The article considers the problem of activation of people of retirement age during the period of self-isolation and studies education as a means of their activation. As a research method, the questionnaire method was used, which allows us most effectively to find out the features in the attitude of retirement age people who are in self-isolation to personal development through education. It is determined that with the help of education in conditions of self-isolation and in the presence of a modern information society, elderly people want to activate their resources, increase their own professional competence in various fields of knowledge, and master various skills in response to a stressful situation during the situation of self-isolation. It is revealed that most of all during the period of self-isolation, people of retirement age need knowledge from the field of psychology and pedagogy; slightly less in knowledge from the field of medicine and political science; rather low interest in knowledge from the field of agricultural sciences. It is shown that people of retirement age showed interest in computer literacy, knowledge about a healthy lifestyle, history and culture of their native land.