For years now, scientists around the world have credited ongoing education as the key contributor to brain health, longevity and satisfaction among aging Americans. A busy mind rallies its owner to remain curious about life and engaged in social activities. Perhaps most importantly, a busy mind can contribute to building the fresh pathways in the brain that stave off some debilitating illnesses which plague the elderly.
Some scientists believe that not only will ongoing learning keep the mind healthy, but the total number of years a person spends in formal education also contributes positively to long-term memory retention and cognitive ability. Researchers at the global policy think tank RAND Corporation say that while a lack of stress, a happy supportive family and lots of friends contribute to long life, education far outweighs all other factors.
Columbia University researcher Adriana Lleras-Muney led a study that set out to answer the question, "Does education really help people live longer?" In comparing regions that 100 years ago mandated childhood education over those states with lesser requirements, Lleras-Muney found greater life expectancy in the areas where people stayed in school. A follow-up study at Princeton revealed that American men lived 8 percent longer lives with each additional year of schooling.
Offer: Search for Schools
College Degrees, Career Training Classes and Brain Aerobics
A New England Journal of Medicine study has found that adults over age 75 who kept up with active reading (along with exercise and other self care) had significant success in warding off dementia.
Dr. Gary Small, director of the UCLA Center on Aging, cites healthy brain activity as a potent defense against illnesses like dementia or Alzheimer's disease. Small, the author of "The Longevity Bible," recommends activities he calls mental "cross-training" to engage the mind in a combination of play, healthy competition and knowledge building by means of studying, taking online courses, playing games or learning a new musical instrument.
The brain is a living organism and, like other body organs and muscles, requires activity to remain in working order. Memory, in particular, is a frontal cortex activity that remains supple through active engagement in learning. The higher the level of education, reports Canadian researchers Mellanie V. Springer and Cheryl Grady, the "more likely the older adult is to recruit frontal regions."
Broadband, Broad Mind
Anyone can keep their learning mind alive and well in the new millennium. The Alzheimer's Association today hosts "Maintain Your Brain" seminars where adults are encouraged to hook up with continuing education programs.
Even homebound seniors are not condemned to a dull life of the mind. Consider the landmark 2006 Harris Poll that discovered 14 million American adults over the age of 65 were consistently online. The myth that education is wasted among the young is constantly dispelled in bits and bytes. Digital campuses, colleges, trade schools and adult continuing education programs inundate today's online education space.
It may be true that campus-based learning builds social networks, but online learning builds brain circuitry. Students enrolled in today's online degree programs report that they're not isolated. Many online students extol the virtues of online class discussion boards, live audio and video chats, email exchanges and online team projects that build an active community and lifelong associations. Many classes include telephone conferences, and students meet for coffee.
Don't Be a Brain Potato
Only a pessimist would complain that there isn't an online class or degree program that would fire the imagination and fuel mental well-being. Adult learners can start small and build up a continuing educational repertoire, or they can hitch their minds to an extensive advanced degree program. What better way to complete unfinished educational business and fulfill a lifelong dream of accomplishment?
Some colleges require re-entry students to satisfy degree or major requirements; others allow you to enroll in a single course at a time. For those with a strong academic bent, there are associate, bachelor's and master's degree programs. Trade enthusiasts can enroll in an extensive range of career-training programs and vocational education.
The wide spectrum of online continuing and adult education offerings will dazzle your forebrain. Consider classes in landscaping, travel and tourism, cooking, locksmithing, automotive mechanics, cosmetology, interior decorating, electronics, bridal consulting, appliance repair, drafting, photography, animal care, nutrition or holistic health.
Recently, two Seattle senior citizens who graduated high school in 1933 returned to classes to learn basic computer skills. A single course in software or email programs can reconnect isolated aging Americans with friends and family members who live abroad or in distant cities.
Looking to improve your computer skills? You can enroll in a technical course or a simple "how-to" class in using e-mail, graphics design, word processing or artistic rendering software. Retired but want to consult or mentor other business professionals? Enroll in an online M.B.A. degree program and build your credentials.
Learn to Live, Live to Learn
Excited about finding a new career to augment retirement from your previous career? Enroll in an online teacher training program and prepare for a second life at the head of the class. Or take a real estate sales training course. Devoted to a spiritual life? Sign up for online college or adult-education courses in religious studies.
Maybe you'll decide to learn just for the fun of it. Discover online memory development courses, an online clown school, classes in Freud and Shakespeare, and courses in Tarot reading, cloth doll design, aviation ground school, jewelry making, stand-up comedy, star gazing, wine tasting, massage and acupressure, screenwriting, and furniture making.
