How Older Adults can Engage in Lifelong Learning
Receiving a diploma doesn’t have to mean the end of education. Lifelong learning is a concept that upholds continuous and self-motivated personal and professional development throughout one’s life, long after graduating from compulsory education. There’s no age that doesn’t benefit from a little extra knowledge, but older adults in particular should remember that it’s never too late to learn something they never knew before. Engaging in lifelong learning has many benefits for older adults, including enhancing cognitive function, improving quality of life and encouraging self-growth. Here are some ways you can engage in lifelong learning, and why it matters for older adults to keep expanding their minds no matter how many years pass!
Ways to Engage in Lifelong Learning
Enroll in Community College or University Courses: Many community colleges and universities offer courses specifically designed for older adults, many of which are available to audit tuition-free! Enrolling in these courses provides an opportunity to learn new skills, develop new interests, refresh yourself on past learnings and even catch up with modern developments that may not have been taught when you attended school.
Join a Discussion Group: Book clubs are among the most common forms of getting together and engaging in lively debate, but they aren’t the only ones out there. Look around in your community, and you’re likely to find other groups of likeminded individuals who want to share their interests, whether it’s a religious group that gets together for bible study, or a local gathering of bird watchers. Can’t find anything up your alley? Try making a group of your own!
Attend Workshops and Seminars: Community centers, libraries and senior centers often host workshops and seminars on various topics, ranging from educational lectures to how-to instructions for buddying hobbyists.
Experience Intergenerational Learning: There’s a lot you can learn from the younger generation, and a lot they can learn from you. If you have grandchildren or other young adults in your life, you might try engaging in intergenerational activities informally. Try having a younger loved one teach you about something important to them, and then share an interest of yours that they may not know about in return. Intergenerational learning can also take place in more formalized settings, like senior centers, libraries and schools.
Develop Your Own Self-Paced Learning Routine: The best part about lifelong learning is that, unlike traditional school, you can do it how you want and when you want. If you’re not interested in formal learning settings, try writing down a list of your learning goals and how you might achieve them on your own. You can lean on resources like books, the internet and informative videos to help you along the way, but you can work through them on your own schedule, without necessarily following along with a structured course.
Benefits of Lifelong Learning for Older Adults
Improved Cognitive Function: Engaging in lifelong learning can help in maintaining and improving cognitive function as you age, especially your memory, attention and processing speed. Just as nourishing your body is key to good health, nourishing your mind can strengthen its defenses.
Better Quality of Life: Learning new things and expanding your passions can increase happiness, reduce stress and improve your overall sense of satisfaction with your life.
Opportunities for Socialization: It can be difficult to forge new connections in adulthood, especially post-retirement. Participating in workshops in group settings can help expand your network and combat any feelings of isolation you may have. Attending a group event related to something you deeply care about can be especially rewarding, since it puts you among likeminded individuals you already share common ground with.
Continual Personal Growth: Exploring new areas of interests, perspectives and ideas can broaden your worldview and give you a better understanding of yourself and the people around you. You may even surprise yourself with how much more your brain can hold and how even your established outlooks on life can change with new experiences and information!