Who are we?

Learning for the Fourth Age (L4A) aims to provide educational and learning services to frail elderly people who live in social care settings.

Research shows that learning in the later stages of life can boost confidence, give residents a more positive outlook on life and delay the onset of dementia. 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.

L4A intends to:

• Encourage older people to follow up existing interests or develop new ones, using a multimedia range of resources.

• Support 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.

• Promote 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.

• Work 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.

• A long–term goal of L4A is to encourage the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to strengthen the standards for social care inspection to include effective mental simulation as a threshold requirement and one-to-one learning, complemented by group learning as the norm.

HISTORY

In early 2008, the two directors of L4A decided to try creating a comprehensive scheme of educational and learning services for frail elderly residents of care homes and other assisted living establishments.

After market research, model testing and consultations with potential stakeholders, we began trading. We operate in the Leicester, Leicestershire and Leeds areas currently but we are looking to spread further afield.

One of the directors has a wide range of expertise in adult learning, inspection in further education and extensive management experience, including as a Director of a large national body, as a senior civil servant and now as a chief executive of a professional body for teachers and trainers.

The second director is in her early twenties and has been an active volunteer locally, nationally and internationally with youth movements. She is a graduate and trained teacher. She also has impressive and successful experience in working face to face with elderly residents in care homes.

We registered as Learning for the Fourth Age – L4A – Ltd on May 7th 2008. We are a not for profit social enterprise, which means that all surplus created is put straight back into providing and improving our service.