Community-based educational programs for older adults are difficult to evaluate due to randomization and control factors. In order to investigate, under a quasi-experimental research design, the contribution of an educational program on retirement issues to participants' quality of life, and to study the program enrollment patterns, 21 people participated in an informal lecture/discusssion class aimed at maximizing awareness of options in retirement. Participants were 13 male retired veterans, 7 of their wives, and 1 female friend, aged 66 to 83, from a broad range of occupational backgrounds. The curriculum was based on a literature review and interviews with a sample of retired veterans from the outpatient Palo Alto Veterans' Medical Center. To assess the effects of course participation on retirement adjustment, subjects and interested but not enrolled control group members completed pre- and post-class measures of change including three affective measures (Retirement Descriptive Index, Life Satisfaction Index A, and a likert-type inventory on retirement adjustment), and a cognitive measure covering information on the options for retirement. An analysis of the results showed that the class influenced the participants' satisfaction with their activities but not their quality of life or retirement adjustment. On the cognitive dimension, participants significantly increased their knowledge of option areas. Participants evaluated the interaction and discussion format of the class, the materials on attitudes toward aging, and the myth of senility as being most valuable. Enrollment patterns showed that individuals who had previous success in educational activities were most likely to participate. (The class syllabus is appended.) (BL)