By Marlene Ross, Sagewood Residents’ Foundation
Lifelong learning has been proven to slow cognitive decline and help older adults live a longer, fuller life.
Sagewood, a luxury senior living community in Phoenix, has made it its mission to incorporate a program that promotes continued education.
Residents founded Sagewood’s Institute of Lifelong Learning in 2013, and ever since this program has been running exclusively through the dedication of Sagewood residents.
While lifelong learning is not a new or unique concept, most senior living communities in Arizona participate in Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, a senior learning program hosted and supported by Arizona State University. Sagewood was one of the first communities to bring continued education to residents so everyone could exercise their minds, including those with limited mobility.
The benefits of continued education are vast. The most widely known among the benefits is improved cognitive ability, but it is not the only reason to try a class or two. One of the main benefits of participating in SILL is meeting like-minded learners within the Sagewood community.
This is a great way to strengthen social skills and make new friends. It is easy to become sedentary in senior living communities and lose some of those soft skills. This program is a wonderful way to get involved in the community while learning about new topics.
SILL also helps residents discover new interests and learn unique skills. A committee of residents creates the entire curriculum based on personal interests or topics they want to learn more about. Typically, there are about 15-20 classes each semester covering various social, historical, political and artistic topics.
Each class is taught by an expert residing in the community, or Sagewood will seek an industry professional to teach the course. Each class can have anywhere between 80 and 120 residents in attendance, making this one of the most popular programs in the community.
Many in-person activities at Sagewood were temporarily halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but SILL has adapted to a virtual format.
The classes during the early part of the current semester were being hosted through Zoom and residents were able to participate and learn from the safety of their homes. Beginning next week, classes will be in-person. The current semester offers classes on local history, sustainability, health and much more.
While Sagewood residents love participating in lifelong learning, it is not exclusive to senior living communities. Every older adult should make it a priority to continue their education. It can be as simple as reading a new book or watching a virtual seminar.
Or get involved in the social aspects by taking classes through local community centers or joining a book club. No matter your age or ability, it is always beneficial to learn a new topic or skill.
For more information on Sagewood’s Institute of Lifelong Learning, visit www.sagewoodlcs.com.
Editor’s note: Marlene Ross is president of the Sagewood Residents’ Foundation, which provides scholarships for employees and dependents of employees and other educational programs for the community.
