By Maralie Waterman-BeLonge

This summer my family was fortunate to celebrate my grandmother’s 90th birthday. She is active, walking most days, an avid reader and an engaging correspondent. She makes untold loaves of the finest English muffin bread during the holidays, and she never forgets a birthday – even within multiple generations.

Some of this is just good genetics (please God, may I have just a little of that), but I want you to think for a moment about the people you know in their 80s and 90s who are both cognitively and physically healthy. What traits – outside of hitting the genetic Powerball – do they have in common?

Are they at home playing the lone wolf and watching reruns of the “Golden Girls”?

Probably not.

Continued learning and involvement in 'community' are key to keeping the brain sharp and focused.

“Brain health” is a popular phrase of late, but there are effective ways to maintain healthy cognition into old age, the foundation of which is expanding our knowledge base by learning new things, engaging in stimulating discussion and eliminating isolation through social interaction with peers.

Located at UNM Continuing Education, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, which was established through funding from the Bernard Osher Foundation in 2007, is one of 122 national institutes of its kind and the only of its kind in New Mexico.

The Osher program is designed specifically for those 50 and older. It offers intellectually rewarding courses, similar to main campus topics, but instead of testing and grades it strives to develop a learning “community” that emphasizes social connections within its membership.

Osher provides a wide range of courses, including art, art history, current events, health, fitness and well-being, history, literature, writing, psychology, sociology, science, technology, music, theatre and travel. Great care is taken to ensure that class offerings are as intellectually challenging and informative as they are entertaining. A $20 annual membership fee provides the Osher member with access to this growing community of older learners.

Courses concentrate on member interests, and rather than traditional lecture, it focuses on discussion and the sharing of ideas. “Great Decisions: A Foreign Policy Discussion Group,” “John Donne was a Rock Star” and “Age of Originality: Creativity After Age Sixty” are a few of the twenty-five courses available during the Spring 2010 semester.

For more information, call 505.277.6179 or register online at http://dce.unm.edu/osher. You may also register in-person by visiting UNM Continuing Education, 1634 University Blvd., NE, Albuquerque, NM 87102.

Maralie Waterman-BeLonge is the Program Supervisor for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and the former Executive Director of the New Mexico Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.