Organizing a Literacy Program for Older Adults

Bella Jacobs · Catherine Ventura-Merkel · National Council on the Aging. Literacy Education for the Elderly Project

Jan 1986 · Washington, D.C. : Literacy Education for the Elderly Project of the National Council on the Aging

About this ebook

This guide describes a model for a community-based literacy program for older adults that uses older adults as tutors. Guidelines are provided to program sponsors for implementing literacy education for older adults. Chapter I provides an overview of the problem of illiterate older adults and literacy education for them. Chapter II addresses the planning of a literacy program for older adults, including special planning concerns, the planning committee, outreach strategies, and program promotion and publicity. Chapter III focuses on direct-service management issues--tutor and peer support recruitment, volunteer training, and older student recruitment. Strategies for success are presented in Chapter IV. They include matching students and tutors, choosing a site, providing support, recognition, and program evaluation. Chapter V provides results of an in-depth study of 27 sites that participated in Project LEEP (Literacy Education for the Elderly). Chapter VI describes LEEP programs in five communities. Chapter VII is an annotated listing of organizations that can be useful to anyone interested in developing literacy programs for older adults. It is divided into sections on training and technical assistance, coordination and support, funding and resource development, and clearinghouse/information and referral. Sample project materials are appended. (YLB)