Active Adult Communities
In the past, these communities were dedicated to bingo, shuffleboard, golf and easy living. Not anymore. Today, such communities are changing, morphing into active adult campuses full of lifelong learning possibilities. Not only are they providing resources for the body but they are beginning to provide resources that feed the mind and soul too.

Walking, jogging and biking paths are replacing the shuffleboard courts. State-of-the-art gyms and pools offer residents multiple ways to stay physically fit. Bingo rooms are gone, replaced by classrooms offering all kinds of classes, courses and workshops. Smart homes, wired for the technology of today and the future, complete with home offices, are becoming the norm.

The tastes of homebuyers who are interested in living in active adult communities are also changing. Today the trend is toward smaller, more active communities, closer to people’s homes. They want to stay near families, friends, churches and all the other community resources they have developed over the years. Here is a sampling of what active adult communities are offering in the way of lifelong learning for their residents.

Del Webb/Pulte Homes
Del Webb/Pulte Homes is the nation’s largest home builder, and a pioneer and established leader in active adult lifestyle communities in nineteen different states - Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.

Thanks to a series of surveys done by the company which showed Baby Boomers plan to continue their education as they transition out of the workplace and into retirement, the company is looking at a variety of ways to incorporate lifelong learning into their communities. Here is just one example. Sun City Grand in Arizona has partnered with Arizona State University to offer residents a wide variety of classes.

The curriculum includes courses in business, philosophy, management, sociology, literature, finance, history, environment, music, astronomy, speech, religion, health, home repair and meteorology. The ASU Lifelong Learning Academy is housed in the student union-like Chaparral Center, which is part of the Sun City Grand retirement community.

Lennar Corporation/U.S. Homes
The Lennar Corporation/U.S. Homes is one of the nation’s leading builders of active adult communities. With over 45 active communities across the nation they are setting the standard for buyers looking for the very best activities and amenities for their active lifestyles. Golf courses, clubhouses, greenbelt trails, hobby centers, classrooms and computer labs are all part of the lifestyle offered to today’s buyers.

Jensen Communities
Jensen Residential Communities offer 28 residential communities for older adults in the eastern U.S. – New Hampshire, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, North & South Carolina and Georgia. They are dedicated to providing to their residents the best community environment at a reasonable cost. Social activities and recreational amenities abound including lifelong learning opportunities.

Kendal Corporation
The Kendal Corporation is nationally recognized as a leader in serving older adults throughout the Northeast. Their philosophy is based on the idea that growing older can bring new opportunities for growth and development. To that end their communities offer lifelong learning and community service opportunities to their residents. They often collaborate with colleges and/or universities to build continuing care communities near a local campus.

They have communities near Dartmouth University in New Hampshire, others near both Dennison and Oberlin Colleges in Ohio, yet another near Ithaca and Cornell Colleges in New York, another near Washington and Lee University in Virginia and still another near the five colleges (Smith, UMASS, Holyoke, Hampshire & Amherst Colleges) in western Massachusetts.

So, if you are interested in moving to an active adult community, you don’t have to worry about giving up your interest in lifelong learning. In fact, such a move is likely to enhance it. More and more active adult communities are offering their residents ways to stay connected with life and society in general, ways to keep learning, and ways to keep both their minds and their bodies active.

The Internet can help you learn more about active adult communities. There are a host of sites that can help you begin your search. See the Resources section for some of them.

For more information on lifelong learning for older adults you can visit www.learninglater.com

Learning Later, Living Greater: The Secret for Making the Most of Your After-50 Years, is available at www.amazon.com and other online booksellers.

Till Next Time…

Nancy Merz Nordstrom. M.Ed., is the author of "Learning Later, Living Greater: The Secret for Making the Most of Your After-50 Years". Her book, according to Ken Dychtwald, is a “compelling and user-friendly guide to lifelong learning and, in many ways, a complete redefinition of the after-50 years.” Nancy also directs the Elderhostel Institute Network (EIN), North America's largest and most respected educational network for older adults. More than 360 lifelong learning institutes with over 150,000 members are affiliated with the Network. For more information – Elderhostel Institute Network Read Nancy’s story on her Journal Visit her Forum Group LearnTalk Nancy maintains a web site at LearningLater.com