Lifelong learning can encompass many activities – ranging from taking community college classes to trying out new activities and taking on a new hobby. The whole point of lifelong learning is to expose yourself to experiences that will expand your horizons and subsequently stimulate the brain. A perfect opportunity for lifelong learning is volunteering in your community.
Volunteering is a great activity for seniors because it gets them involved in their local community and exposes them to new activities and skills. Community service breaks the monotony of everyday activity and as a result stimulates the brain’s cognition. Its social aspect allows seniors to make friends with different age levels and exposes them to activities that they may not normally participate in. Studies have shown that volunteering can lower mortality and depression rates as well as increase overall well-being. So the earlier you start serving your community the better!
There are plenty of different opportunities seniors can take. From volunteering at state parks to helping at a local library – there are many activities to suit individual’s taste and goals. Distributing goods at food drives and helping to counsel low-income seniors are beneficial activities as well. As they say, philanthropy is great medicine for your health - so get involved today!
Some resources to get started:
Help our national parks:
http://www.nps.gov/getinvolved/volunteer.htm
A resource guide for various different volunteer opportunities:
http://www.seniorcorps.gov/
http://seniorjournal.com/Volunteers.htm
Become a health advocate to help others understand Medicare:
http://www.cahealthadvocates.org/HICAP/
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