Still Lots to Learn at 50-Plus

By Joanne Cleaver

It’s good to have company on the learning curve—especially if it’s a curve you haven’t navigated before.

Louise Young-Benson said this camaraderie develops quickly when residents who are 50-plus take AARP-sponsored workshops and discover that they have the same questions about technology, caregiving, job hunting and other life skills.

“You’re in with a bunch of compadres,” said Young-Benson, a retired Milwaukee Public Schools counselor and AARP volunteer in her mid-60s.

At recent workshops, she learned a lot more about her iPhone. She also heard from instructors and family caregivers about local resources that might be helpful.

The AARP-designed workshops are rapidly gaining fans in communities throughout Milwaukee County and in Racine, Kenosha and Janesville. Free and open to the public, they are conducted by professional instructors and support staff.

Specifics of workshop availability and topics are online at aarp.org/LearnAt50Plus. Details about the workshops are updated regularly at aarp.org/wi, the AARP Wisconsin blog.

The Learn@50+ website offers online versions of the workshops, interactive features and live events where participants can chat with presenters.

‘How your life can be’
Nothing builds confidence like wading into unfamiliar content with those who have similar experiences and reference points, Young-Benson said.

Participating in a group that includes vital, engaged 80- and 90-year-olds “gives you a vision for how your life can be as you age,” she added.

“CAREversations” is the workshop designed for family caregivers, many of whom are still working. It offers those who are often alone as they tend to the daily needs of loved ones a chance to relax and connect with one another and local resources.

“It can feel really isolating and overwhelming to be a caregiver,” said Joan Gunderson-Palmer, the AARP staffer who helps coordinate the workshops, which stress community as well as content.

The CAREversations dynamic is extended with online resources, such as the “Prepare to Care” guide, at aarp.org/caregiving.

“People started by introducing themselves and sharing why they were a caregiver, and by the end of the class they were swapping phone numbers and resources, and helping each other find solutions,” Qadira Harris, AARP Wisconsin outreach director, said of a recent CAREversations session she attended.

Job-search workshops are also popular. Participants gain tips on how to present a résumé and bio online, how online job-search sites work, and how to ensure that their qualifications will be found by employers’ search tools.

“Job Search in the Digital Age” is the workshop that hooked Karen Jackson, 69, a retired Milwaukee Public Schools human resources officer and an AARP volunteer in Milwaukee.

The workshop takes a holistic view of the advantages and complications of working and focuses on how to search and apply for great jobs online.

“Career is important because we need to stay vital,” said Jackson, who landed a job teaching part time at a college. “We want to stay mentally and professionally relevant as long as we can.”

Joanne Cleaver is a writer living in Manistee, Mich.