North Bay group champions older adults to invest in themselves

Dealing with the realities of growing older can be tough for many people, but it can be one of the most interesting and invigorating stages of life.

A group in the North Bay area wants to help more people embrace this perspective. The Third Age Nipissing Lifelong Learning Group is offering up a series of lectures about the importance of living healthfully and boosting our brains.

Volunteer Susan Priebe says the name of the group comes from different phases in your life. The first is childhood, the second is when you're working and the third stage is retirement.

"People want to keep their minds active," she said. "They want to keep learning things. So this is an opportunity to keep learning things, to keep you thinking, and keep you in the loop with interesting things that are going on in the world and in communities."

Previous lectures at the centre include a variety of topics, including music and cannabis. Priebe says the next  talks are about living mindfully.

"We want to know how we can keep ourselves healthy so that we don't end up in nursing homes and we can be independent for as long as possible," she said.

'Invest in yourself'

Priebe says a session this past week focused on practical ways to age proof your brain. She says upcoming sessions include topics such as reducing your health risks and addressing sleep issues.

"I think at this stage of your life [when] you're retired, you have time to invest in yourself," she said.

"You want to make sure you keep yourself healthy and able to stay in your own place."

Looking for opportunities to socialize and get involved in the community is important.

"As people get older and leave the work world and find themselves isolated," she said.

"It's not surprising how many people do live alone now. This kind of thing gets people out."

Information about upcoming sessions can be found on The Third Age Nipissing Lifelong Learning group's website.