A possibility for active aging: university activities for the elders

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective To reveal the conditions that allow the Open University for the Elderly to be a possibility for active aging. Method Qualitative study anchored in the theoretical framework of Symbolic Interactionism and in the methodology of Grounded Theory. From April to October 2020, 14 elderly people, two coordinators, and six teachers linked to university activities for the elderly participated in individual interviews. Data analysis was carried out by three interdependent coding steps - open, axial and integration - with the support of the Atlas.ti software. Results The conditions that allow the program to be configured as an opportunity for active aging are related to the meanings attributed to aging well; the social determination of participation; motivations in the search for the program; the functions performed by the program; and public and institutional policies of the university to which it is linked. Final Considerations University activities for the elderly are a possibility for active aging, but socially constructed barriers make access to them difficult.