Promoting Elderly Health and Citizenship: the U3A (University of Third Age) Movement

Beginning in the 1970s, the "U3A" (University of Third Age) movement has evolved all over the world. Its main concepts & practical experiences represent an innovative way of promoting the health of aging people, based on a concerted interdisciplinary effort toward the full insertion of...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ciência & saude coletiva 2004-04, Vol.9 (2), p.423-432
Main Authors: Veras, Renato Peixoto, Caldas, Celia Pereira
Format: Article
Language:Portuguese
Subjects:
Brazil
Citizenship
Elderly
Health Education
Mental Health
Quality of Life
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Social Movements
Social Participation
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Beginning in the 1970s, the "U3A" (University of Third Age) movement has evolved all over the world. Its main concepts & practical experiences represent an innovative way of promoting the health of aging people, based on a concerted interdisciplinary effort toward the full insertion of senior individuals as active citizens in their respective societies. The U3A movement aims the promotion of senior citizens' physical, mental, & social health, profiting from available resources & expertise accumulated by the universities. In Brazil, there are nowadays over 150 of such programs. The mains results of such effort have been highlighted & debated, fostering new perspectives for elders' social participation & improving the health condition & quality of life of those attending such programs. This paper discusses the relevance of the U3A movement as a key strategy for the betterment of senior population life conditions. We present & discuss a concrete experience carried out by the Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ) since 1993, in the frame of Brazilian & international achievements. Based in three conceptual pillars interdisciplinarity, social participation, & health promotion, UERJ launched a comprehensive program, tailored to the specificities of its clientele. References. Adapted from the source document.
ISSN:1413-8123