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In the face of the ageing of society, the concept of active ageing has become a key problem within European politics. (United Nations, 2002; European Commission, 2006). In recent years, the University of Third Age (U3A) movement has developed very quickly both within Poland and outside our country. In this article, we consider the educational activity of Polish seniors and the influence this has had on their quality of life in selected areas. A qualitative research study was conducted in May 2015 among U3A participants. A collective case study was undertaken (Stake, 2009) to capture the changes in the quality of life in different areas (adaptation to changes, participation in social life, obtaining and providing support, activity, and lifelong education). (Escuder Mollon & Gil, 2014) Despite the undeniably positive influence on the quality of life among seniors the U3A is still not accessible for the average senior because of their location, their material conditions, and their individual readiness to take part in such activities. In Poland there is also a very strong tradition of engaging seniors in the care of their grandchildren, and this in many cases makes it impossible for them to take part in any self-development or self-actualization programs.

The article concerns the verification of links between the energy intensity of public urban transport, regional economic development and urbanisation in the light of sustainable development challenges and club convergence processes. Three research questions were formulated in the article: (1) Does the regional economic development of voivodeships affect the energy intensity of public urban transport? (2) Does urbanisation shape energy consumption patterns in public urban transport (and are there agglomeration effects)? (3) Does the level of urbanisation of voivodeships depend on their regional level? The study covered 16 subregions of Poland from 2010 to 2020. A spatial dynamic exploration of the relationships between energy intensity patterns of public urban transport and the phenomenon of urbanisation and regional economic development was carried out. Panel models of vector autoregression and panel causality testing were used. The influence of the economic development of regions and the level of urbanisation on energy intensity patterns of public urban transport was confirmed. The link between economic development and the process of urbanisation was identified. An additional effect was noticed (novelty knowledge), i.e., there is a delayed club convergence between voivodeships in the area of energy intensity of public urban transport, regional economic development and urbanisation (polyconvergence). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the study was to diagnose the needs of instructors working in the area of the digital inclusion of persons who are excluded, at risk of exclusion, marginalized, and discriminated against in terms of using new technologies. The research focused on the phenomenon of the digital divide as seen from the perspective of digital literacy educators of older adults. The study was conducted in 2019 in Poland, using a qualitative research methodology (a structured in-depth interview) and interpretative paradigm. The respondents were 8 specialists, educators of older adults, representing different types of institutions dealing with the digital divide: a activity center, a public library, a nursing home, an NGO, and a University of the Third Age. Triangulation of the results led to several important conclusions regarding to the expectations, experiences, challenges and postulated supporting actions related to digital inclusion. Based on the results gathered, we have noticed that educators readily share their didactic and organizational experience. The respondents were open to the development of their own teaching competences, and recognized the role of lifelong learning. They often highlighted that the digital education of older adults is only one of many additional activities. The activities to improve the digital literacy of older adults are implemented as part of their non-formal education (i.e. it is carried out by educators holding no formal qualifications). For this reason, the teachers expect content-related and methodological support most of all, as well as the promotion of the idea of lifelong education (including digital literacy development) in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the results of qualitative research carried out among Polish centenarians who have not experienced loneliness. Objectives: An attempt to find factors protecting against loneliness. A total of 17 cases were included in the research. Method: A collective case study (Stake, 2009) with in-depth interview was applied to the research carried out by the authors. The results show that activity together with personal characteristics (lifelong optimism) allows the building of positive social relationships and contribute to protection against loneliness among the oldest old. Discussion and Implications: The centenarians interviewed experienced many traumatic events in their lives and still they did not know the feeling of loneliness. The cases researched were diverse with respect to social and economic status, health condition, and family status but the common aspect was their lifetime activity and their high level of optimism. The lifelong activity of the respondents allowed them to build social relationships and establish new acquaintanceships, both intra- and intergenerationally. Promoting examples of “positive long-livers” may play preventive role and contribute to the quality of life in late old age, and as societies are ageing, the results are also important for public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, there are over 120,000 people aged 100 years or more in Europe. In Poland, there are 4,000 centenarians. And although demographic forecasts say that the number of people above 100 years of age will be on the rise in the decades to come, each centenarian is a unique case that should be the focus of interest for medical and social researchers. In this article, we are going to present the results of qualitative research carried out among people aged 100 or older and show their perception of their own old age in the context of their individual life stories. The results prove that despite individual differences, experience, and functional limitations, the respondents are very open to other people and take the passage of time and their developing age with a pinch of salt. The most important aspects of life for the respondents are positive social relations in their closest environment, deep and authentic faith, and an optimistic attitude. All of the centenarians tried to be physically active, and those who were bedridden remained intellectually active (reading, prayers, conversations). They were at peace with the ailments and difficulties associated with old age and treated them as something natural. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]