutual interests in intellectual stimulation, cultural enrichment, and volunteer opportunities.
• To support UPEI's educational and cultural initiatives and it=s efforts to promote its community ties and build community support.
• To abide by the rules and regulations of UPEI and to be responsible for policy and to communicate any policy changes to UPEI officials.
• To coordinate Seniors College daily activities and programs at UPEI through the Coordinator and to liaise with the University by having an Extension Department representative as an ex-officio member on the Board of the Seniors College.
• To collaborate with the University to develop and deliver tourism-related learning opportunities for mutual benefit of the Seniors College and UPEI.
• To reimburse UPEI at the rate of $50 per course per student, plus $60 of the membership fee to defray the cost of services, facilities and supplies provided by UPEI.

The agreement was signed by Dr Elizabeth Epperly President of UPEI and Olive Bryanton as Chairperson of the Steering Committee of the Seniors College of PEI

In a press release announcing the launching of the Seniors College on September 1998 it was stated that AUPEI is pleased to partner with community groups in the fulfilment of learning needs, as stated by Dr. Lawrence E. Heider and Dr. John Crossley, as UPEI supports the involvement and leadership of seniors in the planning and delivery of education programs designed for seniors.

The three non-credit courses chosen for this semester were:

• Genealogy,
• Getting to know your Brain, and
• Beginners Computer.

On December 9, 1998 a special event was held to recognize the first students to complete courses through the Seniors College. Dr Lawrence Heider Acting President of UPEI presented the certificates.

By-Laws and Constitution were developed by David Boswell and Dale Maddock and the first Annual meeting of the Seniors College of Prince Edward Island was held May 27, 1999. By this time we were in our third semester and had offered 12 courses.

At the first Annual meeting on May 27, 1999 a 12 member Board of Directors was elected by the membership

• Olive Bryanton was the first President,
• Ron Irving the 1st Vice President,
• Inga Blackett - Secretary and
• Bruce Garrity - Treasurer.

Other members of the first Board of Directors were:

• Greg Hughes,
• Connie Auld,
• Bruce Barrett,
• Bernice Bell,
• Mary Gallant,
• Mary Beth Harris,
• Dale Mattock, and
• Libby Smith.
• Bill Robertson, Director of Extension & Summer Sessions was ex-offico, as was
• Thomy Nilsson, who was considered our mentor.

As the number of courses began to grow a Facilitators Handbook was developed to provide guidelines for new course facilitators. Bruce Garrity took the lead in the development of this handbook.

We held a very successful brainstorming meeting in July at Dale Mattocks home. We invited a number of retired folks from UPEI to pick their brains and to seek advice. This proved to be a very positive meeting with a great flow of ideas and a great start to building a positive relationship with some of our retired faculty.

We made positive changes to our fee structure - membership fee was changed to $100.00 per year and entitled students to take as many of our full semester courses as they could fit into their schedule.

Course facilitators was another issue - it was becoming clear that we are asking too much of people to expect them to teach courses on a volunteer basis. Therefore, we looked at offering a small honorarium to help cover the cost of travel.

We developed a Seniors College Web Site which could be accessed through UPEI's home page. We purchased our own display board which was useful for attending trade fairs or workshops. We also purchased our own colour printer which was used for small batch items that need to be printed in colour.

In 1999 Rita Saunders became our Coordinator. Rita worked with Extension and Summer Sessions and I think she had the Seniors College added on as extra duties.
Without her I don't know what we would do, she thinks of all the minute details and is always smiling and willing to help in any way possible - in fact you can even tell by her voice on the phone that she is smiling.

Bill Robertson, Ian MacDonald and Olive Bryanton reviewed and revised the memorandum. Bill met with Vianne Timmonds, Vice President Academic to advise her of the pending changes and for her input. Bill, Ian and Olive then met with Vianne to further refine the agreement. The major changes in the Memorandum of Agreement were:

• the amount of money the university received
• the Seniors College will need to hire its own staff person (see new MOU).

These changes enabled the Seniors College to be more independent.

On October 1, 2001 International Day of Older Persons, the 2nd Memorandum of Agreement was signed by Olive Bryanton, President of Seniors College and Wade MacLauchlan, President of UPEI. Ron Irving, 1st Vice President, of Seniors College oversaw the signing and Connie Auld, Board Archivist, took pictures for our history. Pictures were also taken by the University Public Relations department.

The Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island was invited to become patron of the Seniors College of Prince Edward Island and he graciously accepted our invitation. He wanted to be more than a name on stationary and invited our Board members and spouses or a guest to dinner at Government House.

On October 13, 2001 at our 3rd Annual meeting my term as President was completed and Ron Irving capably fulfilled the role of President.

The College is a membership-based, self-directed organization and that means members have a right to decide what courses and other activities occur and a responsibility to help ensure those courses and activities happen.

The Seniors College belongs to the membership and its possibilities are as broad as their imaginations.

The successive Boards of Directors have continued to build the Seniors College of PEI and you will hear more about the progress and achievement from my colleagues.

In closing I agree with Art Linkletter’s quote of February 2007 when he said:

“The Seniors College of Prince Edward Island has proven to be a rare gem and successful model for communities throughout North America"

Seniors College holds 2007 AGM

Charlottetown, PEI
Saturday - October, 20 2007

Outgoing president of Seniors College, Dr. Kinsey Smith, reported to the annual meeting on Saturday at UPEI that there had been a solid year of growth for the organization which now has about 500 members and programs offered in Alberton, Summerside and Charlottetown.

The new executive includes Ian Scott, president; Joe Revell, vice president; Julie Dowling, Secretary; and Beth Cudmore, treasurer. New members joining the board included Douglas Boylan and Paul Kelly.

During the year a regional conference was held at UPEI with forty representatives from seven provinces attending, all interested in the "learning in retirement" model. TV star Art Linkletter recently congratulated the organization, "The Seniors College of Prince Edward Island has proven to be a rare gem and successful model for communities throughout North America."

The organization's website is upei.ca/seniorscollege and contact numbers are 894-2867 Charlottetown and 436-9575 in Summerside.

Exchange of knowledge highlights conference on seniors' learning

KATIE SMITH
The Guardian - August 30, 2007

Ian Scott, left, of Seniors College P.E.I., Meddie Aikens of McGill Institute for Learning in Retirement, and Bruce Garrity, co-ordinator, chat at the Regional Conference 2007, Peer-Learning Opportunities for 21st Century Seniors. The conference was hosted by the seniors’ college promoting networking, sharing experiences and information and the expansion of seniors’ colleges. Guardian photo

Bruce Garrity of Centre for Life-Long Learning says gathering at UPEI drew about 40 people from seven provinces who shared their experiences with seniors' colleges across the country.

This week’s regional conference on seniors’ learning was better than could have been expected, says a representative from the Centre for Life-Long Learning.

Bruce Garrity said there are many seniors’ learning groups across the country and the different types of models were discussed at the conference held at UPEI from Aug. 26-28.

He said although a number of centres exist in Canada, he was surprised there wasn’t any discussion among them. That is, until this conference.

“It was about sharing our knowledge,” Garrity said. “I’m very happy with our exchange of information.”

Approximately 40 people attended the meetings representing seven Canadian provinces: Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and P.E.I.

Garrity said when the seniors’ college began on the Island nearly 10 years ago only a handful of courses was offered, and only about 25 people enrolled.

It’s now grown to nearly 100 courses, with more than 450 seniors taking part, he said, adding most of the courses are taught by retired teachers and professors.

“P.E.I. is a leader in community schools, life-long learning and seniors’ colleges,” said Garrity, a former member of Charlottetown City Council.

Although the Island seniors’ learning programs are growing, Garrity said he’d like to see even more seniors involved — particularly men.

“All of the associations in the country deal mostly with females. I know here, there’s close to 80 per cent females,” he said, adding the reason there are fewer men than women is men tend to be more involved with other activities.

Aside from different hobbies that might otherwise occupy a person’s time, one reason Garrity said seniors’ enrolment numbers are low because many people don’t want to take school courses.

“A lot of people who are 50-plus, when they hear of a seniors’ college, they think it’s too collegiate, too brainy. But it’s not. There are no tests, no term papers.”

It’s just a place to gather and hear people talk about different topics, he said. Garrity added that the seniors’ colleges are places to go for socializing and for intellectual stimulation, which is important for people of all ages.

While it’s necessary to exercise regularly and eat well, it’s also important for one’s health to exercise the mind, he said.

As the conference drew to a close, several participants stayed to discuss what happens next.
Some of the suggestions included making this conference an annual event to better keep in touch with other programs and learn from them.

It was also suggested to start up a website where each program can go for information.
One man said it would be a good idea to spread the word about seniors’ learning programs to municipal organizations.

Registration for fall courses will be held in Charlottetown, Summerside and Alberton in September. Specific times, dates and locations will appear in a Guardian ad on Sept. 4, Garrity said.

The cost is $125 per senior 50 years of age and older, per year.

Students can take as many courses as they like for this price.

Seniors College hosts Atlantic conference

TERESA WRIGHT CONSTABLE
The Guardian - August 27, 2007

The Seniors College of P.E.I. is hosting an Atlantic conference this week in the hopes of inspiring similar models of senior learning in other provinces.

Representatives from seven provinces are on the Island taking part in the conference activities and exploring the success of the Island Seniors College.

Bruce Garrity, Seniors College co-ordinator, said the conference was organized to get the word out about how well the idea has taken off on P.E.I.

“We thought we should tell people about us, because we think we have a good thing going here. Seniors College is a success story on P.E.I. and we think that many people should duplicate us, should they want to.”

In eight years, the Seniors College of P.E.I. has gone from 25 participants to 450 students, Garrity said.

“That may not be as big as a university, but it’s pretty good growth and we’re very proud that our students love Seniors College, keep coming back and our teachers love teaching.”

The courses are offered for a nominal fee of $125 per semester of eight to 10 weeks of class time.

The teachers are mostly retired professors and high school teachers, and get paid a small fee for their services.

The main reason they do it is because they love it, Garrity said.

“You can’t beat this. Students who want to learn and teachers who want to teach. This is a marriage made in heaven.”

Representatives from the universities of Regina, Toronto, St. Mary’s and Memorial University are taking part.

But despite their university affiliations, they will explore the practical steps in getting a seniors college started in a small community without a university or college. Garrity said this is because he believes seniors’ learning shouldn’t be too tied to post-secondary education.

“The key to seniors college is that it isn’t university- based. What we want is someone in the community who’s civic-minded and will work with the university but not for it. It has to be driven by somebody that it’s not their job to do it — but that they want to do it.”

This is exactly what Garrity has done, being the driving force behind the P.E.I. Seniors College.
Garrity, a former city councillor, works hard to secure teachers, classrooms and learning materials for the classes. But he said the work has been well worth it.

The conference takes place until Wednesday on the UPEI campus.

Some of the topics on the agenda include the history and development of the seniors’ college model, seniors learning models in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland, and the work of the McGill Institute for Learning in Retirement.

There will be a panel discussion by representatives of the Community School, the Centre for Life-Long Learning, Holland College, and the P.E.I. Senior’s Federation.

The final conference session will be an open panel discussion on strategies for the future.