UGU-LIFE - Learning Later in Life: From Description and Prediction to Prevention and Intervention

People must acquire new skills throughout life to maintain social participation, independence, and health. Older adults face special learning challenges, but differences among older adults are best understood in a lifespan perspective because learning in childhood prepare for later learning. In this research program, we study learning in older adults against the backdrop of their experiences in childhood and against genetic factors. The aim is to identify factors in childhood that predict lifelong learning ability, chart the challenges that older adults face, and identify the characteristics of individuals that struggle with learning in older age. Equipped with this knowledge, we will later in the program develop interventions aimed to facilitate learning in older age.