CAREER EDUCATION FOR OLDER PEOPLE

Though they need help, most people who are over 60 have an aversion to welfare as such and want to work. Most older persons find their pensions and/or social security benefits rapidly eroded by inflation and need some supplemental income. Similarly, many need to be sought out, assisted, and counseled back into active involvement in their own lives and that of their community. Career education, particularly directed at training older people to work in human services, the work of helping others, is viewed as a plausible, viable concept. It can help many older adults “retire to” rather than “retire from” and help them help themselves, their peers, and others. This paper encourages new and/or second careers for many older people.