University of the Third Age

The Caregiving Project’s Home-Based Caregiver Training awards

2008-09-03T14:03:23Z

This is more related to the U3A discussion than programming or web sites, so I decided to place it here.

In July of '08, the Caregiving Project for Older Americans and MetLife Foundation announced the winners of a nationwide competition among community colleges for development of innovative in-home caregiver training programs.

Twelve community colleges, selected from over 75 applicants, will receive up to $25,000 to either establish new home-based caregiver training programs or enhance programs that already exist for professional and family caregivers.

Increasing numbers of people are finding it difficult to obtain affordable, quality in-home care for older adults. The available pool of family caregivers is shrinking, and at the same time, the caregiving profession is experiencing a severe and worsening shortage of paid caregivers. The Community College Caregiver Training Initiative is intended to raise national awareness both of the critical need for caregiver training and of the central role that community colleges can play in providing this training.
The winning community colleges serve a diverse group of students including both urban and rural communities and minority populations. Award recipients include schools in the states of: Arkansas, Kansas, Maryland, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

The ILC website offers more in depth coverage of grants of each awardee's project.

Re: University of the Third Age

2007-12-13T17:28:44Z

Hi fishrocker,

It's a matter of our having the contacts and needed resources.

The local community college (http://www.clcillinois.edu/) is making an effort to go off-site with programming for seniors. They contacted the large retirement community/nursing home that is adjacent to the library (http://www.victorylakes.org/) about doing such programming. We already provide some programming (a reading group) and because of our location already have most of their residents as our patrons.

They needed a place that had a computer lab ... hence, us.

Also ... and this may prove critical in the future ... since we can already count most of the other seniors in the community as our patrons it's a lot easier to use our facility than to entice seniors to another.

Finally, this helps us fill a bit of a "hole" in our scheduling. Seniors, generally, do not want to travel at night ... so having the retirement center and the community college as partners can mean filling in mornings and afternoons that might otherwise be vacant on our room schedules.

Re: University of the Third Age

2007-12-12T20:42:31Z

Hey Bob and Alice (and Carol and Ted)(oh I crack me up!),

How did that community college partnership happen, Bob? Was it simply a matter of going there and saying "Hey I think we oughtta...?" That's a really good start to a hopefully LTR (long term relationship, in my daughter-speak).

The Shepherd's Center looks like a pretty cool bunch of folk; http://www.mnscenter.org/. What's NewsTalk, btw?

Fishrocker/Doug

Re: University of the Third Age

2007-12-06T14:41:40Z

We've recently partnered with the local community college in providing classes for local seniors.

The initial one is on computer use, a six week course, that will be held in our computer lab.

Re: University of the Third Age

2007-12-06T13:25:47Z

Incubators for U3A (or similar groups) can be found in any community. Public Libraries are natural gathering places as well. Folks here (North Manchester, IN) enjoy The Shepherd's Center for programs like NewsTalk, excursion trips, and a nice combination of social/educational activities. They often gather at our Town Life Center (rent is cheaper than at the library) but sometimes meet at churches (if the cost free or reduced, if there's coffee, and if space is available).
Non-profit groups can be high quality, too!

Re: U3A

2006-04-06T14:31:26Z

It seems like the OASIS http://www.oasisnet.org/ idea and the U3A http://www.u3a.org.uk/ idea aren't too philosophically far apart; instead of being academically/geographically driven (U3A) it's simply more community driven (OASIS).

Either way, I wonder if there are any older adults/retirees out there who might be interested in forming a support group surrounding the idea of taking care of my kids so I can get some sleep?

We have a nice little thread going here, let's keep it up.

Re: U3A

2006-04-04T20:39:30Z

I think this has great promise as we boomers age.

Actually, we U.S. boomers may remember the "free university" movements of the 60s and 70s ... where people got together to learn from each other. Retirement will give us the time to actually do it!

U3A

2006-04-04T20:08:30Z

Thank-you, Fishrocker, for your response and especially for the first two links you mentioned. They were new to me! The wikipedia site gives a short explanation of the concept. While the second, 'U3A in the UK', has a really exciting website and is a wonderful example of the how the U3A operates in a community setting.

Originally posted by kurashige@taconic.net on April 4, 2006

Re: University of the Third Age

2006-03-31T23:12:34Z

This is interesting indeed! My parents participate in this kind of peer-based learning at their retirement community. They have a rotational schedule for community members to give presentations on any topic in line with their professional expertise. My parents love acquiring new knowledge, enjoy seeing the professional side of their neighbors, and my dad takes pride in the sessions he has conducted.

I agree that libraries are "natural incubators" for knowledge sharing. What a great way to tap into a hidden resource and to bring people into the library. I hope we hear about any library that launches such a program.

Thanks for sharing!

Re: University of the Third Age

2006-03-31T17:58:45Z

Hi Vicki,

Youre new welcome to the boards! (Im glad you posted to the best one first, btw) ;)

Ive heard of the U3A (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U3A and http://www.u3a.org.uk/) but I dont know of a real, formal American counterpart. It seems like each community does its own thing.

See http://www.harrowu3a.co.uk/u3a_sites.html#USA for U3As USA sister institutions. It goes state-by-state.

New Yorks are:
the Mohawk Valley Institute for Learning in Retirement (MVILR) at http://web2.sunyit.edu/mvilr/;

QUEST - The Community for Life Long Learning in Manhatten at http://www.questonline.org/

The Institute for Retired Professionals of the New School University at http://www.nsu.newschool.edu/irp/

Academy for Learning in Retirement at Saratoga Springs at http://www.esc.edu/alr and

The Round Table, SUNY at Stony Brook at http://www.stonybrook.edu/spd/roundtable/

The wiki article says that In the British model it is acknowledged that retired folk have a lifetime of experience and, collectively, a vast amount of knowledge.

Incidentally, Third Age is also the name of a really cool initiative in the Hartford, CT area that prepares its constituents for leadership opportunities within the Greater Hartford Community. See http://www.leadershipgh.org/programs/third_age.html.

It seems like libraries are natural incubators for USA U3A?

This is interesting!

Doug

University of the Third Age

2006-03-31T15:49:56Z

Hello from a member of the staff of the North Chatham Free Library in North Chatham, New York.

My brother, who lives in the UK. came to visit with an exciting idea for adult learners I had never heard of before: The University of the Third Age, or U3A, popular in Europe, Australia, etc..

Briefly, it is designed and run by older adults, teaching each other. For example, if someone were interested in church architecture, he/she might run a group of several weeks on that theme. Classes run the gamut from penny rugs to French conversation. We have something like it here, but as I understand it, classes are usually run on community college campuses and there is a rather substantial fee. Members of the U3A pay about $10.00 a year, costs which cover copying, etc.

Naturally, I have to look into this idea further. How can the library be instrumental in encouraging this program and getting it off the ground?

Thanks for reading. Any comments?
Vicki Kurashige