RETHINKING LEARNING POTENTIALS: THE BENEFITS OF LEARNING ACROSS THE LIFE SPAN

Abstract

Is there ever a point in life when it is too late to learn? Researchers are continuously concerned about ways to intervene cognitive and communicative decline in older adults. In fact, many of the symptoms associated with aging seem to resemble early childhood development issues like limited mobility, and poor communication (Matteson, et al., 2007). With this in mind, there are a number of questions about the relationship between early development and later stages in the life span that merit consideration, such as what is the connection between these widely separated stages in life, and could it be possible to use these similarities and differences to raise awareness on the learning potential of older adults specifically? This study, therefore, emphasizes researching the effects of enhancing communicative and cognitive ability during later adulthood, as well as bringing awareness to families, staff, and administrators of elder care homes on methods that support older individuals. This idea gives rise to further queries, such as why the abilities of older adults fluctuate to varying degrees as they age. To answer these questions, a systematic review was conducted to explore the interplay between socio-emotional, environmental, physical health, and nutrition in the development and maintenance of language and cognitive skills. As such, the findings in this study indicated that learning in each of these developmental stages depends on many of the same characteristics. Awareness of these factors may help older adults address loneliness and social isolation in nursing and assisted living facilities. With the expanding focus on multigenerational learning, this work adds to a growing body of research that emphasizes learning across the life span