Connect, Discuss, and Explore at Vistas Lifelong Learning

Connect, Discuss, and Explore at Vistas Lifelong Learning

Seniors Stay Smart and Social Thanks to This Volunteer-Run Nonprofit 

By Leslie Dinaberg

‘Life is a huge playground in which the active brain can engage and be altered by every experience.’

—Dr. Marianne J. Legato

‘The brain can be continuously and consistently enriched throughout your life no matter your age or access to resources.’

—Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Keep Sharp: Build a Better Brain at Any Age

Learning new things and maintaining a vibrant social life are two of the key pillars that experts say will keep our brains sharp and healthy. This is exactly what the nonprofit Vistas Lifelong Learning (vistaslifelonglearning.org) offers to the community.

This volunteer-run organization, which started in 1999, is dedicated to keeping aging brains nimble with ongoing educational programs on a wide variety of topics. Recent courses included “Foods That Changed the World” (exploring foods that have changed the world in profound and delicious social, political, and economic ways); “Unpacking the Dementia Epidemic” (current thinking about the causes of dementias, dementia management, and how to stay on top of new developments); and “Politics and Religion in Verdi’s Operas” (with audio and video extracts from modern performances of the operas).

The depth and variety of the programming is impressive, but the social component of Vistas is equally important to its success. “I think of all the connections that people find through Vistas,” said President Jim Hemmer. “There are two book clubs; there’s a short story class; there are memoir writing classes. And in our in-person programs — which moved to Zoom during the pandemic and will resume in the fall — there’s always a 20-minute coffee break in the middle so people can socialize and see old friends and meet other similarly situated people.”