Condiciones y capacidades de los educadores de adultos mayores: la visión de los participantes

the education of older people is a field of intervention and of recent conceptual development in gerontology. that has led to the creation of geragogy or gerontagogy as a theoretical/practical field in charge of studying the learning process of older adults and the institutional and organizational conditions that contribute to achieve differential learning goals. within this framework, the paper describes how older adults who are enrolled in non-formal learning activities in different institutions throughout argentina view the necessary skills and capacities of educators, facilitators, or coaches. the research is based on a national survey that included eighteen non-formal educational programs (public and private universities, self-managed and co-managed) in six geographical regions. a semi-structured questionnaire was distributed to 1,200 elderly people (ages 50 to 85) enrolled in the programs. using a number scale, respondents were asked to describe the importance of certain characteristics and capacities that, to their criterion, a good teacher/educator working with older adults should have. the results revealed that elderly students demand that educators should have professional capacities to conduct group work, and instrumental capacities necessary for the teaching of significant knowledge. they also value a number of personal attitudinal traits.