Lifelong Learning in the Age of COVID-19 (original) (raw)

https://generations.asaging.org/lifelong-learning-age-covid-19 Excerpt: Resources have been stretched thin during the COVID-19 pandemic. To save lives, the global community has been forced to make extreme short-term sacrifices: widespread closures, unprecedented unemployment, profound financial loss and physical distancing. What might be the psychological, emotional and physical toll as the population has grappled with living in isolation? Time will tell, but social isolation is an obvious outcome. Prolonged loneliness brought on by social isolation is nothing new to a huge percentage of the population. Even before the pandemic, one in three Americans and 60 percent of older adults had already experienced the detrimental impact of loneliness. Clinical psychologist Onyedikachi Ekwerike expressed it most succinctly, stating bluntly, “We already had a pandemic before COVID-19.” Now more than ever it is critical to provide pathways for our most marginalized and vulnerable population members to remain socially engaged. Lifelong Learning Reimagined—An Opportunity and Challenge Lifelong learning is an important component to a physically, cognitively and socially healthy lifestyle. ...