Teaching Older Adults

1. Teaching Older Adults

2. Where are the older adults? • California – 3.8 million • Florida – 17% increase (by state) since 2000 (currently 2.9 million); Pennsylvania, West Virginia, North Dakota, and Iowa • Charlotte County, FL – highest concentration of older adults (34%) • Douglas County, CO – 21% increase – by COUNTY, highest in the country • Nevada – 15% increase; Alaska, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, New Mexico, and Colorado

3. Objectives • Identify key principles of adult learning • Describe age-related factors that influence learning • Identify effective strategies for teaching older adults • Develop effective educational materials in print for older adults

4. Key Principles of Learning for Older Adults • Learning is enhanced when it is immediately applicable to real life contexts. • Learning depends upon past and current experience. Capitalize on their experience.

5. Key Principles of Learning for Older Adults • Older adults prefer learning that is problem-centered and readiness to learn must exist before effective teaching can be done • Adults are people whose style and pace of learning has probably changed. Senior adults learn through their physical senses about the world around us.

6. Key Principles of Learning for Older Adults • Senior adults better retain what they have learned when learning is exciting, lively, and informal. • Adults want guidance, not grades

7. Age-related Factors • Physical, psychological, and socio-cultural changes • Short-term memory loss • Visual changes

8. Age-related Factors • Lower energy level • Hearing changes • Slower information processing

9. Age-related Factors • Psychological variables • Sleep disorders • External factors

10. Strategies • Presentation Skills • The Learning Environment • Visuals and Audiovisual Aids • Print Material • Readability • Health-Related Web sites

11. Presentation Skills • Establish audience rapport • Position yourself 3 – 5 feet in front of the person (individual); can be seen by all (group) • Expect to TAKE MORE TIME • Use other forms of sensory stimulation • Light on your face • Speak slowly; low-frequency; don’t hide your mouth

12. Presentation Skills • KISS • Repeat, Repeat, Repeat • Avoid medical terms, jargon, acronyms • Stop to ask for questions/feedback • Use anecdotes • Interactive

13. The Learning Environment • Eliminate background noise • Audience should face away from bright light • Schedule for a high-energy time • Space tables and chairs far enough apart • Position those with hearing loss near sound-absorbing materials

14. Visuals and Audiovisual Aids • Should relate to key points • Use tinted transparences • Yellow on blue background • Flip chart: use simple block lettering 3 x 3 • Highlight with neon markers • Use pictures • Provide packets with handouts and visuals

15. Print Materials • Use dark print on light backgrounds • Use autumn colors like brown, orange, and yellow • Combine upper case and lower case 12-14 font size • Use bullets and boxes to highlight key information • Avoid negative terms

16. Readability Indices • Automated readability index • Kinkaid • Flesch • Coleman-Liau • SMOG

17. Health-related Web sites • Reading and language comprehension – not aligned with older adults’ comprehension skills • Most Web sites: 11th – 14th grade level • “Senior-Friendly” guidelines available at: http://www.medicareed.org/Resources.cfm?RT=CMEPub&Detail=60

18. Summary and Next Steps • Learning Principles for Older Adult • Age-related factors that influence learning in older adults • Presentation skills • The learning environment • Visual and audiovisual aids • Reading levels: print and websites for seniors

19. Questions?