Research has found that lifelong learning stimulates brain activities. For example, Knute Nelson reports that seniors who actively learn have a better memory, while Family Matters In-Home Care says continuous education sharpens cognitive health. Furthermore, education can promote neuron generation which improves attention and reasoning in seniors.
Due to this, seniors who continue to improve their education may experience a slower level of cognitive decline.
A report by Education Week even shows that seniors can be directly involved in educational programs – not just as students, but as mentors too. The report says seniors have some skills that the youth lack, along with a lot of history and patience. Such skills a very important in the educational environment.
Why Seniors May Learn To Become Mentors
So, what other reasons may seniors get involved in further education, either as students or as mentors? It turns out that there are many benefits, both for the seniors themselves and for others.
Benefits of Mentorship for Seniors
Can Promote Brain Health
Many reports say that active aging is crucial to maintaining brain health. Being active physically and mentally helps to keep people engaged, improving mental and physical health in the process.
Adult education is one way to do this, as the education involves regularly learning new information, while also engaging in a challenging environment with many social interactions. Education can also have flow-on effects, like improving health literacy and even helping seniors to advocate for their own health needs.
Indeed, adult education may even help seniors to age better.
Can Improve Quality of Life
Quality of life matters for senior citizens. They have a right to pursue independence, joy, and self-realization. Seniors need to find value and pleasure in life, and education is one way of doing so.
Specifically, education helps with a sense of purpose. It means that seniors are working on achieving an external goal. This can help immensely with physical and mental health.
Furthermore, seniors face external challenges that can make finding fulfillment difficult. One issue is that they typically no longer work, so they do not have the sense of purpose, social connection, and identity that comes with a job.
There are physical changes as well, including decreases in physical strength, fitness, and energy, along with the development of chronic diseases and potentially cognitive changes. Such changes can make many activities more difficult.
There are external factors as well, including increased financial strain and discrimination based on their age and other factors.
Education doesn’t solve all of these issues, but it can still improve quality of life. This is partly because education teaches seniors how to care for themselves better.
Beyond this, education can also provide a sense of empowerment and strength. This is an important way that quality of life can be improved through education, as attitude plays a major role in how we experience life.
Seniors may also be able to learn more about specific topics or skills they need. For example, they might want to understand the trending technology. The knowledge equips them with skills for active living.
Recently, LifeLong Learning Program conducted an adult education study. They found that adults who continuously learn tend to have a better socioeconomic status. The adult is likely to keep investing and creating more lines of income.
In another report by Age Watch, adult education helps reduce anxiety and stress. The report says education improves the general well-being of seniors. Their brain remains active and is in a better place to fight infections.
Can Increase Intellectual Ability
Saber Health reports that adult education helps seniors learn new skills. The report further says education improves socialization, cognition, and mood. The Nature Journal has published different scientific report, one of which states that continuous education improves intellectual ability in adults.
The report says such seniors have better cognitive and memory abilities than younger adults. Seniors pursuing education improve such brain abilities significantly. In a Wellness and Rehabilitation report, education benefits seniors in many ways.
It can reduce the risk of dementia and boost neuron generation. Older adults handle challenges in life better. In another report by the NIH, education boosts intellectual ability in seniors in different ways. They can reason, plan, reason, think, and solve problems better.
How Seniors Can Help Students
Older people may also be uniquely skilled to help youth in education, due to their patience and life experience. They understand the human struggle and the flexibilities required to succeed, skills that are often lacking in teenagers and youth.
Younger students often lack the skills to write academically as well. Carnegie Mellon University reports that many students use poor grammar and syntax, and are unable to communicate ideas clearly when writing essays.
One of the ways to learn the skills of writing is to read free essays online. For instance, students can get a lot of examples of history essays at Samplius online library and writing resources. Also, a student can find many other essay topics at Samplius useful for ideas.
Such tools are relevant to seniors too, as they can be valuable ways to teach youth how to write well academically. Some older students may also turn to such academic examples as ways of bringing themselves up to speed. After all, it may have been decades since some were involved in acadamia.
Integrating Seniors Into Educational Systems
The Illinois Intergenerational Initiative reports that older people need to be integrated into educational programs. The report says integrating them can help restructure educational outcomes.
In another report, seniors in schools will not only learn but also act as life mentors. Younger people will go to them when they need counseling. They become examples of positive living and learning to young students.
Conclusion
Lifelong learning is good for the brain. Specifically, it promotes cognition and intelligence in adults. Seniors involved in adult education may also experience improved mental health and self-esteem.
Some of them even use the knowledge to start a line of income. Beyond this, education can help to boost practical skills, which are relevant to living a meaningful life.
Seniors can be integrated into education to act as mentors. They know a lot of history and have patience compared to younger people. Acting in a mentorship role can have extra benefits for seniors as well, helping them to feel more connected and creating a sense of purpose.
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