Can lifelong education be used to hold off cognitive decline in older adults? Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. Henry Ford How important is lifelong learning for older adults? Along with severe neurocognitive conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, people over the age of sixty or seventy increasingly tend to experience what they describe as "senior moments." These are memory lapses that are commonly regarded as a sign of old age and an inevitable part of the aging process. While most of these lapses tend to be relatively minor and rarely lead to anything more serious, the fearof dementia is so
"No matter your skill level, creative endeavors can lower your cortisol levels. Poet and vocalist Otep Shamaya may have said it all in her anagrammatical album title, "Sevas Tra": "Art saves." Dramatic? Overly simplified? Perhaps to some. But, like countless other creative types who came before her, Shamaya was onto something. According to a new study published in the journal Art Therapy, making art has been found to lower our stress hormone levels — no matter what level of skill we bring to the table.Three researchers from Drexel University invited 39 adults (ranging in age from 18 to 59) to flex their creativity muscles in a lab for 45 minutes. Before and after the endeavor, all participan
"Of all human activities, creativity comes closest to providing the fulfillment we all hope to get in our lives. Call it full-blast living. Creativity is a central source of meaning in our lives. Most of the things that are interesting, important, and human are the result of creativity. What makes us different from apes—our language, values, artistic expression, scientific understanding, and technology—is the result of individual ingenuity that was recognized, rewarded, and transmitted through learning. When we're creative, we feel we are living more fully than during the rest of life. The excitement of the artist at the easel or the scientist in the lab comes close to the ideal fulfillment
Baby Boomers The Baby Boomers are a generation of people born during the post WWII ‘Baby Boom’, roughly during the years 1946 to 1964. In the years following many western nations experienced a spike in births as they slowly recovered from the economic hardships experienced during wartime. This new generation of Baby Boomers experienced an unprecedented level of economic growth and prosperity throughout their lifetime. They entered the world in a time of relative hardship, but thanks to education, government subsidies, rising property prices and technological advancements they have emerged as a successful and affluent generation. Many baby boomers are now settling into retirement, with many