TerraBella Asheboro: Can Learning a New Skill Help Support Brain Health?
For seniors in Asheboro, NC, lifelong learning helps to protect brain function in a practical way while making daily life more interesting and engaging. Instead of living a sedentary lifestyle full of passive repetitive consumption, learning, and curiosity can provide constant mental stimulation and keep the brain engaged.
Many older adults here in Terrabella Asheboro often think that memory loss and mental sluggishness are unavoidable parts of aging. They notice that it's hard to keep focus, to remember information, and stay motivated, and assume that these are the cognitive changes in aging that everybody warned them about.
But in reality, the brain is capable of adapting. According to the National Institute on Aging, older adults can continue learning and strengthen their brain function throughout life.
One of the best ways to achieve this is through learning new skills.
Let's explore in some more detail how learning new skills supports brain health.
Lifelong Learning for Seniors: New Hobbies That Build Curiosity and Cognition
Whether it's learning a language, embracing new technology, or learning to play a musical instrument, learning and discovery are more than a way to pass the time; it's a way to actively protect mental health and brain function.
Taking an active role in learning and participation rather than passively consuming media is a smarter choice for seniors because it helps to preserve their independence, boost their confidence, and enhance their quality of life.
Brain Benefits Of Learning: Practice, Neuroplasticity, and Mental Adaptability With Age
Repeated practice strengthens the communication between brain cells by activating the same circuits repeatedly. According to the Cleveland Clinic, these pathways can become more efficient and reliable through a process called neuroplasticity.
In other words, the more times you practice or experience something, the more your brain changes to adapt and strengthen your ability to internalize and let you recall that information.
Adapting to unfamiliar tasks is a skill, and like any skill, you can improve it by practicing. Learning new skills is one of the best ways to improve mental flexibility because it increases the speed at which the brain adapts to receiving new information.
The more you challenge yourself and the more you consistently repeat those challenges, the more the brain adapts to shifting strategies and thinking on its feet.
The great part about learning skills is that the benefits in brain function are transferable to all areas of life. So if you learn to paint or learn to play an instrument, it might help you with things like the following:
- Everyday planning
- Problem solving
- Information recall
Those who challenge themselves in retirement and learn new skills and broaden their horizons with new knowledge will have a brain that's much more adaptable and versatile when confronted with a new situation.
Curiosity and Cognition in Aging: How New Skills Strengthen Attention, Memory, and Executive Function
When you're learning a new skill, you're engaging multiple cognitive systems at once. For example, while learning:
- The memory is activated
- The systems in charge of regulating attention are engaged
- The language centers of the brain are stimulated, improving the pathways that control word-finding ability
The reasoning centers of the brain also get a good workout, enabling seniors to use logic confidently in everyday life. For seniors, the executive functioning system of the brain starts to decline. While this decline is inevitable, lifelong learning can slow the process and make it less noticeable.
Executive Function and Lifelong Learning
According to Harvard Health Publishing, the executive functioning system directs our attention and planning capacity, allowing us to break down a larger task by mentally breaking it up into smaller ones.
The executive functioning system drives our motivation to complete these small tasks. Regular learning helps maintain the executive functioning system because it trains sustained focus and makes mental drifting more noticeable.
When you have clear goals and workable feedback, it makes it more noticeable when there are gaps in your attention span. Seniors can then work on improving their concentration. Not only will this help them be effective in learning, but it also carries over into everyday life as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Can Learning New Skills Improve Mental Health?
Aging and new hobbies don't just improve brain function; it also improves mood and reduce stress. The abundance of leisure time in retirement feels great initially, but many seniors start to feel like they're not achieving things in life like they once did. Learning provides daily structure and a clear sense of progress.
If you, for example, take a formal class, you have clear learning objectives for each lesson and a long-term goal that you're working towards with clear indicators. If you're on track to reach the ultimate goal, there are small achievements with every class to build confidence. This helps to strengthen self-belief as seniors gain knowledge and capabilities.
How Do Senior Living Communities Encourage Learning?
There's no better spot to learn new skills than in a senior living community. Here's how communities like Terrabella Asheboro encourage lifelong learning:
- Easy Access Within the Community: Activities happen on site near residents' living spaces, reducing transportation barriers and making regular participation easier.
- Beginner-Friendly Design: Programs are built for people with little or no prior experience, using clear guidance to help newcomers feel confident.
- Structured Practice and Clear Goals: Classes set defined learning targets and provide repeated practice that supports steady progress over time.
- Peer Motivation and Social Support: Group learning boosts participation through shared effort, accountability, and ongoing social interaction.
Lifelong Learning and Asheboro Senior Enrichment at Terrabella Asheboro
When the brain is well adapted to problem-solving and dealing with life's challenges, it helps seniors maintain their independence for longer. Here in our community, we're committed to helping seniors commit to lifelong learning. Whether they're residents in our assisted living program or our memory care community, Terrabella Asheboro has a rich calendar of exciting events in a community packed with fantastic amenities.
It's easy to stay curious and engaged with access to our well-stocked library and community. Seniors can also get practical experience with creative hobbies in our arts and crafts studio. We'd love to show you these things and much more during a tour, so contact us today and learn more about our services and community.