Education should be considered in a broad, existential context, as a category of being. Education becomes the most important condition for people of any age in modern society. The amount of information is quite large and quickly replenished. People need to constantly learn in order to navigate in the flow of information. The UNESCO slogan “Lifelong learning” becomes more and more important globally and in Russia. Age cannot be a barrier in education. "The University of the Third Age" is a new form of Russian approach to the needs of elderly people. It includes organization of educational and training courses, creative workshops, course training in various learning programs. Elderly students receive a certain level of knowledge, skills and gain confidence in their abilities. Due to the wide variety of programs students can choose courses for their liking. Each course has a specific training program, is designed for a certain period of time (from 1 to 3 months) and is free of charge.
The empirical research was devoted to the effectiveness of learning programs for the elderly based on survey data (101 respondents). An Effectiveness Data Questionnaire was built on 11 indicators such as activity; new environmental conditions and social roles adaptation; empowerment; vital involvement; creativity; community activity; social networking skills, and others. The results showed that the highest effectiveness is manifested in: the adaptation of the elderly to new environmental conditions and new social roles (65 points); development of a responsible attitude to well-being (61 points); social networking skills (60 points); and activity increase (54 points). The research found that programs based on the combination of educational and social-psychological knowledge (psychotherapy, social skills training etc.) are more effective (1.7 times) than pure educational ones. Education helps older people on the one hand to solve their life problems, and on the other hand, it promotes personal development and facilitates psychological sustainability.
