U.K.: Education potential of older people 'untapped'

. LONDON, England (The Guardian), October 22, 2008 By Peter Kingston The nation needs to invest much more in the ability of older people to make best use of their brains, according to a new report from a government thinktank. Foresight, the government unit charged with thinking strategically for the future, said it was vital to exploit the "mental capital" of mature adults. However, little money has gone into anything other than leisure classes, with scant evidence of how useful they are. Addressing dementia should be a priority for government, declares Foresight's latest report, distilled from more than 100 expert submissions. "Treating dementia costs the UK £17bn a year – this is set to rise to £50 billion a year within 30 years," it says. By 2071 the numbers of people aged over 80 are expected to more than treble to 9.5 million, while there could be twice as many over 65s (21 million) as now. Action is needed now to protect their prosperity and physical and psychological health, according to the report. An appetite for lifelong learning needs to be developed among the very young. Foresight, which is part of the Government Office for Science, does not make government policy but aims to inform it. John Denham, secretary of state for innovation, universities and skills, who is the report's ministerial sponsor, launched a consultation into informal adult learning in January and will in due course publish a policy document. Foresight's report coins the phrase 'mental capital', which refers to person's cognitive and emotional resources, how flexible and efficient they are at learning, and their social skills and resilience in the face of stress. The thinktank says: "In a society where the mental capital of older people is seriously undervalued, it is unsurprising that there has been little investment to date in providing other than recreational classes for older students." "The mental capital of older people is a massive and under-utilised resource. Unlocking this could benefit the wellbeing and prosperity of older people and society as a whole." Continuing education is increasingly important, Foresight says. For one thing, work is changing rapidly. People will need to be more flexible and prepared to re-train. "The 'use it or lose it' principle in which an individual's mental capital is nurtured in order to protect against cognitive decline will also be important," the thinktank notes. But at present, despite increasing interest in the principle of lifelong learning the great majority of people entering older age will have had little education since school many decades earlier. Training in information technology could be one highly effective means of promoting self-education among older adults as well as bringing them new opportunities for business or voluntary work. The links between education and training and economic reward are clear though complex, comments the report, which draws on an extensive two-year study involving more than 400 international experts in subjects ranging from neuroscience to economics. Other wider benefits are not so easily measured but are nonetheless of important social value. Many of these are about preventing such negative outcomes as social exclusion, community breakdown and mental health problems. Evidence from a number of countries shows that education is strongly linked to people's health and their behaviour to safeguard their health. It can cause more people to take preventative care, which increases health care costs in the short term but may lead to long-run saving. Education appears to protect against depression. Young men and women with at least one O-level were reckoned to reduce their risk of adult depression by 6 percentage points. But its impact on general happiness or wellbeing has been less well substantiated. Welcoming the report, Denham said: "Future prosperity and social justice in the UK will be strengthened by drawing on the mental capital and talents of its citizens and I am pleased this report recognises that the government is already on the right track in many areas. "A range of departments and organisations across government and more widely are committed to taking forward the project's findings and I look forward to overseeing the progress of that over the coming year." © Guardian News and Media Limited 2008 Seniors World Chronicle adds Foresight's Mental Capital and Wellbeing Project looks at how a person’s mental resources change throughout life and identifies factors that can help or hinder their development The final report, published October 22, 2008 demonstrates that there is a clear case for action across society including by Government, companies and individuals to boost both mental capital and wellbeing. This could reap very high economic and social benefits in the future. John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills who is the report’s Ministerial sponsor, said, "I welcome this report which provides new insights and creates fresh opportunities to offer support to individuals, families and organisations in building and sustaining mental capital and good mental health." For more information and to download the reports, please see the Mental Capital and Wellbeing Project pages.