Abstract:

Introduction:
One of the greatest cultural achievements of a people in its humanization process is the aging of its population, with consequences in the improvement of living conditions in its most varied aspects. In different degrees, population aging is a reality in all countries, and, despite the necessary measures to face it, studying it is as important as studying the great phenomena of humanity. If, on the one hand, population aging is a natural aspiration of any society, on the other, this reality alone is not enough. It is also important to yearn for an improvement in the quality of life of those who have already aged or are in the process of aging. The challenge is considerable and recognizing the growing participation of older adults in society implies trying to integrate them back into the world, in line with the current demographic profile.

Objective:
To demonstrate the impacts of continuing education on the quality of life of the elderly. Based on a transdisciplinary vision, its guiding principles are the concept of Quality of Life developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), which defines it as "the individual's perception of their position in life in the context of culture and value systems in the which he lives and concerning his goals, expectations, standards, and concerns", as well as the assumption that education plays a vitally important role throughout the life cycle, as a driver of opportunities, initiatives, social participation and development people of late age.

Methods:
A cross-sectional, descriptive study with a quantitative-qualitative approach was applied, using interviews with two hundred and twenty elderly people, in addition to the application of the WHOQOL BREF and WHOQOL OLD instruments, both approved by the World Health Organization - WHO, and which aimed to measure the quality of life in the elderly. The target population of the study was the elderly with at least six months of cultural, artistic, and educational activities at the Open University Foundation for the Third Age – FUNATI/UEA, located in Manaus, in the state of Amazonas. Qualitative data were extracted from the Life History of twenty elderly people who had attended the Foundation for at least five years.

Conclusion:
The study concluded that there were many changes in the lifestyle of the elderly, which impacted their quality of life. Elderly people began to feel more satisfied, feel happy, and have the opportunity to occupy the idle time they had, in something gratifying, pleasurable, meaningful, and fulfilling. The socialization experienced at UNATI gave rise to the construction of bonds of friendship and companionship, bringing contentment into their lives. With high self-esteem, they started to have goals to achieve, reasons to fight, and purposes to live, reaching a new lifestyle. At UNATI, they had opportunities to acquire knowledge, especially on issues related to human aging, and began to feel healthier and more active, both physically and mentally.

Keywords:

Elderly, Continuing Education, Quality of life.