Noting that traditional physical education (PE) courses are geared toward healthy, younger students, this paper examines the need to provide adapted PE programs for older adults. The paper first discusses the growing number of older adults in the population and the concomitant need to overcome the materialistic values that relegate the elderly to a second-class, impoverished status in the United States. A two-part review of selected literature is then presented, emphasizing the importance of physical activity for the aging adult and noting the recent efforts of community colleges to better serve the lifelong learning and physical education needs of older adults. Next, the paper discusses the physical and emotional benefits accrued by older adults through PE; the fear, frustration, and ridicule older adults experience in traditional PE classes; the need to modify PE activities for older adults; and the necessity of employing instructors with expertise in the physical and psychological needs of older adults. Finally, the paper provides further justification for the provision of adaptive PE courses by reviewing California statutes which authorize special programs for handicapped students, providing definitions for 11 legally recognized handicaps, many of which often apply to older adults, and urging that PE courses be provided in a form that facilitates the participation of older adults. (JP)