Older Adults

This series of non-credit educational programs for active older adults focuses on health, horticulture, and brain health. Workshops are offered year-round by Extension's Family Life and Community Health teams. Participants have the opportunity to engage in learning for personal enrichment and build new friendships.

Some of the workshop topics include brain exercise, health, gardening, book club, and laughter, just to name a few.

What the participants are saying:

“The U of I Extension programs are so beneficial to so many people, and genuinely so.  They are always there to help, to answer, and to research for us.  There is also a great cultural exchange among the participants.”

“The community as a whole benefits from the various workshops provided.  The information is useful for the participants and also to family members and friends who receive ‘second hand’ benefits.”

Find a Workshop

Contact Aida Peralta at 773-233-2900 or peralta1@illinois.edu for more information or to be added to the mailing list. Workshop brochures are published quarterly and registration is available online. Workshops are held at the main office located at 8751 S. Greenwood Ave., Suites 112-122, Chicago, IL 60619.   

 

Wits Workout Curriculum

Developed to assist leaders who provide programming to older adults in community settings.

Wits Workout is a peer-reviewed, pilot tested, brain health resource tool developed to assist leaders who provide programming to older adults in community settings.

Based on the research that intellectual challenge and social connectedness are two of several factors that contribute to brain health throughout life, Wits Workout has two main goals—to provide purposeful opportunities for older adults to engage intellectually, and to increase their socialization through ongoing group participation.
 

This 264 page facilitator’s guide consists of 24 themed units, each accommodating a 60–90 minute face-to-face program. Length of the session can be modified by the number of activities utilized. Sessions can be offered weekly, biweekly, or monthly, and can stand alone or be presented as a series.

Units include:

• Leader guides
• Printable activity handouts
• Answer sheets
 
Whether you are an experienced leader or novice, Wits Workout makes it easy to lead discussions and facilitate a shared learning experience.
 
  • Wits Workout Facilitators Guide (whole curriculum) - $100.00
  • USB Drive with easy to print handouts. Please note that you need the Wits Workout Facilitators Guide to lead activities and obtain answers (USB drive contains participant handouts only) - $25.00

 

There is a fidelity acknowledgement that will need to be signed prior to us sending out your order. There will be a link to this in your confirmation email.You are acknowledging the following:
 
  • Activity sheets are designed to be duplicated for participant use. 
  • The curriculum is otherwise copyright protected from duplicating and sharing.

 

By proceeding to your purchase, you acknowledge that you have read this and will fill out the fidelity acknowledgement prior to us sending out your materials.
 
 
If you have questions about this, feel free to email or call Molly Hofer or Chelsey Byers