It may be true that you can’t teach old dogs new tricks –but you’re not a dog! Research shows that, for humans at least, learning new skills and stimulating your mind in your older years has many benefits; positive results are seen in mental, physical, and emotional health. Just as exercising our bodies helps to keep them strong and flexible – exercising your brain is much the same.
Perhaps a silver lining that came out of the tragedy and chaos of the COVID pandemic, was the expanded development and use of online tools for communicating and learning. Now that our pandemic shut-down days are long past, we can still benefit from the technologies that we came to rely on in those days.
Of course, meeting in person to learn contributes to socialization which is also very important, but that’s not practical or even possible for some people, and online learning has its own benefits. Many online classes and tutorials are self-paced and available to you on your schedule, not a set meeting time. For those who don’t have reliable access to transportation, learning online is available from the comfort of your own home.
Learning stimulates our brains and helps keep our cognitive skills sharp. Whether it’s learning a new skill, studying an interesting topic, or practicing an exercise – when you are learning, you are stimulating your brain and engaging your curiosity. There are endless topics you can find online to become engaged in – weather you are interested in cardio drumming, how to cook the perfect omelet, the secrets of the Egyptian pyramids, or how to use your new cell phone – it’s all out there, available to you. Best of all, when you embark on learning new things when you are older, YOU get to choose the topic! Find something that interests you and dive in!
In addition to exercising your mind, learning can also provide a great benefit to our overall feeling of competence and self-confidence. As you learn and experience new things you broaden your horizons and stimulate your curiosity. Suddenly you’re discussing new topics with friends and family and feeling more engaged in your relationships. You could even challenge yourself and your friends to learn and discuss one new topic each month – this contributes to socialization and everyone will learn from each other.
There are many resources available on the internet for expanding your learning. Some come with a price tag, but many do not. You-Tube is a great place to start or google for free online classes. Milestone Senior Services offers a large selection of free online classes on our website; visit our Online Classes catalog. Here you will find a wide variety of categories such as arts & crafts, food, finances, technology, fitness, travel, and much more. The classes change with new videos being added regularly. The sessions vary in length, and some are a “series” so you can digest a topic in smaller bites and continue later. There is truly something for everyone here. Discover Milestone! We’re here to help!
