A study explored what numerical skills older adults most commonly used in everyday life and pointed at which new numerical skills older people need to acquire. it also ascertained whether any areas were causing difficulties and explored coping strategies. An analysis of approaches to defining numerical skills in everyday life and to assessing adults' abilities demonstrated that a range of different assumptions underlay these approaches. The first phase involved a content analysis based on a range of publicity and information leaflets aimed at older people and a series of semistructured interviews with 16 key informants. In the second phase, a discussion with six older people generated some qualitative information about their experiences in using numerical concepts and the contexts in which they did so. Then, six different older people in a different location each kept a personal diary on a particular day of the week noting how often they made use of numerical skills and the contexts and situations in which this occurred. The main fieldwork consisted of semistructured interviews with 30 older people in 3 locations. Results were as follows: (1) numerical skills used by older adults could be classified as financial, consumer, domestic, technological, leisure, for volunteering, for citizenship, and for keeping mental notes; (2) changes in life circumstances necessitate learning new numerical skills; and (3) difficulties with particular skills and coping strategies differed by individual. Recommendations were made for informing older people about new developments, encouraging intergenerational contact, and encouraging greater participation in learning. (Contains 28 references.) (YLB)