Title: 2016 Senior Citizens Learning Center Conference: Active Aging and Giving Priority to Education

For the aging society, the Ministry of Education has established senior citizens learning centers in every district in Taiwan, hoping for active aging since 2008. To date, there are 339 centers. We believe that learning how to prevent aging can change the future and education can reduce the burden of caring. Therefore, through the conference, we want to show others that how senior citizens learning can guide a new path to the aging society. The 2016 Senior Citizens Learning Center Conference took place at the auditorium of Activity Center in the National Chung Cheng University on November 18th last year. The topic of the conference is “Active Aging and Giving Priority to Education”. It appealed a total of 420 participants including scholars cross fields, representatives of the sector, workers within the filed and people who show interests. 

The conference had two spectacular keynote speeches. Lin Chingfu, president of Taiwan Senior Caring Prevention Instructor Association, gave us the first speech focusing on how to prevent diseases of elderly through “the power of society, brain and physical strengths”. Professor Alexandra Withnall of Center for Lifelong Learning, Warwick University shared his latest theory of senior citizens learning, and provided cases of senior citizens learning in the UK and future development trends in second speech.

Also, there were three forums, 18 papers, 9 stories of senior citizens learning and 8 research papers delivered either by oral reports or posters. The conference also discussed issues including “courses and teaching of senior citizens learning”, “management innovation and fulfillment of senior citizens learning centers”, and “stories of senior citizens learning”, to inspire participants with strategies and plans of active aging learning.