The golden years!They can have lots of fun rekindling old interests, picking up new skillsand making friends. For senior citizens prepared to make the effort,there is indeed life after retirement.

'They used to attend our graduations; now we attend theirs,' says Mohd Raffiq(right) as he congratulates Mariam and Baharuddin (in gowns). Sharing in thejoy is his brother Yusrizal Ashraf (left).

By SARAH CHEWand HARIA TI AZIZANcducate:fi.thestar, com .my

ILEARNTsomething newl" declaresLifelong Learning Initiative for theElderly (LLlFE)programme partici­

pant Chee Yin Peng. 64."The brains of elderly people are

shrinking but that doesn't affect ourmemory.

"And do you know that there is a cor­rect method for swallowing pills? Youshould look down. not lift up your head.when you swallow."

Chee. who took the elective on Healthand Exercise. was the picture of happi­ness. clad in her graduation gown andsurrounded by her children and grand­child who had come from Singapore toattend her LL1FEgraduation.

She was not the only one. Othersstood near her. equally proud of theirachievements. showing off their table­cloths or painted glasses outside theconvocation hall or singing renditions ofYou Are My Sunshine and Love Me Tenderon stage.

LLiFEwas a three-month course held

from May to July in Universiti PutraMalaysia (UPM). with no assignments.exams or theses.

Classes were held twice a week. onWednesdays and Saturdays. for threehours at a time. teaching skills likedancing the cha chao glass painting. gar­dening and tai qi.

The core modules included topicssuch as using computers and theInternet. managing finances. vol un­teerism and entrepreneurship.

Participants also chose from fourelectives - Am and Craft. Language andPerforming Arts. Living Skills. andHealth and Exercise.

"We did a survey among the elderlyand asked what their interests were."says UPM Gerontology Institute (GI)director Assoc Prof Dr Tengku AizanHamid. "We then developed the mod­ules from the feedback."

Dr Sharifah Norazizan Syed AbdulRashid. who taught fundraising andsocial networking. points out that thesecourses for the elderly are differentfrom other university courses.

"We had someone from a choir come

in to teach singing and a dancer to teachsimple dance steps. Of course. no salsaor anything like that." she laughs.

"Classes were a two-way communica-

tion; students were actively involvedwhile lecturers were mainly facilita­tors." she says.

To mark the culmination of threemonths of lectures and practical work.the 84 participants attended a "gradua­tion" ceremony to receive their certifi­cates of participation and merit.

Tailored to needs

The smiles and laughter duringgraduation were proof of the partici­pants' satisfaction.

"The course was very. very good. Ithink everyone should attend," saysparticipant L Mana Krishnan. 65. wholearnt a lot about gardening from theLiving Skills elective he signed up for.

"I have done planting before butnothing seemed to grow.

"In this class. I learnt about soil. howto dig the ground and care for plants.After this. I am going to try and plantnowers in my garden."

He was not too keen on courses likelearning how to buy electrical items orpersonal grooming. but feels courses ontailoring. gardening and cooking arehelpful.

Overall. the response to the LLiFEpro­gramme has been overwhelmingly posi­tive. Some participants are even plan­ning to form groups to learn otherthings.

"An unexpected bonus is the sense ofunity and friendships formed amongparticipants who are now even moremotivated to acquire new skills," saysDr Tengku Aizan. "Some are formingnew, informal groups to learn cookingor horticulture. and want UPM to pro­vide instructors."

Fun and friends

Participant Sara Chiew Mei Lin. 57.reveals that the course has rekindledher interest in art and craft.

"All of us enjoyed the course. We didthings we had not done before, likeglass painting," she says.

"It's also great to be making newfriends. some of them from the sameneighbourhood.

"Another lady and I are interested inwater colour painting. especially thatdone with the Chinese brush; we aregetting a few others to form a class sothat the instructors can come and teachus

"It is a good way to fill time afterretirement:' says UPM vice-chancellorProf Datuk Dr Nik Mustapha RajaAbdullah.

"Many have been working for 30 to40 years. and suddenly find themselvesat a loose end. This is a way to avoidfalling into depression."

The motivation to learn probably

Can you see the chest rise and fall? LLiFE programme participants learning toconduct cardio-pulmonary resuscitation.

Agatha Siew Chin Thai (left), 59, showing off the decorative tablecloth shemade in the Living Skills class to her instructor Siow Yin Ngoh.

Hey, we did it! The joyous LUFE programme participants posing for a photograph after receiving their certificates at the 'graduation' ceremony in UPM.

»Senior citizens have

the potential tocontribute to the

country's economy;however, this potentialneeds to be tapped«

PROF OATUK DR NIK MUSTAPHARAJA ABDULLAH

stems from the desire to contribute,even after retiring.

Mana Krishnan, who was previouslyin the Public Works Department. hasbeen trying to re-enter the workforcewithout much success.

"I applied to a few companies butthere were no replies," he says.

"If anyone offers me a job related tocivil engineering, I will take it."

Chiew also encounters difficultiesfinding a job.

g off the decorative tablecloth sheructor Siow Vin Ngoh.

"I have been trying to get a part -timejob but most companies seem to wantfull-time employees." •

Dawn of new era?Despite the success of the LUFEpro­

gramme. Dr Tengku Aizan says theinstitute's focus is research. so UPMmay need to rope in non-governmentorganisations and other bodies to helporganise similar programmes in thefuture.

"We intend to focus more onresearch: she says. "For us, this pro­gramme is just an exposure to whatretirees can do.

"We have gotten calls from as faraway as Ipoh to develop theseprogrammes. so our role is to connectparticipants with the right people."

The institute hopes to launch theUniversity of the Third Age (U3A) wheresenior citizens can pick up skills any­time they like. wheth~. it is to enrichtheir knowledge or to enable them tocontribute to the economy via re­employment or starting up businesses.

According to the United Nations, anageing nation has 10%or more of itspopulation aged 60 and above. Malaysiais expected to have 15%of its popula­tion fall into this age group in 2035.

"Senior citizens have the potential tocontribute to the country's economy;however. this potential needs to betapped: says Prof Nik Mustapha.

GI research officer Chai Sen Tyng saysthat GI intends to come up with a pro-

gramme that combines the best from theFrench and British models of lifelonglearning - the former provides certifica­tion while the latter does not - to allowparticipants to choose any course theywant over any period of time and attendone graduation in a year.

"The'U3A is not a university as it doesnot confer degrees." says (hai, addingthat it is a new concept in Malaysia.

Dr Sharifah reveals that recognition isimportant to senior citizens.

"They want to live fulfilled lives andnot just stay at home; it's about self­esteem and self-image," she says.

'These people want to be recognised bythe university because many did not havethat opportunity when they were young,"

\

That's theway we do it,one finger ata time! LUFEprogrammeparticipantsHong KimLean (left)and A.EaswaryAlahakonelearning howto use thecomputer.

Mohd Raffiq Baharuddin. 28. whoseparents Baharuddin Abdullah, 76, andMariam Ibrahim. 53. participated in theLUFE programme, agrees that it hasgiven his parents a new sense ofachievement.

"They come back and tell us, 'This is anew recipe we learnt today' and cookfor us," he says, adding that he and hisbrother, Universiti Malaya and UPMgraduates respectively, were proud oftheir parents.

"They used to attend our graduations:now we attend theirs."

o For more information about the LLlFEprogramme, call Dr Tengku Aizan at 03­89472750.