Research shows that learning in the later stages of life can boost confidence, give a more positive outlook on life and delay on the onset of dementia. L4A believes that there is a gap in provision of educational and learning services to people who live in care settings and seeks to address this gap.
We define learning as ‘a tool for creating wellbeing, a good later life and can be a catalyst for change.’
We define our fourth age as ‘not a numerical age but a time in later life when older people need care and support to go about daily living.’
Our Vision
Older age is a time of development enhanced by learning.
Our Mission
To offer learning opportunities to older people in need of care or support, primarily in Leicester and Leicestershire.
Our Values
At Learning for the Fourth Age (L4A), our values are central. They inform our governance, our work with older people and the impact that we create with them. Our values are:
- We see learning as a tool for creating wellbeing and a good later life that can also be a catalyst for change.
- We value learning for ourselves as an organisation, as well as learning being our specialism for older people and our volunteers
- We empower our older people by offering them real choices in what and how they learn
- We are determined to deliver quality, as well as to innovate and find creative solutions to problems
- We constructively challenge stereotypes about care settings, older people and what constitutes learning. Older people are never too old to learn.
- We share our ideas, our experiences and work with others, as L4A is a demonstration organisation and a thought and practice leader for learning in the fourth age.
L4A believes that there is a gap in provision of educational and learning services to people who live in care homes and seeks to address this gap by:
- Encouraging older people to follow up existing interests or develop new ones using a multimedia range of resources.
- Supporting learners with their individual needs by a trained learning mentor working with them on a one-to-one basis, using appropriate resources for each learner and taking into account their physical needs.
- Promoting the value of education as a tool for increasing wellbeing., giving a more positive outlook on life, increasing confidence and delaying the onset of dementia.
- Working towards raising the expectations that residents, relatives and society have for the quality of life and mental stimulus for the elderly, especially for those in care.
- Encouraging the Care Quality Commission to strengthen the standards for social care inspection to include mental stimulation as a threshold requirement and one-to-one learning, complemented by group learning as the norm.
Annual reports
Please click the links below to read our most recent annual report or those from previous years.
L4A-Directors-Report-2010-2011