Classes on How to Age

 “At 20 years of age the will reigns, at 30 the wit, at 40 the judgments.”

baby and doll

These two babies–not quite the same!

Here a few major milestones of life: marriage, parenthood, empty nest, retirement. Early on, we get courses on these transitions. For example, in high school, we had a home ec class which taught us things like cooking, sewing, and balancing a checkbook. The teacher would even pair students to have them care for a “newborn” baby doll to hone their future parenting skills. (By the way, dolls are nothing like real squirming babies.)

As we get older, there are less formal teachings. Is there a course on empty nesting? What about retirement–beyond the usual financial aspects? Well, there are classes now!

In Washington, DC, they have a Take Charge/Age Well Academy. They offer classes like, “Age Well, Live Well 101.” Even simple reminders can be rewarding to us as we age. When I did case management with older adults, I can’t count the number of times I spotted tripping hazards in homes. Sometimes they were obvious ones, like bundles of cords stretching out from appliances. Other times, the reasons were more subtle–like rugs that flip with the slightest pressure (thank goodness for rug tape!).

What class prepared you for a major change?

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Comments

  1. What a great idea. I think classes related to retirement would be a help to many people. Everything from what to do with your time, to normal feelings associated with the transition, to finances. Interesting concept, for sure.

  2. Romelle Broas says

    Nothing. There is no class that could ever prepare me for life, marriage, children, etc. The best teacher is experience, which includes learning from mistakes. But I still take classes and would definitely take the LIVE WELL class!

    • Jennifer J. Chow says

      So true, Romelle. I know that my Lamaze class didn’t prepare me enough. During labor, all those techniques flew out the window!

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