Netherlands

Abstract

Senior education in the Netherlands started in the 1960s and got a boost in the 1980s. In 1993, the first European Year of the Elderly and Solidarity between Generations, many new productive initiatives in educating and empowering older people were initiated. The Netherlands, Holland, was often seen as a model country of social innovation. Nowadays, this image has been changed into a more realistic picture. Some innovations are completely lost, others are silently embedded in institutional and organisational provisions. Although there is currently a more positive image on ageing, the innovations have not resulted into a more active governmental policy on senior education. New crucial developments nowadays are information and communication technology, intergenerational issues, retaining older workers and attention for older migrants.