Learning New Things Just Gets Harder and Harder

 I'm sure you've noticed it.  Learning new things gets harder as we age. Whether it's learning a new language, learning a new program on the computer, understanding a difficult concept, or remembering the many numbers and names we have stored in our brain, it all becomes more difficult as we age.

Part of the reason is brain and biologic changes.  Your brain forms new connections more slowly than it did in your youth.  While the brain still grows new cells, the speed to synaptic turnover drops and more repetition is required.  Life and mental habits also make learning harder.  Fear of failure may prevent older adults from even trying to learn new thing.  

Aging causes structural, chemical and cellular shifts that make processing and storing new information harder.  The prefrontal cortex shrinks, the hippocampus (memory center) loses volume, and the protective myelin coating or nerve fibers degrades, which slows down communication speeds between different brain regions.

There are many more chemical and cellular changes that contribute to our difficulty in learning new things, but you get the picture.  It's best to recognize that there are many things that we cannot change that are happening throughout the body (gravity, for instance), and accept that learning will be harder.  That by no means means that we should give up on learning.  I will write later about strategies to help seniors learn new things without feeling like a failure.

I've always said that I want to learn at least one new thing each day.  It might be a new word or just a new computer tip, or it could be something more complicated, like a new bridge convention.  The latter is harder for me than it used to be, it takes more repetition and practice, but I can still do it.  I will write about tips for senior learning soon.

Renewing Old Friendships

 One of the saddest realities of life is that we often lose touch with people we deeply care about.  We think of an old friend, distant relative or former neighbor that we haven't seen in ages, and wonder how they are.  We say we'll call them tomorrow, but tomorrow becomes new week, next month, or never.

Why do we put it off? Not necessarily because we don't care, but because we get busy with life, daily routine and appointments.  We might think it would be awkward to all after so much time has passed.  Yet, in most cases, the person on the other end of the phone is just as happy to hear from us as we are to hear from them.

A simple phone call might rekindle a friendship or just remind someone that you still care.  One day it will be too late, as the person may be gone or gravely ill.  We'll never have the opportunity to have that conversation if we wait too long.

The best time to reconnect is not someday-it's today.  As soon as I finish this, I'm going to call a friend I haven't talk to in over a year.  I know she will be happy to hear from me.

Traveling At Any Age

 I have a bit of experience traveling with people of all ages (except for babies and toddlers) and I can tell you now, it is hard, yet very rewarding.  I wouldn't change a thing.

My husband Ron, was diagnosed with ALS in 2014.  He passed away in 2020, so he had six years of declining health.  Did we stay home until he dies?  No way.  We made many  trips to Colorado and Phoenix, in and out of cars, airports, restaurants.  A road trip in a wheel chair is challenging.  Airports are easier than you might expect, since assistance is always available.  In the last two years of his life we took two cruises.  He was in a wheel chair full time at this point, and although it wasn't easy, I'm so glad we did it.  We got a handicapped room on the cruise, bigger and safer than a regular room, which helped a lot.  We also had staff from the ship come wheel  him to breakfast, theatre or poker.  That gave me a break.  As hard as those six years were, the fact that we kept on traveling, kept me going.  Now that I'm recalling it all, I have a smile on my face.  Travel was one of the bright spots in those six years.

I often talk to people who say, "I don't want to travel anymore.  It's just too much work."  Yes, it is a lot of work, but the rewards far outweigh the inconvenience for me.  I like to try difficult things (not dangerous) to challenge myself.  On my last trip I hiked up to 9,000 feet to see butterflies.  Definitely challenging.  I also rode a horse and an ATV.  I felt so good after doing these things.

If you're curious, as I am, travel has to be in your life.  Maybe it's just a three day trip up to San Luis Obispo, Hearst Castel, Cambria and Morro Bay with a few friends.  That's what a group of us will be doing soon.  We love traveling together, and we always seem to find exciting places to visit that are close to home.

Many of the best things we do in life are hard, but they are the best because they bring us great satisfaction and joy.  To me, travel is one of these things, often hard as we age, but oh, so rewarding.

Mel Brooks: 100 Years Old and Still Relevant

 Mel Brooks is one of the most amazing men of our time, regardless of age.  Brooks transformed movie comedy by creating films  that lovingly spoofed classic genres.  Who can forget these films?  The Producers, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, High Anxiety, History of the World, Part 1, and Spaceballs.  He combined satire, slapstick, wordplay and musical comedy while challenging stereotypes and conventions.  Mel Brooks is one of the few entertainers to achieve EGOT status.  (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award).

In his 90's and beyond, Brooks continue writing, acting, narrating and producing.  What do we learn from Brooks?  First, a sense of humor can help people endure adversity.  Second, creativity doesn't have an expiration date.  Third, staying intellectually engaged and socially connected may contribute to a fulfilling long life.  Finally, curiosity and the willingness to keep creating can sustain purpose well into advanced age.  

So, whatever you're doing, keep doing it.  We can all be mentally active until the day we die, as long as our health holds up.  Mel Brooks just turned 100, and he's not done yet.