Class Catalog 2020 Winter 2020
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AMHERST CENTER FOR SENIOR SERVICES Learn Something New Winter Class Catalog 2020 Winter 2020 We’re proud to be part of the Amherst senior community. Foundation 2 Amherst Center For Senior Services General Information MISSION STATEMENT The Town of Amherst Center for Senior Services is a Table of Contents human service agency serving the community’s older Academic Studies ...............................................6 residents and their families. The Department’s mission The Arts ................................................................8 is to foster the physical and mental well-being of senior Cards ....................................................................9 citizens by providing educational and recreational activities, nutritional, health-related, social and support Evening Classes ............................................... 10 services and opportunities for volunteerism. The Health & Fitness ............................................... 11 Department is an advocate for senior citizens and seeks Dance ................................................................ 11 to promote and sustain independence or optimal level Yoga ................................................................... 16 of well-being. Home Arts ......................................................... 18 Music ................................................................. 19 MEMBERSHIP REQUIRED FOR CLASS Technology ....................................................... 22 REGISTRATION At 55 years of age individuals are eligible for AARP Smart Driver .......................................... 24 membership in the Amherst Center for Senior Massage Therapy ............................................. 26 Services. Spouses must meet membership eligibility Registration Information ................................. 28 requirements. Registration Form ......................................29, 31 MEMBERSHIP FEES Membership fees for Town of Amherst Residents are $30 for Individual Lifetime Membership or $50 Lifetime Couple or Household Membership. For Non-Town Residents Individual membership is $30 for 12 month membership, Couple or Household membership (for any two individuals living at the same address) is $50 for 12 month membership. Lifetime Individual membership is $100. Lifetime Couple membership is $150. Membership fees help pay for: The upkeep of the building and surrounding lawn and gardens, i.e. utilities, cleaning, maintenance, program equipment, as well as Social Casework Services, special events & programs. Veteran’s Day Celebration Friday, November 8 at 11:30 Please join us at the Amherst Center for Senior Services to honor our Veterans. We will be showcasing authentic displays, enjoying patriotic music with a live piano performance and singing by the Amherst Senior Singers. The County Clerk’s Office will also be on-site for those wishing to become a part of the Thank a Vet Program and the Veteran’s Association. A special lunch will be served at 12:00 and all veterans will enjoy a complimentary lunch. Join us in recognizing the men and women who “stepped up” to protect all that we hold dear. This event is proudly sponsored by Heathwood Assisted Living Advance lunch reservations are required. Please call 636-3050 to reserve your spot now. Registration Begins: Tuesday, November 12, 2019 3 Winter 2020 The Importance of Learning Something New as You Age As the old saying goes, you can’t teach an old dog new We’ve seen the same pattern with other activities, as tricks. But according to recent research, that may not well. According to one study, children who learned be entirely true. an instrument when they were younger had better cognitive function as adults. Though the study involved Though it’s harder for the brain to learn a new skill children, researchers say playing music improves brain as you age, several studies show that taking on this health because doing this activity involves so many challenge can lead to improved memory function and different and repetitive cognitive processes, along brain health. with the emotional engagement that comes from According to a study published in the journal Psycho- being involved in music making. logical Science, older adults who learn a new skill have If you want to stay mentally sharp as you age, here are improved memory. The study involved 221 people a few activities to consider: between age 60 to 90. In the study, some participants spent 16.5 hours a week for three months taking up • Learn a foreign language: Learning another hobbies or crafts such as digital photography and language is the equivalent of a mental workout quilting. Another group did social activities such as for the brain and may improve attention and watching movies or thinking about previous vacations, concentration. while a control group listened to the radio or played • These activities require simple games and puzzles. Those in the first group Solve a riddle or a puzzle: a lot of problem-solving skills and can enhance your who spent months learning a new skill had the biggest creativity and mental sharpness. memory gains. • In addition to the Researchers chose digital photography and quilting Learn a new instrument: constant practice, learning a new instrument can because they said these activities required the most improve hand-eye coordination, leading to physical active engagement, usage of long-term memory and as well as cognitive benefits for seniors. Drawing, cognitive ability. Researchers encouraged participants knitting and painting have similar benefits, too. to continuously learn and improve upon the skills they developed. This proved to be more mentally • Memorize a daily list: Make a grocery or things to- challenging, and in turn, delivered the most cognitive do list and memorize it. Wait an hour or so and see benefit. how many items on the list you can remember. This suggests that what you learn is just as important • Learn a new recipe or take a cooking as trying new things. Learning a new skill may reduce class: Review a recipe and see if you can cook it an older adults’ risk of dementia by strengthening from memory without looking at a piece of paper. connections between different parts of the brain. Or, take a cooking class. Cooking involves so many These connections can be improved through activities different activities and senses — from touch and such as learning a new language, learning to ride a taste to smell and sight — that your brain will work bike or playing a new instrument because they are overtime to process everything going on around more cognitively demanding. In fact, recent research you. has shown that though it is difficult for an aging brain CESAR QUILILAN, M.D. to take in new information, learning a new language August 31, 2016 has significant benefits for brain health and can slow Posted in: Living Younger, MetroHealth News cognitive decline as you age. Why? Because being bilingual or multilingual allows the brain to get “built-in exercise.” Your brain has to Try a new skill. There are many do a bit more work to juggle two or more languages, choices in this catalog to challenge so in a way it’s already trained to take in and process you mentally and physically. complicated information. Because of this, it may be easier to concentrate and focus on a variety of The brain isn’t a muscle, but it cognitive tasks, whether it’s word recognition or doing certainly behaves like one, a crossword puzzle. Additional research has shown that people who know more than one language perform so continuously exercise it better on attention tests and have a better ability to to keep it in the best shape. concentrate. 4 Amherst Center For Senior Services Winter 2020 Registration Begins: Tuesday, November 12, 2019 5 Academic Studies ART HISTORY - Art in the Academic Studies Contemporary Age Addresses artistic trends from the post-war era to The views expressed by the instructors of our the recent contemporary art showing at the Venice classes are strictly their own and can in no way Biennale. Artists covered include Jackson Pollack, be considered to express the views or policies the Abstract Impressionists, Andy Warhol, the Pop of the Amherst Center for Senior Services. Movement, Joseph Beuys, the Socialist art movements, Marina Abramovic, the Performance medium, Sol ALL THE NEWS & ISSUES Lewitt, Conceptualism and the Pluralism of the Post- Stay informed. This weekly discussion group will touch Modern Age. upon local, national and world events and topics. One Laura Watts Sommer, instructor of the following volunteers will lead the group each week: Bruce Brown, Janice Dunne, Leah Hayes, Carol Thursday, 1/30-3/19 (8x) Hensel, Jane Kauffman, Geoffrey McCauley, Nick Read, 10:00–11:30 a.m. Classroom 2 $30.00 Susan Stoll, or Lenny Testa. Friday, 1/3-4/24 (16x) no class 4/10 AVIATION Explore the world of aviation from Piper Cubs to 9:30--11:30 a.m. Classroom 2 $20.00 4th generation supersonic fighter jets. Discover the history of early successes and failures, who controls the arrivals at busy airports, and more. The curriculum will be adapted to fit the class interest, so bring your Do You Need Support? questions. Colonel Doug Routt, USAF ret., has over The Amherst Center for Senior Services 5,000 hours experience in fighter jets and has flown offers monthly support groups for numerous aircraft as an instructor for the FAA. widow/widowers and caregivers. Douglas Byrum Routt, instructor If you are interested, please contact our Social Work Department at 636-3050. Thursday, 1/9-2/6 (5x) 10:00