Lifelong learning

Date created: 12:40 pm Mar 5th, 2007

By LINDA THOMAS
For The Patriot Ledger

Shirley McMahon and Barbara Kiley of Duxbury saw that the town needed a place for seniors and others to expand their horizons and knowledge.

McMahon, a retired psychiatrist, and Kiley, a former journalist and publisher, knew that seniors who take classes had better chances of preserving their intellect and could even prolong their lives. And they knew that several lifelong-learning programs were available across eastern Massachusetts. What lacked was something local, so they set out to form the town’s Life Long Learning Institute.

‘‘We realized for some seniors these programs would not be accessible because of the limitations of public transportation and clogged highways,’’ McMahon said. ‘‘We wondered whether it would be possible to develop a free-standing program and whether there was enough interest to support it.’’

The Duxbury Council on Aging circulated a survey at the town meeting in March 2006.

‘‘Responses were overwhelmingly positive,’’ McMahon said. ‘‘It gave us some idea of the topics that would interest them.’’

McMahon applauds the education committee of the Council on Aging and the staff at the senior center, who played an important role in getting the program together.

‘‘Without them, it wouldn’t have happened,’’ she said. ‘‘The staff of the senior center provided the real-world know-how for organization and presentation.

‘‘Once the idea was hatched, a committee of board members began working to make it become a reality.’’
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In September, McMahon and Kiley began teaching three courses: Let’s Go To The Opera, American History 1810-1850, and Marching Toward War and Cultural Clashes as Seen in The New Yorker.

Students gave them high marks, and with them the confidence to push on. ‘‘This gave us the courage to move forward,’’ she said.

Beginning its second term, the Life Long Learning Institute offers four eight-week classes, as well as four Saturday brown-bag lunch presentations.

Duxbury seniors have first rights, but all seniors are eligible to take part. Registration forms are available on the town’s web site, town.duxbury.ma.us, or by calling the Council on Aging at 781-934-5774.

‘‘We are fortunate to live in a community with a number of well-educated retired professionals who are willing to work on this project, and to give time to facilitate the classes,’’ McMahon said. ‘‘The town has generously provided itself with a beautiful facility in the Senior Center, where there is a splendid staff and many interesting activities are offered.’’

Getting a driver’s license at 60 or older

According to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, the crash rate for older drivers is relatively low because most take simple but important precautions.

These self-imposed limitations include driving during daylight hours, staying home when weather conditions are poor and avoiding rush hour.

The registry compiled data of people 60 and older who applied for a driver’s license for the first time.

In 2000, there were 838. Last year, there were 948, and in 2005 there were nearly 1,000.

The life coach

Anne Barry Jolles knows about recharging batteries and life changes.

The Hanover life coach has observed two universal truths about change:

‘‘Everything changes and we all resist change,’’ she said.

‘‘I have found as people age they are often reluctant to take chances.

‘‘Some of this is that they may have more to lose and some of this may be that they are extremely aware of the risks involved.

‘‘People, who make changes in later life, by choice, usually have the safety and security bases covered, financially, and they can swing out there and try something new.

‘‘If people are determined but not able to take on the risk of a change then I say: ‘Keep your day job and get some experience before you jump in fully.’

‘‘There are many older people who must continue to work for financial reasons and taking risks is much harder.

‘‘There are also those people who say ‘I have been doing for everyone else for all these years - now it’s my turn.’’’

Jolles points out examples of well-known people who didn’t let age keep them from pursuing a change:

-Harlan Sanders was in his 60s when he started franchising Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants.

- Grandma Moses started her painting career in her 70’s.

- Rodney Dangerfield was nearly 60 when he landed his first major film role in ‘‘Caddyshack.’’

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