Learning for Older Adults

Nobody is too old to learn. In fact, keeping your mind active is not only fun, it is beneficial. Research has shown that keeping your mind active may help ward off memory loss and prevent mental decline. Learning helps you to stay connected to your world, both locally and beyond, and when you focus on reading, a hobby, or learning a new subject, you have less time and energy to dwell on problems or worries.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, close to 3% of Americans between the ages of 50 to 70 are participating in continuing education.

If you think you have to “start over” to attend college, think again. More and more colleges and universities provide a curriculum that are specifically designed for people who have passed the traditional undergraduate college age. Many learning institutions display detailed information about their continuing education programs on their websites, along with clear enrollment instructions. Want to attend your alma matter in another area? Search their site online and see if they have a distance learning program for continuing education.

For “The best free cultural & educational media on the web”, visit www.openculture.com. This site has free audio books, 375 free online courses, free movies (from John Wayne to Hitchcock), free language lessons, and more. The featured video when I visited was called “50 Renowned Academics Speaking About God”.

Not the classroom type? No problem! Check out Road Scholar, or www.roadscholar.org, which is an amazing site that you can search and find an “Adventure in Lifelong Learning” for adults of any age. For example, I searched for “History & Culture” at any location and was provided with almost 250 different programs. One of the results was in New York City called “Five Days, Five Boroughs” and cost approximately $1200-$1800 and that included 13 meals, 5 nights at a hotel, instructors, field trips/excursions, transportation, tips and taxes. You also can search by location, interest, activity level, date or select categories such as International, Adventures Afloat or Small Groups. They offer over 7,000 educational tours in all 50 states and 150 countries.
Road Scholar offers scholarships, via donations, to help those who need help with the cost of their programs.