Seniors-Old Brains Learning New Things

Recalling the last time you felt particularly joyful, a moment of reflection will bring the discovery that the true source of your joy was your brain - either networked memories spurred the feelings of happiness, or the delight of learning something new sparked a smile. Memory and learning are wonderful life-enriching functions brought to us by the three pounds of wrinkled neural-goo packed into our skulls.

Most of us have seen images of brains, pictures, X-rays, MRI's, television, movies and their audiences love brain images. Most of us have also heard endless tales relating to what our brains can, and cannot, do as we get older. Learning new information to acquire new skills seems to rank high on the list of 'cannot do's' - especially in the land of technology where computers have jagged fangs and even cell phones are suspect.

Reality is a stark contract to such fiction as researchers expand their own knowledge in brain function and abilities available to those of us with 'old' brains. Their findings are eye-opening and fully support any seniors' efforts at continuing education. Whether pursuing formal classroom training or informal learning experiences, senior's brains have cognitive power to burn.

Two excellent sources and supporters of senior learning and brain resource materials are the NRTA: AARP's Educator Community founded in 1947 by Dr. Ethel Percy, who also founded AARP and the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives in Washington D.C... These two mega-foundations brilliantly combine in a joint project called, "Staying Sharp" that focuses on understanding how our brains work and how we can use that knowledge to maximize our use of that most fantastic organ, the brain.

Visit either www.aarp.com or www.dana.org for information on "Staying Sharp," including webcasts from the Dana Center, an extremely informative, downloadable booklet, 'Learning Throughout Life' and numerous links and articles providing valuable, accurate information on our brains and learning as we grow older.

One recent Staying Sharp article related research findings from the National Sleep Foundation regarding sleep and memory. Easy to read and interesting, the article tells of our need for sleep in order for our brains to identify knowledge gained and store it in short-term or long-term memory. This need is critical to any person's procedural learning ability, that is, learning a new dance step or how to play a musical instrument because the brain must be able to take the procedures introduced and store them appropriately for us to retrieve correctly when we want to repeat the procedure again. Declarative memory, such as "this is my friend Mary" or "this is a flower", is not affected by sleep, meaning no amount of sleep can help make it sharper.

Sleep is important to learning - not less, but more. Research also shows that learning may be enhanced by taking a brief (1-2 hours) nap after engaging in a learning experience. This same research emphasizes that, contrary to popular belief, seniors do not inherently need less sleep than younger people, their sleep is simply more likely to be interrupted due to physical concerns which further supports findings that seniors who nap 2-4 hours during the day have no difficulty falling asleep at night.

Brain Resources for Seniors are listed on the Dana.org website and include excellent links such as:

• CyberSeniors.org - directing you to computer literacy resources nationwide
• Senior University - University of Maryland study group
• SeniorNet - on-site classes at over 220 learning centers, self-paced tutorials and online discussion courses
• Elderhostel - not-for-profit organization offering educational services to seniors

All these links provide tremendous learning information for seniors, but especially fun is the unique and exciting 'Elderhostel', www.elderhostel.org.

Tagged as "Adventures in Lifelong Learning", Elderhostel is an avenue to fascinating, global learning opportunities. A free catalog is offered and the site carries a monthly newsletter and discussion boards. Enjoyable articles give seniors' insights on their learning experiences with Elderhostel.

Learning 'vacations' are another option for seniors to bring new skills into their lives. As an example, the culinary arts may be explored in diverse settings, all geared towards your enjoyment while learning more about great foods. Visits to the following sites give an idea of what's available:

• www.redmountainspa.com - in the red rock deserts of Utah, this spa resort offers 8 hours of classes focused on the principles of healthy cooking spread over a week and capped by a chili cookoff graduation
• www.vtculinaryresort.com - teamed with the famous New England Culinary Institute, the Inn at Essex offers hands-on classes given by an Institute chef instructor in the prepartion of a 3-course meal
• www.leaualabouche.com - 2 days in the kitchen with Quebec Chef Anne Desjardins, learning the workings of each prep station and becoming one of the honorary kitchen "staff" complete with vest and toque

For an excellent resource in locating schools, colleges and libraries in your region, visit: http://nces.ed.gov/globallocator

And for those seniors who wish to learn through giving with the granddaddy of volunteer organizations, visit: www.peacecorps.gov - then click on "Who Volunteers" for senior volunteer information

No doors are closed to seniors and continued learning experiences and your brain does not 'shrink' as you grow older - through regular, complex demands and stimulation, it grows and processes and stores memories, so you can tango today better than you did yesterday.