New Baby Boomer Book Seeks to Redefine Retirement Through Lifelong Learning

Pelham, NH (PRWEB) September 6, 2007 -- For the coming wave of 78 million Baby Boomers standing on the brink of the biggest change yet, the future is filled with uncertainty about how to maintain an active and involved lifestyle for the next 20 to 30 years. Lifelong learning may be the key that opens the door to that next life phase.

Lifelong learning is a new kind of health club for the mind, body and spirit. It keeps older adults alert, active, and connected to their communities and is critical for making the most of the "after-50" years. The findings are presented in a new book, "Learning Later, Living Greater: The Secret for Making the Most of Your After-50 Years," by Nancy Merz Nordstrom, M.Ed. and Jon F. Merz, recently released by Sentient Publications.

Nordstrom, who directs the Elderhostel Institute Network, North America's largest educational network for older adults, says, "People who engage in structured lifelong learning activities are vibrant, interested in life, and active in their communities. They love to learn for the sheer joy of learning something new."

Thanks to a vast array of opportunities available in the lifelong learning world today, older adults now have the chance to make their later years far more exciting than they ever dreamed possible. The book shows how incorporating lifelong learning into this next life phase will mean minds will be more stimulated, bodies more active, and spirits more fulfilled.

A healthy Mind/Body/Spirit connection is critical to getting the most out of life at any age. As people age, however, this connection becomes even more important. Lifelong learning, as older adults are discovering, can help strengthen that connection.

A study conducted for AARP by Roper Starch Worldwide, Inc. in 1999 bears this out. It showed that over 90% of surveyed adults age 50 and older do plan to continue learning as they age. When asked why, participants said they wanted to keep up with what's going on in the world. They also wanted to continue their personal/spiritual growth, and have fun by learning something new.

Learning Later, Living Greater focuses on three ways people can get involved in lifelong learning. They can take non-credit classes on a wide variety of topics at local lifelong learning programs. Older adults can also learn and explore the world through educational travel programs or they can choose to give back to their community by using their skills and experiences to help enrich the lives of others through meaningful civic service. "Lifelong learning is really all about ways to keep the mind, body and spirit stimulated, challenged and fully engaged in the "After-50" years," Nordstrom says.

Recent studies seem to indicate this is true. During the 1990s, the congressionally-mandated Decade of the Brain, research at Harvard, Duke and Johns Hopkins Universities, among many others, showed that keeping brains, even aging brains, challenged and stimulated helps retain mental alertness. In short, the brain's physical anatomy actually responds to enriching mental activities.

In the words of Dr. Paul Nussbaum, Director of the Aging Research and Education Center in Pittsburgh, PA, "?every time your heart beats, 25% of that blood goes right to the brain. But

while exercise is critical, it may be education that is more important. In the 21st century, education and information may become for the brain what exercise is for the heart."

Nordstrom concurs. "Just like the human heart, the brain needs to be nurtured," she says. "So lifelong learning can easily be considered a health club for the brain."

There are other benefits to be derived from lifelong learning as well. The Mind/Body connection is an important one. The belief that one's thoughts and actions can influence health is not a new concept. Recent neuroscience and behavioral studies indicate that the mental, physical and emotional habits of older adults play a significant role in cognitive functioning and a sense of general well-being. Significant evidence suggests that coordinating the interaction between the mind and the body can produce amazing results, according to the book.

"Lifelong learning plays a major role in this coordination because it helps balance both the mind and body," says Nordstrom. "Balance leads to feeling better, and feeling better leads to more activity. It's a wonderful circle of enhanced wellness that helps create a well-balanced later life."

Engaging in lifelong learning also promotes the social interaction that is often lacking after leaving a full-time job. "People join lifelong learning programs as much for the social aspects as for the learning," she says. Outdoor programs, field trips, luncheons, parties, and travel far and near, give older adults the opportunity to make new friends, engage in stimulating give-and-take discussion, and share in life's ups and downs with like-minded people.

Learning Later, Living Greater is filled with first person accounts, interviews with experts in the field, and quotes from lifelong learners like the one from David, a New Yorker, who says, "We have a fantastic program for personal discovery. We base everything on the belief that our capacity to learn and grow does not decrease as our years increase. In fact, through learning and the adventures we embark on, we actually embrace self-fulfillment."

The book goes on to say that making lifelong learning part of one's later years also fosters a sense of personal empowerment, increases self-esteem, and continues growth and intellectual stimulation, leading to a more enriched lifestyle.

Learning Later, Living Greater is all about introducing adults over or nearing age 50 to the ideas and benefits of lifelong learning. It challenges them to become involved in meaningful new avenues of productivity: learning in the classroom, or through educational travel, volunteerism, civic action, and more. It shows adults how to stay mentally and spiritually young. Learning Later, Living Greater is a guidebook for transforming the after-work years into a richly satisfying period of personal growth and social involvement.

Reviews for "Learning Later, Living Greater"...

Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D. Founder and CEO of Age Wave

Author of Age Wave, Age Power, The Power Years and Workforce Crisis

"Learning Later, Living Greater is a terrific resource for navigating the uncharted waters of revolutionary retirement trends and lifestyles. Nancy Merz Nordstrom has written a compelling and user-friendly guide to lifelong learning and, in many ways, a complete redefinition of the after-50 years. Every Baby Boomer should grab a copy of this optimistic and helpful book."

Marc Freedman, President & Founder of Civic Ventures

"Unlike most other books on life after 50, "Learning Later, Living Greater" connects the dots between lifelong learning, community service, health, and happiness. It promises to be a great help to all those who believe that they can make their greatest contributions in the second half of life."

Paul Nussbaum, Ph.D., Clinical Neuropsychologist & International Consultant on Aging and Health Promotion

"In Learning Later, Living Greater: The Secret for Making the Most of Your After-50 Years," Nancy Merz Nordstrom has correctly championed lifelong learning as a proactive lifestyle for overall personal development and a primary factor for brain health!"

Robert Otterbourg, Author Retire & Thrive. Kiplinger Books

"Becoming a student at age 50 plus is an exhilarating experience. "Learning Later, Living Greater" shows the nearly unlimited opportunities for those who want to broaden their retirement lifestyle."

Contact: Nancy M. Nordstrom, M. Ed.

Phone: 603-635-3181

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