Uniwersytety trzeciego wieku jako jedna z form kształcenia osób starszych

Abstract

The paper presents a general characteristics of aged people, their needs and opportunities of development. One of the needs is the necessity of mental stimulation, which can be satisfied through participation in activities offered by Third Age University. Huge growth of the number of aged people in developed countries including Poland contributes to the development of Third Age Universities not only as one of the forms of continuous education but also as a community of elderly people. The number of Third Age Universities in Poland, though not exactly known, is estimated at about 130 and is still growing. One of such institutions is the Third Age University attached to the University of Silesia. It started in the academic year 1982/83 and the current number of students is about 1800, including separate groups in Katowice, Sosnowiec and Jastrzębie with over 1100, 500 and 300 people, respectively. The students can choose from a wide offer of activities ranging from lectures, classes and seminars to trips and activities involving physical movement. In October 2007 the Third Age University attached to the University of Silesia was an organizer of an all‑Poland conference “To study to be”.