Until recently, there was a myth that it was more difficult to acquire knowledge in old age, or even that learning stopped at that stage of life. However, a person's learning never stops. Every human being has a natural ability to surprise and explore. Thanks to our abilities, the brain can keep learning throughout life.
Happiness in old age is often linked to staying active in various aspects of life. When an older adult stays active, whether physically, mentally or socially, they experience a sense of purpose and meaning in their daily lives. Keeping the mind active through continuous learning and exploration of new interests challenges the brain in a positive way, stimulating cognitive function, preventing deterioration and neurodegenerative diseases.
In addition, through continuous learning, social interaction is stimulated. This provides opportunities to establish meaningful connections, share experiences and maintain a healthy emotional support network. Overall, for an older adult to keep learning fosters a sense of satisfaction and happiness. It also fosters a connection to the world around them.
For this reason, it is valid to affirm that an older adult not only can, but that it is essential that he or she continues to learn during old age. In this regard, older adults have a great deal of experience and knowledge accumulated throughout their lives. This prior knowledge serves as a basis for learning and sharing new skills and concepts with others.
In addition, many older adults are motivated to continue learning and staying mentally active. As work and family responsibilities decrease, some of them may have more time to devote to intellectually stimulating activities, such as learning new languages, acquiring technological skills or exploring different topics of interest. Keeping the mind active through learning helps to combat the loneliness and isolation that can take such an emotional toll on an older adult.
Also, technology has opened up new learning opportunities for people of all ages. Many older adults are using devices such as computers, tablets and smartphones, which gives them access to a wide range of online educational resources and fosters constant communication with family members who live far away from them.
Over the years at Verdeza, we have found that the ability of older adults to acquire new skills, hobbies, abilities and explore a variety of topics is one of the ways to keep them motivated and engage in more conversations between residents and community staff. For that reason, we encourage seniors to continue learning through artistic, educational and recreational activities. A beautiful satisfaction that we often experience at Verdeza is to see the residents happy and enjoying the possibility of learning new things every day. We ensure quality aging.
